Ted Danson Raves About Marriage to Mary Steenburgen Ahead of 30th Anniversary: 'We Celebrate How Lucky We Are' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen in Hollywood, California in October 2024.Photo:Leon Bennett/Getty

Leon Bennett/Getty

Decades after meeting wifeMary Steenburgenat an audition,Ted Dansonstill feels blessed to have her in his life.

At the premiere of his new Netflix seriesA Man on the Insideon Sunday, Nov. 10, Danson shared with PEOPLE a glimpse at his thriving marriage with Steenburgen and their blended family. Danson is stepfather to Steenburgen’s childrenLilly Walton, 43, and Charlie McDowell, 41, and shares kidsKate Danson, 44, and Alexis Danson, 39, with his second wife Casey Coates.

“We know how blessed we are. We wake up and we laugh together,” the actor, 75, says. “It helps that we got a new dog recently, who’s very funny like us.”

“We celebrate how lucky we are all the time,” he adds. “We make sure joy stays in our life, and gratitude. You know, when you get older, [it] hurts. There’s sh– that’s not fun. But stay in gratitude, stay creative, stay hopeful, and you can kind of hopefully coast over a lot of things in life.”

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen in Los Angeles, California in January 2002.Kevin Winter/Getty

Kevin Winter/Getty

Danson and Steenburgen, 71, met at an audition in 1983, and their friendship deepened while working together on the 1994 dramaPontiac Moon.

“We met when we were 40 and 45, and we had lived a bit,“Steenburgen told PEOPLEin 2018. “We met at a time when both of us had stared down some demons within ourselves and that was lucky that we met then.”

“[Our love] just gets more profound and deeper as we go through the blessings and joys, but also the hurdles, of life together. He is my partner in the deepest sense of the word in this life,”Steenburgen also told PEOPLEin 2018, adding, “I would literally sign up for 100 more lifetimes with him.”

In October 2020, the couple celebrated their 25thanniversary, which Steenburgen marked with a touching tribute onInstagramthat included a photo of the two grinning together.

Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen in Los Angeles, California in March 1999.Ron Wolfson/Hulton Archive/Getty

Ron Wolfson/Hulton Archive/Getty

“Happy 25th Anniversary! This was SUPPOSED to be a sweet loving anniversary photo but you have a big piece of salad in your teeth. So there it is,” the actress wrote in the caption. “Thank you for making me laugh today and every single one of the last 9,125 days.”

“You are the goofiest, wisest, kindest, dreamboat in the world,” she continued. “True, that is a big ass piece of salad but even that doesn’t mar your legendary beauty. I can’t believe how lucky I am. Happy Anniversary, Ted. Love, Mary.”

Danson, for his part, told PEOPLE atA Man on the Inside’spremiere he recognizes how “blessed” he is.

“I knew how blessed I was to meet Mary in my forties and have these last 30 years,” he says, adding, “At this age, to be blessed with a partner who’s witnessed you through throughout life, someone you love and loves you, that’s really a happy thing.”

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A Man on the Insidepremieres Thursday, Nov. 21 on Netflix.

source: people.com