When it comes to acting in a major motion picture, one of the most important qualities actors can have is excellent chemistry with their co-stars. Even some of the greatest performers ever can struggle on camera when they fail to achieve a good rhythm with the other members of the cast, which has led to some infamous co-star feuds. When the actors mesh together perfectly, however, it can be pure magic to watch them perform. These connections don’t always appear out of the blue, though.
Sometimes, great chemistry on-screen is the product of great chemistry off-screen. Over the years, many famous co-star movie couples who married each other have actually appeared together in films. In fact, when their on-screen dynamic is particularly entertaining to viewers, some couples even go on to star in multiple projects together. After all, there is no better way to showcase chemistry on-screen than by finding actors who naturally have it with each other. Although Tom Holland and Zendaya may be among the most recent pairs to co-star in a project, these couples have shown off their shared skills before they did.
10 Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor
Appearing Together in Zoolander and Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
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Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor have been a couple for over two decades now, being married since 2000. In that time, the couple has combined their comedic talents on various occasions, including multiple times in movies. Their first major project as husband and wife came in 2001 with Zoolander, which Stiller also directed. The film ends with their characters getting married and having a child (although Taylor only plays a small role in the film’s 2016 sequel).
This time, the two played rivals, with Taylor playing Kate Veatch, a prominent member of the Average Joe’s dodgeball team, while Stiller played White Goodman, the film’s brash antagonist.
Just a few years after Zoolander, the two appeared together again in the popular comedy, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. This time, the two played rivals, with Taylor playing Kate Veatch, a prominent member of the Average Joe’s dodgeball team, while Stiller played White Goodman, the film’s brash antagonist. Taylor also has a brief appearance in the 2008 comedy, Tropic Thunder, which Stiller both directed and starred in.
9 Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
Appearing Together in The Big Sleep, Key Largo, and More
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In the world of classic Hollywood, few couples received quite as much attention as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Bacall made her film debut opposite Bogart in the 1944 film, To Have and Have Not. From there, the bond between the two renowned performers grew stronger and stronger, with the couple soon getting married in 1945. They remained together until Bogart passed away in 1957. Although they were only married for twelve years, they managed to appear in several films together during that time.
Soon after the pair got married, they headlined the 1946 Howard Hawks film, The Big Sleep, together. Though the eyes of the public were already on “Bogie and Bacall,” as they were known, The Big Sleep launched their popularity even further. In the next two years, the pair also appeared together in Dark Passage and Key Largo. With these films consistently receiving high praise overall, Bogart and Bacall were truly among the most prominent couples of the era.
8 John Krasinski and Emily Blunt
Appearing Together in A Quiet Place, IF, and More
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A couple that has recently been taking Hollywood by storm is the former The Office star, John Krasinski, and The Devil Wears Prada star, Emily Blunt. The celebrity pair first met in 2008, and were married by the end of 2010. Krasinski and Blunt have been together ever since, and have had two daughters together over the years. Impressively, their chemistry on-screen is just as great as their chemistry in real life, appearing in numerous projects together within the last decade.
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Perhaps the most notable collaboration between Krasinski and Blunt is the A Quiet Place movies, an inventive series of horror movies directed by Krasinski, and starring the pair as a married couple in a post-alien invasion version of Earth. Both actors also had roles in IF, another (more family friendly) film by Krasinski, although Blunt simply voiced a character instead of appearing on-screen. Of course, it is also important to mention the first movie the couple appeared in together: the Oscar-winning 2011 film, The Muppets.
7 Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
Appearing Together in Overboard, The Christmas Chronicles, and More
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One of the longest-standing couples in Hollywood today is the charming duo of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Although these two iconic performers never got married, they have been together for over four decades now, having first begun dating back in 1983. In that time, Hawn and Russell have welcomed one son, seven grandchildren, and appeared in several major films by each other’s side.
Among the most well-known collaborations by the couple is the 1987 romantic comedy, Overboard , directed by Garry Marshall.
Hawn and Russell lead the film as an unlikely enemies-to-lovers couple, learning to see new sides of each other after Hawn’s character falls off her yacht and loses her memory. The pair have appeared together in more recent projects as well, playing the roles of Santa and Mrs. Claus in the 2018 Netflix holiday film, The Christmas Chronicles, in addition to the film’s 2020 sequel.
6 Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Appearing Together in The Long, Hot Summer, Paris Blues, and More
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With a relationship spanning longer than many entire careers in Hollywood, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were easily among the longest-lasting couples to feature two highly prominent performers. After first meeting while working together on Broadway, the couple soon wed in 1958. They then stayed by each other’s side for an impressive fifty years, until Newman’s tragic death in 2008.
During their half-century-long marriage, the couple worked together on an astonishing sixteen different film projects. In a handful of these, Newman only served as a director or producer, but they appeared together as actors in the majority. Arguably the most prominent movie to star both of the Academy Award-winning actors was the 1958 drama, The Long, Hot Summer, directed by Martin Ritt. Other major films to star both actors included Paris Blues, From the Terrace, The Drowning Pool, and many more.
5 Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone
Appearing Together in Bridesmaids, Tammy, and More
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Whether they realize it or not, fans of modern comedies have probably seen the Hollywood couple of Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone together at least once, with each of the actors consistently making brief appearances in each other’s projects. The hilarious pair first met in the ’90s, before finally getting married in 2005. Since their marriage, the couple has welcomed multiple children, started their own production company, and appeared in numerous major films together.
McCarthy and Falcone made their first on-screen appearance together in Bridesmaids, the acclaimed comedy for which McCarthy earned an Academy Award nomination. Since then, Falcone has appeared in many other films starring his wife, such as Identity Thief, The Heat, and Spy. McCarthy even played the lead role in Tammy, a 2014 comedy which served as Falcone’s directorial debut (in which he also made a brief appearance). The couple’s clear love of sharing the screen with each other has been charming audiences for years, and shows no signs of stopping.
4 Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
Appearing Together in Woman of the Year, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and More
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One of the more complicated couples to dawn during the Golden Age of Hollywood involved Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, two of the most prominent actors of the era. The pair were incredibly secretive about their connection. In fact, they never ended up getting married, and lived in separate residences, despite being involved with each other for longer than two decades. Regardless of their secrecy, the chemistry between Hepburn and Tracy both on-screen and in real-life was positively undeniable, with the pair never failing to dazzle their audiences whenever they were together.
In total, Hepburn and Tracy starred in nine films together, spanning three different decades. Their first on-screen partnership came in the 1942 romantic comedy, Woman of the Year, directed by George Stevens. Years later, in 1967, the couple had their final shared appearance in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, a ten-time Oscar-nominated film, which ended up being Tracy’s final project before his death. Hepburn and Tracy also starred in various other popular films, such as Adam’s Rib and State of the Union.
3 Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Appearing Together in Pyrates, The Woodsman, and More
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Having spent over three and a half decades together, Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick are among the longest-standing Hollywood couples still going strong today. The pair first met while working together on a PBS production, and were married in the late 1980s. Before long, the couple had two children together. In terms of their professional careers, while the pair aren’t side-by-side in every film they make, they have certainly appeared together several times over the years, with even more collaborations sure to come in the future.
A few years later, though, both actors had roles in the legal drama, Murder in the First , which was more well-received. ✕ Remove Ads
The first project Bacon and Sedgwick worked on together as husband and wife was Pyrates, a comedy about a couple with a very unusual problem. A few years later, though, both actors had roles in the legal drama, Murder in the First, which was more well-received. Bacon and Sedgwick have worked together several other times over the years, with a notable recent example being their humorous roles in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Recently, the couple announced another upcoming collaboration with Connescence, a film which will surely highlight the lovely dynamic between the two stars.
2 Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Appearing Together in Mr. and Mrs. Smith and By the Sea
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Although they are no longer an item, Hollywood superstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie did make a couple of big-screen appearances together while they were a couple. Their tumultuous relationship began in 2004, eventually leading to their marriage ten years later. In 2016, though, the couple decided to split, making headlines across the country. In the time they were together, Pitt and Jolie became the parents of six children.
Pitt and Jolie began their relationship while on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the first film to star the iconic couple. In the film, the pair play a husband and wife, each of whom is secretly an assassin tasked with killing the other. While both starred in plenty of other movies in between, their next film together was the 2015 romantic drama, By the Sea, which Jolie also wrote and directed. This film marked the final cinematic collaboration between Pitt and Jolie before their messy separation in 2016.
1 Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman
Appearing Together in Matilda, The Ratings Game, and More
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Although their relationship may have experienced some ups and downs, beloved stars Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman truly share a Hollywood connection for the ages. The two talented performers first began dating in the early ’70s, before getting married in 1982. Over the years, they welcomed three children together, and appeared side-by-side in multiple major projects. The two are currently separated, but remain married, and appear to still share a deep, loving connection with each other.
Perhaps the most notable showcase of the pair’s natural chemistry is in the 1996 family film, Matilda, based on Roald Dahl’s popular novel. In the film, DeVito and Perlman play the cartoonishly awful parents of the titular character, dominating the screen with their hilarious, captivating performances. The duo has also appeared in films like The Ratings Game, which DeVito directed, and even in My Little Pony: The Movie, in which each got the opportunity to voice a character. Even though they are separated, DeVito and Perlman continue to support each other in both their professional and personal lives.