Celebrities Who Tied The Knot With Non-Famous People

Whether they're incredibly talented or impossibly gorgeous (or both), odds are a celebrity has some certain special quality that makes them stand out in a crowd. The "it" factor, if you will. And when two major celebrities join forces and form a power couple, such as Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, or Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn? That "it" factor blasts through the stratosphere.

On the flip side, there are the celebrities who find love with non-celebrities — or, as some might put it, they pull a "Notting Hill." Hey, if a charming bookshop owner (Hugh Grant) and a charming A-list movie star (Julia Roberts) can't make it in this wild world, who can?

And in a case of life imitating art, Julia Roberts married Danny Moder, a camera operator-turned-cinematographer. As it happens, there are exceptions, and every once in a while, a Cinderella story emerges, and a celebrity ties the knot with a non-famous person. Some of the most prominent stars in their chosen fields have found love outside of Tinseltown, and many may surprise you. 

As far as movie stars go, they don't shine much brighter than Meryl Streep. As of this writing, she has won three of the 21 Academy Awards she's been nominated for, and she is nothing short of revered by her industry peers. And while one might be inclined to think a Tinseltown powerhouse of her level would end up with a fellow Hollywood star, she actually fell for a sculptor who isn't in show business whatsoever. 

In 1978, Streep was evicted from the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, fellow acclaimed actor John Cazale, after he died from lung cancer. Per "Her Again: Becoming Meryl Streep" (via E! News), Don Gummer, a friend of her brother, showed up to help her move out. Things clicked for Streep and Gummer on that moving day, and some months later they were married. 

When Streep was awarded the Oscar in 2012 for her work in "The Iron Lady," she started off with a shoutout to the person who'd been by her side for the last several decades. "First, I'm going to thank Don because when you thank your husband at the end of the speech they play him out with the music, and I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, you've given me," she said. Streep and Gummer share four children, all four of whom have pursued careers in Hollywood.

Anne Hathaway's career has seen her transition from a breakout performance in "The Princess Diaries" to claiming an Academy Award for playing Fantine in "Les Misérables." She's built an impressive career in a relatively short amount of time, and over the years, she's been reportedly linked to actors like Hugh Dancy and Topher Grace. Hathaway has also dated outside her profession, having connected with a restaurateur and a real estate developer, but she only tied the knot once with Adam Shulman, a jewelry designer who is all about creating pieces that are both sustainable and stunning.

Hathaway met Shulman through mutual friends in 2008. Hathaway told Harper's Bazaar UK (via People), "I knew from the second I met him that he was the love of my life." Still, she was getting over a nasty breakup at the time, and despite her reservations, she gave him a shot. In September 2012, they married following an 11-month engagement.

While Shulman isn't a celebrity like his wife, he has some acting credits to his name. Still, his primary profession is designing jewelry, and he's been incredibly successful. In addition to creating jewelry for his brand, James Banks Design, Shulman created the engagement ring he gave to Hathaway, which RingsPo estimated to have cost $150,000. 

Reese Witherspoon began acting as a teenager, and from there, she landed high-profile roles in "Cruel Intentions," "Election," and "Legally Blonde." She's consistently turned out exceptional performances, and in 2005, she nabbed an Academy Award for her work in "Walk the Line." Witherspoon has continued to turn heads in Hollywood and has earned critical acclaim and a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on television.

Over the years, Witherspoon has been linked to several famous folks, including Chris O'Donnell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Wahlberg. She married Ryan Philippe in 1999, and the couple remained together until 2008. Despite having a penchant for dating her peers, when it came time to marry again, Witherspoon cast her gaze at Jim Toth, a talent agent. While his work put him in the same professional circle as Witherspoon, he was hardly a celebrity.

Witherspoon met Toth at a friend's house. "This really drunk guy was hitting on me, making such an idiot of himself, yelling at me," she recalled to Elle in 2012. "He was like, [slurring, scowling, pointing finger in her face] 'You don't know me.' And I was like, 'Yeah, I know. I don't know you!'" Toth intervened to apologize for his friend, and she was impressed. They began dating, and in 2011, they married and went on to welcome one child together. Witherspoon often describes her husband as incredibly supportive, though they keep their romance out of the spotlight as much as possible.

Wanda Sykes has entertained the masses for decades, and her unique style of comedy continues to land her movie and TV roles. She didn't start out as a comic, having previously worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency. While still working at the NSA, Sykes began doing stand-up in 1987. Not before long, she was a full-blown comedy star performing in a plethora of films and television series.

Sykes was married to record producer Dave Hall for eight years, but the couple divorced in 1998. Ten years later, Sykes came out as a lesbian at a rally opposing California Proposition 8, but a month before that happened, she married Alexandra Niedbalski, a French interior designer. Sykes first crossed paths with Niebalski on a ferry ride in 2006, but their romance did not begin until someone recommended Niebalski help Sykes with updating her kitchen.

Initially, Sykes wished to keep her wife's name and occupation out of the press, telling Advocate, "She's not in show business. I want her to have as much of her private life as she can." That reluctance somewhat dissolved when Sykes came out in 2008. The following year, Niedbalski gave birth to the couple's fraternal twins. 

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the biggest names in comedy, having dominated television from 1989 to 1998 with "Seinfeld." The series helped the comic nab all kinds of accolades, and he's also worked as a producer, hosted a web series, and much more. Seinfeld began doing stand-up comedy in college, and an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" elevated him significantly. He continued performing for Carson, and by 1987, he landed his first comedy special on HBO.

In terms of romance, Seinfeld doesn't have much of a history of dating celebrities. His list of ex-girlfriends includes comedian Carol Leifer, the inspiration for Elaine on "Seinfeld." He also dated a fashion designer, but ultimately, he ended up with Jessica Sklar, who was working as a public relations executive for Tommy Hilfiger when they met. When that happened, Sklar was two months into her marriage to Eric Nederlander. 

This led to a controversial whirlwind romance that saw Sklar ripped apart by the paparazzi. Despite what the tabloids claimed, Sklar told The New York Times that Seinfeld had nothing to do with the dissolution of her first marriage. The couple became engaged a year after they first met in an NYC gym. While she wasn't a celebrity when they got together, Sklar's become a household name, too. She has written five cookbooks and founded the GOOD+Foundation, which helps needy families in New York City, New York.

Paul Rudd's career has gone from playing a quiet, reserved guy on "Friends" to becoming Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His charm and personality have helped him land roles in numerous high-profile series and films, including "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and more. Rudd, People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2021, has gotten a lot of attention for his youthful appearance — and he is well aware. As he said in the Chicago Tribune, "I'm 80 years old on the inside. In here, pure darkness — and a little moisturizer."

Rudd met the woman he would marry not on the set of one of his movies, but in his publicist's office. Julie Yaeger worked as a publicist in the early 1990s, and she met Rudd shortly after his breakout performance in "Clueless" in 1995. In 2003, they got married and have been together ever since.

Rudd told Marie Claire UK, "She was the first person I met in New York. We started talking, and there was a maturity with her — she had experienced some tragedy in her life; I had too, and the impression I got was, wow, this is a woman. This isn't a girl." Yaeger may have started as a publicist, but she soon expanded her resume to include producing and screenwriting. She collaborated with her husband on "Fun Mom Dinner," having written the screenplay. 

Matt Damon's career has been meteoric, having landed roles in handful of films before starring in "Good Will Hunting," which he co-wrote with Ben Affleck. That screenplay earned Damon and Affleck an Academy Award. Damon has since appeared in the Jason Bourne franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and dozens of high-profile movies and franchises.

Over the years, Damon dated several notable women in the film industry, including a one-year relationship with Minnie Driver and a three-year relationship with Winona Ryder. In 2003, Damon crossed paths with Luciana Barroso while filming "Stuck on You" in Miami. They dated for a couple of years before tying the knot in December 2005. Barroso wasn't a part of the film industry when she met Damon; she worked as a bartender in a nightclub in South Beach.

Barroso explained to Vogue Australia that Damon sought refuge behind the bar to avoid autograph hounds. "He had started getting recognized and asked for pictures and autographs, and then it got kind of aggressive because people are drinking and stuff. So he came and hid behind the bar ... [wanting to] just hang out back there and have a drink," she recalled. "He says, 'Oh, I saw you, and I really wanted to talk to you.'" She put him to work behind the bar, and he began making drinks. After that, the couple started dating and eventually married. They have three children together and one from Barroso's previous marriage.

Jennifer Lawrence may have gotten her start on the small screen, but she quickly became a dominating force in feature films. Thanks to actioners like "The Hunger Games" and "X-Men: First Class," as well as dramas like "Winter's Bone," she wasted no time becoming a major A-list star. A of this writing, Lawrence has been nominated for four Academy Awards, winning one for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook." She continues to land high-profile, critically acclaimed roles.

Lawrence has dated several high-profile men in her industry, including actor Nicholas Hoult and director Darren Aronofsky. In the end, she found love outside the film industry when she paired off with Cooke Maroney in 2018. Maroney is an art gallery dealer, and the two met through a mutual friend, Laura Simpson. Initially, the couple kept the relationship quiet, but news eventually broke, and the following February, they got engaged. They married in 2019, and in 2022, Lawrence gave birth to their son, Cy, who is named after painter Cy Twombly. As of this writing, Maroney is Director-At-Large of the Gladstone Gallery.

Art has always been a part of Maroney's life. Not only was his father the head of American paintings for Christie's and Sotheby's, but he studied art at NYU. Maroney is truly outside of the public eye and doesn't use social media, ensuring their marriage remains private.

Vince Vaughn's career started slowly in the early 1990s, but by 1996's "Swingers," he gained some serious attention. The following year, he appeared in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and went on to lead "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Wedding Crashers," and "Old School." He's appeared on the small screen in "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "True Detective," and more. Vaughn dated a lot of high-profile actors over the years, including a year with Jennifer Aniston, who co-starred with him in "The Break-Up."

Following his split with Aniston, Vaughn met Canadian realtor Kyla Weber through a mutual friend and they started dating. Vaughn chose Valentine's Day in 2009 to pop the question, explaining on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (via Us Weekly), "I figured this is not a ship to be missed because I will not forget this date. So Valentine's Day was the day I asked her."

Less than a year later, the couple married in a private ceremony with their friends and family. Weber was far removed from Hollywood celebrities when she met Vaughn, but before long, she became a target of the paparazzi. She tends to keep her personal life private as she and Vaughn raise their two children. Weber is rarely covered in the tabloids, but she was snapped in 2018 when she bailed her husband out of the Hermosa Beach, California jail after he was arrested for a DUI.

John Cena began his professional career as a wrestler with his in-ring debut in 2000. He continued wrestling for several years, amassing numerous accolades in the squared circle as his celebrity grew. WWE Studios financed Cena's first acting gig in "The Marine," and proved that he's a force to be reckoned with on the silver screen, too. He's played prominent roles in several franchises, including the "Fast and Furious," the DC Extended Universe, and "Transformers." 

Cena was married to his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Huberdeau, from 2009 to 2012. Their marriage ended in divorce, and after that, he began dating Nikki Bella, a fellow wrestler, for six years. They nearly got hitched, but the wedding was called off a month before the scheduled date. Cena's relationship with Bella ended in 2018, and the following year, he met electrical engineer Shay Shariatzadeh at a restaurant while filming "Playing with Fire" in Vancouver, Canada.

Shariatzadeh was working as a product manager at a software company and previously worked at Motorola Solutions. The couple married in secret in Tampa, Florida, so they didn't have a huge wedding ceremony... at least, not right away. In 2022, the couple held another ceremony, as reported by TMZ. It's unclear how large the gala was, but it likely served to celebrate their nuptials among family and friends. 

Amy Schumer got her start in comedy in an off-off-Broadway production, and soon after, she started doing stand-up. After taking the initial plunge at the Gotham City Club, Schumer continued performing and eventually scored some time on the fifth season of "Last Comic Standing," placing fourth. Despite not winning, Schumer's done just fine; she's gone on to be nominated for Grammys, star in her own sketch show, write a hit book, headline movies, and more.

Over the years, Schumer has dated a handful of celebrities, including fellow comedian Anthony Jeselnik and WWE star Dolph Ziggler. (Funny enough, there was some speculation that John Cena's character in "Trainwreck" was loosely inspired by Ziggler, who'd also previously dated Cena's then-girlfriend, Nikki Bella.) In the end, she married someone outside the entertainment industry: Chris Fischer, a chef, and farmer. 

Fischer's sister, Molly, introduced the two while she was filming "I Feel Pretty" in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. Molly had Fischer come by and cook dinner, and the two hit it off right away. Still, they took it slowly, as Schumer was coming off a breakup, but their love grew, and after a few months, Fischer popped the question. Per People, they held a low-key wedding and invited guests via text, saying, "I'm getting married on Tuesday. I hope you can come." The couple welcomed their first child, Gene, in May 2019.

John Oliver started in television, but it wasn't until he joined the team on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" that he gained fame. He appeared on the series for over a decade, ending his time with hosting duties, having worked as the "Senior British Person/Correspondent" on over 350 episodes and written nearly 1,000. Over the years, he's voiced numerous characters in movies like "The Smurfs," its sequel, and "The Lion King." Since leaving "The Daily Show," he's headlined his own series on HBO, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."

Oliver is certainly famous, and he's become a significant player in his field, but unlike most of the people on this list, he hasn't dated other celebrities. Instead, he's spent most of his professional life with one woman: Kate Norley. Oliver and Norley met at the 2008 Republican National Convention, which he was covering for "The Daily Show." Norley, a former Army medic and Iraq war veteran, was campaigning with Vets for Freedom.

According to the Daily Beast, after an issue with Oliver's work visa landed him in trouble at the event, Norley was one of the veterans who helped him out of a jam. While it's probably safe to say neither Norley nor Oliver expected to meet their future spouse that day, fate had other plans. The pair dated for two years and got engaged. Oliver and Norley made it official in October 2011 via a private ceremony.

George Lucas is one of the most well-known directors in Hollywood, thanks to a small film he put together back in 1977 called "Star Wars." He went on to release numerous sequels, the Indiana Jones franchise, and so much more. He's made billions of dollars over the course of his career, much of which is due to "Star Wars" and its associated properties. 

Lucas' first marriage was to Marcia Griffin, a film editor and Academy Award recipient for her work on "Star Wars." They were married from 1969 to 1983, and it would be a long time before Lucas would marry again. Before that could happen, he dated singer Linda Ronstadt for five years, but that relationship ultimately ended. In 2006, Lucas began seeing Melody Hobson, a successful businesswoman. She was chair for DreamWorks Animation for some time, and now is co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments.

They continued dating, and in 2013, they announced their engagement (per The Hollywood Reporter). Six months later, they married at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California, and have remained together ever since. Hobson has continued to work in business, and in 2021, she was named to chair the board of directors of Starbucks. While her husband is a leading figure in his field, so too is Hobson, who Forbes named one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in 2020.

While her career kicked off in the 1980s, it wasn't until she was cast as Miranda Hobbes on "Sex and the City" that Cynthia Nixon gained international fame. She's spent her career appearing in numerous television series and feature films, as well as a myriad of stage performances. Outside of television, that's kept her incredibly busy over the years, and she's used her celebrity as a platform for social and political change.

Nixon has a history of dating outside the entertainment industry. For about 15 years, she was with a schoolteacher named Danny Mozes. In 2004, about a year after she split from Mozes, Nixon began dating Christine Marinoni, an LGBTQ+ rights and education activist who worked for the New York City Department of Education. She also co-founded the Alliance for Quality Education.

Nearly a decade after they met through the Alliance for Quality of Education, Nixon and Marinoni got engaged in 2009 and prepared for a long wait while fighting to legalize their right to marry. Nixon and Marinoni married in May 2012 following New York's legalization of same-sex marriage. Years later, Nixon ran against Marinoni's former boss, Bill de Blasio, in a failed bid for Mayor of New York City.