Michelle Pfeiffer is an iconic actress who has been working in the industry for nearly 50 years.
But behind the scenes, she has built a quiet and loving family life with her husband David E. Kelley. Here’s a look inside their love story!
Michelle Pfeiffer and television writer David E. Kelley met in January 1993 after being set up on a blind date.
“I was kind of nervous … and I’d had a couple of bad blind dates and I had sworn off of them, and my best friend said, ‘Please, just this last time, meet this guy, David Kelley,’ and I said okay,” Michelle shared during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2022. “I thought it was a good idea to do like a bowling party.”
The 67-year-old recalled David “chatting it up” with her sister, Dedee, and she admitted to trying to set them up, to which her friend told her, “Don’t you dare. I will kill you.”
The Madison star joked that their relationship didn’t start off well, but it all worked out in the end.
At the time of their meeting, Michelle was in the process of adopting her daughter, Claudia Rose, and two months into dating, she brought her home.
“We had this child with us right away, and most people don’t have that. But I really got to see [David] in a situation that certainly would separate the boys from the men. Obviously, he really rose to the occasion,” the actress told Good Housekeeping in 2007. “We both got to see each other as parents before we progressed in our relationship together and, in a strange way, it took the pressure off, as a couple.”
In August 1994, Michelle and David welcomed their second child, son John Henry Kelley.
The pair married in November 1993, and have now been together for over 30 years.
Speaking about the secret to their long-lasting marriage, Michelle told Woman’s Day, “It’s definitely carving out time. Also, I am just very amused by him and he still surprises me. I think we are just both kind of intrigued by each other.”
She previously told Parade that she “got really lucky” with David as a partner. “I never take him for granted. I’ve never met a person who has more integrity than my husband. I respect that. There’s his humour and intelligence, too, and he’s really cute, all those things – but if you don’t respect your partner, you’ll get sick of him.”
And despite famously confessing they would never work together, Michelle and David are teaming up in a new project, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which releases in April and stars Michelle, Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning.
Speaking about the decision to collaborate professionally, Michelle told Woman’s Day, “I said we would never work together but then we did [laughs]. I always thought it would maybe not be such a good idea, because I cherish our marriage so much and I would never want to do anything to jeopardise that. But then, watching shows he has written, I get so envious of the people who get to work with him, particularly women, because he writes so beautifully for women. So we decided to blur those lines a little.”
She added, “I love every minute of us working together.”
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