In the high-stress, fast-paced world of Hollywood, it can often be difficult to manage a successful relationship—both professionally and romantically—while working on a project. From the many different facets of production that need to be juggled at once, to the giant responsibility on one's shoulders as an actor or director, it is no surprise that once many high-profile individuals find that certain somebody, they will want to keep working with them forever.
There have been many director/actor marriages throughout cinema history, with most of them resulting in subsequent, long-standing creative partnerships. While these marriages may not always stand the test of time, the art that is birthed from their collaborations, for the most part, often does.
10 Len Wiseman & Kate Beckinsale Brought Us The Underworld Franchise
Married between 2004-2019, this director/actor partnership worked together on five films in the successful Underworld series, with Wiseman helming the franchise as lead-director and creator, and Beckinsale taking on the lead role as iconic vampire Selene. A leading force during the 2000s action/horror boom, this partnership was as long-running as it was successful.
While the two split in 2019, rumors abound of a sixth entry in the series, which fans hope may yet spell another collaboration between the two sometime in the future.
9 Kevin Smith & Jennifer Schwalbach Keep It In The Family
A director who is no stranger to casting his family and friends in his movies, it came as no surprise that upon marrying journalist Jennifer Schwalbach, she would begin to crop up in his projects. Successfully taking on major roles in the likes of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks 2, and Yoga Hosers, this is a collaboration still going strong to this day.
In an even more unique turn of events, not only do Kevin and Jennifer frequently work together, but he has also frequently cast their daughter Harley Quinn Smith in his pictures. She has become a very successful actor in her own right since first appearing as a baby in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
8 Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson Made Critically Acclaimed, Award-Winning Cinema
Although the span of their marriage would turn out to be short-lived, lasting from only 1989-1995, the fruits of their labor together would more than speak for itself. Creating such Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe-nominated/winning pictures together as Henry V, Dead Again, Peter's Friends and Much Ado About Nothing, this partnership was highly celebrated during the early 1990s.
While eventually coming to an end, the projects created during this actor/director relationship more than stands the test of time and will live on forevermore as a high point for British cinema of the era.
7 Dario Argento & Daria Nicolodi Were Responsible For The Best Italian Genre-Films Of The Time
First collaborating in the genre-defining Deep Red in 1975, Dario and Daria's professional and romantic relationship would span decades together, and birth some of the most groundbreaking and important Italian horror films of all time—from Suspiria, Inferno, Tenebrae, Phenomena, Opera, to 2007's Mother of Tears.
While they were never officially married, their longstanding relationship together, and the importance of their output, cannot be overlooked. Their legacy, when it comes to Italian cinema and the world of horror, still stands strong to this day.
6 Ridley Scott & Giannina Facio Worked Together For Years Before Marrying (& Haven't Stopped Since)
One of the longest-running professional/romantic partnerships in all of Hollywood, Scott and Facio have worked together on almost every single film by the director since 1996. They were dating since the early-2000s and finally married in 2015.
Collaborating on such massive productions as Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Kingdom of Heaven, and Prometheus, this duo has been working together in Hollywood for almost 30 years, and has created some of the biggest, highest-grossing, and critically acclaimed films to be released during that time.
5 John Carpenter & Adrienne Barbeau Made Some Of The Best American Sci-Fi & Horror
First pairing up in 1978's Someone's Watching Me! and entering into a marriage/working relationship that lasted from 1979-1984, Carpenter and Barbeau would be responsible for putting out some of the all-time greatest cult movies ever made.
From The Fog, Escape From New York, and The Thing, this pairing would help shape each other's careers as defining voices in 1980s cinema, with Barbeau becoming one of the most called for and in-demand scream queens of the decade, while Carpenter would continue to be held up as one of, if not the best, genre-filmmakers of all time.
4 Woody Allen & Mia Farrow Had An Incredibly Prolific Output Together
Working almost exclusively with one another during a relationship that lasted from 1980-1992 and putting out over 13 celebrated films together, Woody Allen and Mia Farrow may not have ever officially married, but their work with one another is as iconic as it was fruitful.
From the brilliance of pictures such as A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy, Zelig, Broadway Danny Rose, Hannah and Her Sisters, Radio Days, and Alice among many, many more, this is easily one of the most iconic director/actor pairings in Hollywood history, which makes it all the more tragic that it was brought to such a disastrous end.
3 Paul W.S. Anderson & Milla Jovovich Built A Franchise Around Their Relationship
Responsible for the massive Resident Evil films franchise, director Paul W.S. Anderson and lead actress Milla Jovovich deviated drastically from the video game source material to create something wholly and uniquely different for their tenure in the seven-film series.
While receptions have been mixed, both critically and from fans of the video games, the fact remains that the series was very financially lucrative and sparked a long-running working and romantic relationship between this pair that continues to this day with projects such as the recent Monster Hunter movie.
2 Tim Burton & Helena Bonham Carter Were The Most Iconic Hollywood Couple Of The Era
A personal and working relationship that spanned the years between 2001-2014, Carter and Burton made some of the most unique and instantly recognizable pictures of the time together. In what seemed like a match made in Hollywood heaven, the two creatives shared Victorian and Gothic sensibilities, meshed incredibly well together, and made for a very strong and surefooted output both visually and artistically.
Putting out such films as Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd among others during their time together, this couple's output was a well celebrated, and much-anticipated product that was met with voracious critical acclaim.
1 Rob Zombie & Sheri Moon Zombie Are The Power Couple Of Horror Cinema
First appearing in various music videos for her husband-to-be's band, Rob and Sheri have been collaborating since the 1990s and are still going strong today. Marrying in 2002, actress Sheri Moon would be the first, and most obvious choice for the musician to cast for his female leads when first embarking on his burgeoning career as a filmmaker.
So far appearing in all of Rob's films to date, House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Halloween, Halloween II, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, The Lords of Salem, 31, 3 From Hell, and the upcoming reboot of The Munsters. Rob and Sheri have more than established themselves as the go-to duo when it comes to modern-day horror.