Hollywood’s longest married couple Bonnie Bartlett, 96, and William Daniels, 99, finally speak out on ‘open marriage’

Hollywood’s golden couple, William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett, have the kind of happily ever after that is unheard of in the cutthroat entertainment industry.

The giants of acting will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on June 20; It’s a milestone worth applauding, and one that cements their place as Hollywood’s most enduring marriage.

Boy Meets World icon Daniels, 99, and his Little House on the Prairie star wife, 96, have had their share of storms throughout their marriage, including the devastating loss of their child and an ‘open marriage’ shortly after they wed.

Now the couple have opened a never-before-exclusive interview with The Daily Mail, revealing the secret behind their marriage and how Bartlett’s initial hatred of her 5ft 1in height could put a halt to their Hollywood love story.

The Boy Meets World star fondly told The Daily Mail: ‘I would never be with anyone else in my life but this woman sitting next to me.

This is an anniversary the couple never thought they’d reach, and they realize it’s incredibly rare.

The couple spoke to The Daily Mail as they prepare for their milestone anniversary on June 20

William is loved for his role as the father’s teacher Mr Feeny – here’s a picture of him with Ben Savage in 1993

‘It just happened,’ Bartlett said. ‘You’re not planning this. You’re not really planning this. I’m not a romantic at all or anything like that. I believe in today very much, you know? And then suddenly it’s 75 years. I must say it’s quite surprising.

‘This is especially surprising in our business.’

In a true boy-meets-girl moment, their love story began at Northwestern University in Illinois, when Daniels first saw Bartlett while reading a play behind their classrooms.

‘I’m very good at heavy duty and he was listening to me and didn’t think these players were very good. “Then he heard me,” he said.

‘And I looked, and there was a blonde at the back of the room, and I thought, “Oh my God. She looks interesting.” I waited for him while the classes were dismissed. As I passed by I said: “How about a cup of coffee?” And he said, “You’re too short.”‘

Fortunately, Bartlett, who was half an inch shorter than Daniels at the time but is now slightly taller, overcame her initial concern about her height.

“I didn’t mean it as an insult, I just wanted to say ‘oh, no, no, you’re too short, I’m too tall for you,'” she said. “And he said, ‘Oh, come on,’ and we’ve been together ever since.”

The couple have been married since 1951 and Bonnie admits the success is ‘astonishing’ – picture at Emmys in 1986

Their love story began as a freshman in college, when Daniels noticed his future wife in class.

They married in 1951 and had a son in 1961, but tragically, she died 24 hours after giving birth. They adopted their two sons.

During their marriage, St. They played each other’s wives in three different projects, including Elsewhere and Boy Meets World.

Like every relationship, their marriage had its ups and downs due to the problems they candidly discussed in their memoirs.

Bartlett had previously said Fox News She said they had a ‘bit of an open marriage’ shortly after they got married and that it was ‘very painful’.

When asked about the open marriage by The Daily Mail, she said they had never had a private discussion about an arrangement but their lives had ‘gone in different directions’ at times.

‘It’s funny, the press will pick up on something and make it more than it is,’ he said. ‘There was no discussion of what we were going to do, but in the 75 years you two have been together, you know, it would be abnormal if you didn’t like other people from time to time,’ he said.

He admitted: ‘Yes, we were both, there were times when we were on both sides, yes, and that’s in the book.’

‘It wasn’t talked about. Bill and I never sat down and made rules. We never sit down and talk about these issues. We just don’t do it. We’re just living our lives. And if it’s a year away, it’s a year away.’

‘Our lives went on, but we were never out of our minds… We were never out of our minds, but our lives occasionally went in different directions.’

The couple played each other’s wives in three different projects, including Boy Meets World, in which the characters Mr. Feeny and Dean Bolander got married.

It’s a show that remains near and dear to his heart.

‘I would never be with anyone else in my life but this woman sitting next to me,’ Daniels adoringly told The Daily Mail; 2019 photo of the couple

Bartlett and Daniels opened up about the ups and downs they experienced in their marriage – photo taken at the 1986 Emmys

“I love them all,” he said of the cast. ‘And we see them as much as possible, which you know isn’t always a lot.’

“But we see them,” Bartlett said.

‘We see them. “And I look forward to seeing them,” he said.

‘He really loves those kids,’ Bartlett said.

Daniels, who is also the voice of KITT in the Knight Rider series, is these days fulfilling Cameo requests from fans who still want to hear from our beloved Mr. Feeny.

‘Birthdays, Mother’s Days, graduations, pep talks. He gets so many of these. “You could tell people had problems in life and wrote to Mr. Feeney to see if he could help,” Bartlett said.

‘They love hearing from him. I think it will help. ‘They want it, he’ll give it, that’s great.’

Meanwhile, Bartlett is also known for her hit TV series Little House on the Prairie, in which she played Grace Snider Edwards.

The story went through a reboot, a show that Bartlett was interested in joining.

‘I haven’t seen it but I know I talked to my agent about it and said ‘you know what, if they want me I can go on at any time, one shot or something’… But I haven’t seen it yet. And I find that it’s more realistic.’

‘I love them all,’ Daniels says of 1990s Boy Meets World cast

Daniels, pictured with the squad in 2023, says he’s looking forward to seeing them

The love for Mr. Feeny continues today, and many fans seek his wisdom on Cameo

Daniels’ pointless joke about marriage advice made his wife laugh

However, the beloved Hollywood couple faces physical challenges when it comes to pursuing their acting career.

‘We’re a bit physically hampered, I guess? My vision is not good and… I can walk, I mean I can walk.

‘Bill’s got problems, he’s having a little trouble walking and his memory isn’t as good as mine, but we’re fine, we’re happy and we’ve got a great family around us.

‘Our son Michael and his family. And they are right next to us and they take care of us, we also have two ladies who take care of us. One does the work, the other cares, and we have very good help.’

It is the family that keeps them together in good times and bad times.

‘This whole family is amazing, and that’s what really holds you together, because you… in our case, it becomes not only a family, but a business. So we’re all in this together.’

But Daniels couldn’t help but joke when asked for her advice on having a long and successful marriage.

“Don’t,” he said, making his wife laugh.