Mare Winningham and Anthony Edwards: What Really Happened Over Those 35 Years

Hollywood loves a whirlwind romance. You know the type: two stars meet on a glitzy set, get engaged by the third interview, and throw a $2 million wedding before the movie even hits streaming.

But Mare Winningham and Anthony Edwards didn't do that.

They took the scenic route. Basically, the most scenic route possible. It took them nearly four decades to realize that what they were looking for was sitting right in front of them the whole time. In an industry that treats relationships like disposable cameras, their slow-burn story is actually kind of refreshing. Honestly, it’s the kind of timing that would make a script supervisor quit in frustration.

The Nuclear Beginning of Mare Winningham and Anthony Edwards

It all started with an apocalypse.

🔗 Read more: Ben Napier Net Worth: What Most People Get Wrong About the Scotsman’s Wealth

Well, a cinematic one. Back in 1988, the two were cast as the leads in Miracle Mile. If you haven't seen it, it’s this wild, cult-classic thriller where Anthony’s character hears a nuclear strike is imminent and spends the whole movie trying to find Mare’s character so they can escape Los Angeles before it gets vaporized.

The chemistry was there. You can see it on screen. Mare later admitted she had a total crush on him during filming.

"I'm laughing because we did have chemistry and I had a crush on him and we were good to go for that so we didn't have to rehearse," she told People years later.

But here’s the thing: they didn't date. Not then. They finished the movie, stayed friends, and went on to live entirely separate, very busy lives.

Parallel Lives and Different Partners

For the next 30-plus years, they were just... friends. They both worked constantly. Anthony became a household name as Dr. Mark Greene on ER. Mare racked up Emmy wins and an Oscar nomination for Georgia.

Life happened.

• Anthony married makeup artist Jeanine Lobell in 1994. They had four kids and stayed together for twenty years before divorcing in 2015.
• Mare had a more complicated path. She was married to A Martinez, then William Mapel (with whom she had five children), and later Jason Trucco.

They even worked together again on ER in the late 90s. Mare played Dr. Amanda Lee, a character who—ironically—was obsessed with Anthony’s Mark Greene. It was a brief arc, but they remained in each other's orbits. They were the friends who check in every few years. The ones who see each other at industry events and promise to grab coffee, then actually do it.

How a Pandemic Changed Everything

Fast forward to 2020. The world shuts down.

Suddenly, everyone is stuck at home, and the fast-paced Hollywood lifestyle just stops. Both Anthony and Mare found themselves living in New York City at the same time. They were both single. They started taking walks.

Just walks.

In April 2020, Anthony told Fox News they were basically forming a small "pod." They spent five weeks together with a godson, just navigating the weirdness of the early pandemic. When you're walking through a quiet Manhattan with someone you’ve known since the Reagan administration, things start to look different. The friendship that had survived 35 years of marriages, divorces, and career highs suddenly felt like it could be something more.

👉 See also: Jennifer Love Hewitt Now and Then: What People Still Get Wrong About Her Career

It wasn't a PR stunt. There were no paparazzi photos of them making out in Malibu. They just quietly transitioned from "old friends" to "the person I want to spend the rest of my life with."

The Secret Elopement

By the time the public found out they were a couple, they were already married.

In early 2022, Anthony dropped the bombshell during an interview with Esquire. He wasn't even trying to make a big announcement; he just casually mentioned that he and Mare had eloped in 2021.

"We're too old to throw weddings," he said.

It was just the two of them and an old friend to officiate. No bridesmaids. No tiered cake. Just two people who had known each other since they were kids (well, young adults) deciding they didn't need the bells and whistles.

It’s a rare move in Hollywood. Usually, even the "private" stars have a Vogue spread for their wedding. But for Mare and Anthony, the value wasn't in the event. It was in the history. They had 35 years of "data" on each other. They knew the baggage, the quirks, and the history.

A Broadway Rescue Mission

If you want to know what their marriage actually looks like, look at what happened in May 2022.

Mare was starring in the Broadway musical Girl from the North Country. A COVID-19 outbreak hit the cast, and they were desperate for an understudy for the role of Dr. Walker. Anthony, who was at their home in Connecticut, got a call from his wife.

He had about an hour of rehearsal. He hadn't been on a Broadway stage in years.

He did it anyway.

He stepped in to save the show so the audience wouldn't have to go home disappointed. Mare stood on that stage with him, watching her husband wing a Broadway performance to help her out. That’s the kind of partnership you get when you’ve been friends for four decades before saying "I do."

Why Their Story Resonates Now

There is a lesson here about timing.

We’re taught that if you don't find "the one" by 30, you've missed the boat. Mare and Anthony proved that the boat can circle back around when you're 60. They didn't rush it. They didn't force it in 1988 when they were both in different headspace.

They waited until they were the versions of themselves that actually fit together.

Actionable Takeaways from the Winningham-Edwards Timeline

If you're looking at their story and wondering why it feels so "right," here is what you can actually apply to your own life or relationships:

1. Friendship is the highest-ROI investment. They kept a "low-maintenance" friendship for 35 years. That foundation meant that when they finally got together, there was zero guesswork.
2. Timing isn't a failure. If they had tried to date in 1988, it might have crashed and burned. Their separate lives gave them the perspective needed to make it work now.
3. Privacy is a choice. You don't have to broadcast your milestones. Eloping worked for them because it kept the focus on the relationship, not the spectacle.
4. Support your partner's "stage." Whether it's literally stepping onto a Broadway stage or just being the one who walks with them during a crisis, being present is the core of their longevity.

The story of Mare Winningham and Anthony Edwards is basically a reminder that life is long. Sometimes the person you're supposed to be with is the person you met at a screen test in the 80s, and you just haven't finished the conversation yet.