40+ Celebs Who Married Their First Love

Jack Black and Tanya Haden

This one isn’t exactly straightforward. Musician and actor Jack Black met Tanya Haden in high school, but they ended up losing touch after leaving school. 15 years later, the couple met at a mutual friend’s party, and hit it off.

Jack Black finally popped the question in 2006, and the pair were hitched just months later — no wonder after waiting so long! Now, the happy couple has two sons together — Samuel Jason, and Thomas David.

Kathy Avanzino and Rick Hilton

While her half-sisters Kim and Kyle were sent down the child star path, Kathy Avanzino was instead encouraged to marry into money. Paris and Nicky’s mom met businessman and heir Rick Hilton when she was just 15, and married him at 20. Together, these long-time lovers have four kids, including sons Barron and Conrad.

Clearly, a Hollywood institution, Rick and Kathy Hilton have weathered the storm for decades. They are now grandparents to Lily Grace, Teddy Marilyn, and Milou Alizée.

Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson

First up is the highest-grossing actor of all time — Samuel L. Jackson. The star met his wife, LaTanya Richardson, while the two attended different colleges in Atlanta. Richardson is an actress but stepped back after the birth of their daughter, Zoe.

Speaking about their relationship, Jackson has said, “We actually thought we were going to be the black Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, but we were going to stay together! She’s had a good career. I’ve had a good career. So it’s worked.”

Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Rosemary Treado

Another committed monogamist in the acting world is Jeff Daniels. The Emmy Award winner married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen Treado, in 1979. Interestingly, the pair decided to raise their kids in the couple’s home state, Michigan, rather than in Beverly Hills.

Speaking about the decision, the star said, “Kathleen and I had both been raised here; good enough for us, good enough for them.” He continued, “It was just too important to get wrong. My career came second to that.”

Ron Howard and Cheryl Alley

Director and actor Ron Howard has been on our screens for quite some time. Starting as a child star, the actor has starred in successful sitcoms and directed multiple hit movies. For his efforts, Ron Howard has won two Oscars.

Howard married wife Cheryl Alley when they were both 21 years old. He remembers, “It’s crazy — we were teenagers, it shouldn’t have worked. We got married young, that shouldn’t have worked either, and yet it really and truly has.”