This Famous Hollywood Couple Endured the Loss of Their Son & Have Been Together for 73 Years – Inside Their Relationship
Their marriage began without romance, nearly unraveled from betrayal, and was saved by a cross-country move — but after 73 years together, William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett are still each other’s greatest love story.
In an industry known for breakups, William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett defied the odds. However, from their early days as ambitious students to becoming beloved fixtures in American pop culture, their journey has been anything but picture-perfect.
Infidelity and the heartbreak of losing a child tested their relationship in ways that could have easily broken it. And yet, they held on. Here’s a look inside their extraordinary relationship and a love story that has endured for over seven decades.
How a College Audition Sparked a Lifelong Love
Daniels and Bartlett have built a legacy in Hollywood that spans decades. He is best known for his roles as George Feeny in “Boy Meets World,” Dr. Craig in “St. Elsewhere,” and the voice of KITT in “Knight Rider.”
Bartlett, an acclaimed actress in her own right, earned accolades for her performances in shows like “St. Elsewhere” and “Little House on the Prairie.” However, their story began long before their fame.
The two first crossed paths at Northwestern University, where both were studying acting. Daniels recalled their first meeting vividly. In a class where the teacher was casting a play, he remembered watching what he described as “dreadful” auditions.
Then, a voice from the back of the room that sounded like an actress caught his attention. He turned around and recalled seeing “this lovely blonde.”
After class, Daniels waited by the door for Bartlett. “I said, ‘How about a cup of coffee?’ And she said, ‘You’re too short.’ I said, ‘C’mon, have a cup of coffee.’ She said, ‘OK,'” he shared.
Unbeknownst to Daniels at the time, Bartlett had already taken notice of him. “Turns out she heard I had been on Broadway,” he explained. “She had been following me around campus, I didn’t even know it.” Bartlett responded to his recollection, saying:
“True. I didn’t want to [be] a stalker. I didn’t want to interfere with his life and I never thought for a minute he’d be interested in me. So when I said, ‘You’re too short,’ I thought ‘Oh no, we’re wrong. You don’t want me.'”
Despite their awkward but charming first exchange, their connection quickly grew. They discovered a shared passion for acting and mutual respect for each other’s talent and ambition. “We both have the same goals. We both liked acting,” Bartlett said.
“We both liked when the other one worked,” she continued. Daniels echoed her sentiment, adding, “There was never any jealousy between the two of us. We were happy when the other one was working.” That early understanding would become the foundation of a marriage that would later endure many trials and triumphs.
Weathering the Storm
Though Daniels and Bartlett’s marriage ultimately stood the test of time, instability, painful betrayals, and emotional reckoning marked its early years.
“That I’d spend my life with him, that never occurred to me. There was no plan. We were actors and trying to get work, and we liked being together,” Bartlett confessed.
The actress revealed in her memoir “Middle of the Rainbow” that she had an affair that lasted a few months in 1959.
Their decision to marry wasn’t rooted in romance so much as practicality. “And when we got married, I thought we just got married so that we could have sex really,” the actress shared.
“We got married for the expediency of it. This was not a romantic thing. It was probably as much mental and sexual. It was just a meeting of the minds and a meeting of the bodies,” she added.
After marrying in 1951, Daniels credited his wife’s presence as vital to his success in school, admitting, “If I hadn’t met Bonnie, I don’t think I would have gotten through.”
However, the couple faced years of turmoil while living in New York. During that time, both were unfaithful. “I guess it was a little bit of an open marriage at first, but that was very painful. That didn’t work well. And it was a time when people were doing that.” Bartlett revealed. She added:
“It was at a time in New York when there was a lot of sex and a lot of people doing all kinds of things, you know — very free. But I don’t know if there was a lack of commitment a little bit, and that’s not good. So there was a lot of pain connected with any transgression, with any extramarital thing.”
The actress revealed in her memoir “Middle of the Rainbow” that she had an affair that lasted a few months in 1959. However, Daniels’ affair with a New York-based producer in the early 1970s still left her wrecked. Despite the heartache, they stayed together.
Bartlett admitted, “I was always the one that would say to Bill, ‘I don’t think I want to be married to you anymore.’ And he’d say, ‘Oh, come on. You’re smitten with me. You’ve always been crazy about me.’ Every time I’ve questioned the relationship, he doesn’t take it seriously.”
Still, the emotional weight of their early years was undeniable. “It was very painful for the both of us. But it was something we had to go through because we never went through it. When we got together I was 18,” Bartlett said.
“Bill was my first boyfriend…We just had to go through all that and still, we loved each other very much and always have. [We] have always been there for each other,” she continued.
“That’s what matters — if you’re there for the person and help [them] along in a relationship, [have] respect for them and what they’re doing and being there for them…[You have to] be together on the other side,” the actress added.
Sadly, their struggles went beyond infidelity, as they also suffered the devastating loss of one of their sons. That tragedy, coupled with the emotional toll of their personal lives, created a storm that might have ended many other relationships. But it didn’t end theirs.
Instead, the couple, who went on to welcome two boys, moved to Hollywood — and that shift marked a turning point. “Hollywood was really the saving grace for our marriage,” Bartlett explained, adding:
“Because once we got to Hollywood and we were here and living like a normal family and having weekends at home with our kids and doing things, it was [a] totally different story. Nobody wanted anything more than that.”
However, looking back years later, the actress saw those difficult times as necessary. “So much happens and you live — the good things, you hurt each other. We’ve hurt each other but you recover and you grow and you change and you adapt,” she revealed.
“You have to be able to adapt to the other person. You have to think of them first. It doesn’t happen overnight. It took us years to get to a real companionship marriage,” the Hollywood star added.
Lasting Love
After decades of trials, triumphs, and transformation, Daniels and Bartlett have emerged with a bond that has remained unshaken.
Reflecting on a marriage that spanned more than seven decades, the actress admitted, “I never expected it to be a marvelous, wonderful thing. I had no anticipation of that at all, and it just happened.”
What began without romantic pretense slowly turned into a deeply fulfilling companionship. Daniels, whose “sense of romance” once impressed Bartlett with a single rose during their early days of dating, still brought lightness into their daily lives seven decades later.
In recent years, the couple has enjoyed the peace and rhythm of their quiet life together in Southern California.
“He’s much more romantic than I am, much more,” she said. Daniels, ever quick-witted, added, “I have the ability to make you laugh.” Bartlett agreed, “Yes, that has been very important. He still makes me laugh.”
“His sense of humor and his ability every day to find something funny is really good for me because I’m very intense. That and being a great father. He’s a great father,” she remarked.
Daniels, when asked what he admired most about his wife, said, “I think our relationship is based on mutual respect and I think she is smarter than me, better actor than me, so I just hang on and try to get along.”
In recent years, the couple has enjoyed the peace and rhythm of their quiet life together in Southern California. Bartlett shared:
“We sit in this house and we do things. He reads his New York Times, and he does cameos mostly. And we do conventions and things like that. We just like to be with each other. And we would do anything for each other.”
Their enduring love was honored publicly as well. In June 2024, Emmy-nominated host Jeff Conway paid tribute to the couple on their 73rd wedding anniversary, writing in part, “Today is the incredible 73rd wedding anniversary of two of my dearest California friends.”
Conway described a heartfelt visit filled with conversation, laughter, flowers, and memories of their June 30, 1951, wedding in Moline, Illinois. “Now at 97 and 95 years young, Bill and Bonnie continue to be two of my favorite people in this world,” he wrote.
After more than seven decades together, Daniels and Bartlett’s marriage stands as a testament to resilience, honesty, and deep mutual respect. They endured betrayal, grief, and personal struggles — but through it all, they never stopped choosing each other.