Daniel Craig isn't James Bond. Honestly, the biggest mistake people make is assuming his personal life mirrors the high-octane, revolving-door romance of the character that made him a global icon. It doesn't. While 007 is famous for a new girl in every city, Craig's actual history is defined by long, quiet stretches and a handful of deeply committed partnerships. He’s a guy who prefers a pub in Dorset to a red carpet in Cannes.
The Daniel Craig relationships timeline isn't a series of tabloid scandals. It's more like a slow-burn drama. It’s a story of early marriage, a seven-year German romance, a "jilted" fiancée, and a secret wedding that caught everyone off guard.
The Early Marriage and the Daughter You Didn't Know About
Long before the tuxedos and the Aston Martins, Daniel Craig was just a struggling actor in London. In 1992, at the age of 23, he married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon. They weren't famous. They were just young. That same year, they welcomed their daughter, Ella.
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The marriage didn't last. They split in 1994, after just two years. Craig has been pretty blunt about this in later years, telling British GQ that he was simply too young for the commitment. He doesn't regret it, but he admits he wish he’d handled it differently.
Ella, now an adult, uses her mother’s last name, Loudon. She’s an artist and actress herself. You’ve probably seen her on his arm at a few premieres, but they kept her upbringing remarkably low-key. He’s a dad first. Bond second.
The Long-Term Loves: Heike Makatsch and Satsuki Mitchell
After the divorce, Craig didn't jump into the dating pool headfirst. He spent seven years—from 1996 to 2004—with German actress Heike Makatsch. You’d recognize her as Mia, the predatory secretary from Love Actually.
Seven years is a lifetime in Hollywood.
They eventually split, citing the typical "work kept us apart" excuse. Craig once noted that film sets are "bloody lonely" and death on relationships. He wasn't lying.
Then came Satsuki Mitchell.
A Hollywood producer, Mitchell was with Craig through the most transformative era of his life: the transition into Bond. They met on the set of The Jacket in 2005. By 2007, she was wearing a massive Cartier diamond. They were the real deal. Or so everyone thought.
The Rachel Weisz Shift: A "Secret" Decades in the Making
The way Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz ended up together feels like a movie script. Most people think they met on the set of the 2011 thriller Dream House. They didn't. They actually met way back in 1994, performing in a "steamy" play called Les Grandes Horizontales at the National Theatre Studio in London.
There were no sparks then. Or if there were, they didn't act on them.
Fast forward sixteen years.
Both were in long-term situations. Craig was engaged to Mitchell. Weisz was with Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky (they have a son, Henry). Then Dream House happened. The chemistry on set was apparently so undeniable that both of their long-term relationships disintegrated within months.
Mitchell’s father famously told the Daily Mail that Satsuki found out about Craig’s marriage to Weisz through the newspapers. It was abrupt. It was messy behind the scenes.
The Wedding That No One Saw Coming
In June 2011, they pulled off the impossible. They got married in New York City with only four guests:
- Craig’s daughter, Ella.
- Weisz’s son, Henry.
- Two close friends.
No paparazzi. No leaks. Just a quiet "I do" and a quick return to real life. Weisz admitted she never even wanted to get married before meeting Daniel. She told the Evening Standard that she couldn't even relate to romantic comedies because she didn't see the point of the "happily ever after" trope.
Then, it just clicked.
Life After Bond: 2026 and the "Mummy" Rumors
As of early 2026, the couple is still going strong, though the tabloid mill never stops grinding. Recently, whispers surfaced about a "rocky patch" because Weisz is reportedly eyeing a return to The Mummy franchise alongside Brendan Fraser.
The "source" (take that with a grain of salt) claims that the potential six-month filming schedule and global press tour are causing friction now that Craig has settled into a quieter, post-Bond retirement. It’s the old "film set curse" again.
Whether those rumors hold water is debatable. The couple has a daughter together, Grace, born in 2018. They famously "alternate" work assignments so one parent is always home. It’s a pragmatic, un-Hollywood way of raising a family.
Lessons from the Craig-Weisz Playbook
If you’re looking at Daniel Craig relationships as a blueprint, there are a few real-world takeaways here:
- Privacy is a Choice: They don't have public social media. They don't sell baby photos. If you don't feed the beast, the beast eventually goes elsewhere.
- The "Work-Life" Balance is Literal: They physically trade off jobs. If he’s filming a Knives Out sequel, she stays home. If she’s doing theater or a blockbuster, he’s the one at the grocery store.
- Timing is Everything: 1994 wasn't their time. 2010 was. Sometimes you have to grow into the person who can sustain a marriage.
Craig and Weisz have managed to stay married for fifteen years in an industry that eats marriages for breakfast. They did it by being boring. Honestly? That’s the most Bond-like move of all—hiding in plain sight.
To keep up with the latest factual updates on their upcoming projects, keep an eye on trade publications like Variety or The Hollywood Reporter, rather than the "rocky patch" gossip columns. Their professional choices usually give more insight into their personal stability than any anonymous source ever could.