Who Is Anthony Edwards Married To? All About His Marriage To Mare Winningham
Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham met as co-stars on the 1988 thriller "Miracle Mile," but their romance did not blossom until decades later. In the film, Edwards plays fledgling jazz musician Harry Washello who meets — and instantly falls for — Winningham's Julie Peters hours before finding out a nuclear bomb is headed for their city. The on-screen chemistry between the pair was undeniable. "As Harry and Julie, Mr. Edwards and Ms. Winningham make an unusually refreshing pair," the New York Times wrote in 1989. That chemistry is part of the reason the film went on to become a cult classic.
Romance was not in the cards for the two actors at the time, but they did remain friends after filming wrapped. Winningham was married to William Mapel (her second husband) from 1982 to 1996 and later to Jason Trucco from 2008 to 2012. Meanwhile, Edwards was married to Jeanine Lobell from 1994 to 2015. Although years later — after the two became a couple — Winningham admitted there was an attraction from the start. "We did have chemistry, and I had a crush on him," she said in a joint interview with Edwards while discussing "Miracle Mile."
When they reunited and started dating decades after first meeting, the pair kept their romance mostly under wraps. In fact, Edwards surprised fans in 2022 when he revealed in an interview that they had eloped. "We're too old to throw weddings," he told Esquire. "Miracle Mile" was how the couple first met, and the movie also reconnected them years later.
How they went from friends to romantic partners
Even before they tied the knot, Anthony Edwards often praised Mare Winningham's talent. "Mare Winningham is one of the greatest actresses ever," he told AV Club in 2013 when reflecting on "Miracle Mile." Although they did not get involved romantically for decades, the "ER" star kept in contact with his future wife. "And we got along great, and that was the beginning of a very big friendship," Edwards told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019 while discussing the 1988 film. Just as the thriller was the reason the two actors met, it was also the catalyst for their romance, as the relationship between the pair was rekindled when the "Miracle Mile" Blu-ray was released. "We hadn't talked in years, and so this kind of miraculous conversation happened," the "Revenge of the Nerds" actor told THR. The film's director, Steve De Jarnatt, was happy to see the former co-stars eventually become a real-life couple. "They're diamonds now. They're together," he told THR — which was a reference to the film's ending.
By 2020, the relationship between Edwards and the "Dopesick" actor had become quite serious. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair were quarantining together. "We have a family staying with us with a young child, our godson ... so we've formed this group for the last five weeks," Edwards told Fox News at the time.
Besides being together romantically, the "Miracle Mile" actors wound up working together again.
Anthony Edwards helped Mare Winningham's Broadway play
When Anthony Edwards revealed that he and Mare Winningham had eloped, he also mentioned that his wife was working on the Broadway play "Girl from the North Country." He told Esquire, "She's an amazing singer and she's a wonderful actress and she's an incredible person." A few months after going public with their marriage, the two had a surprising collaboration on the play when several actors were unable to perform due to illness. Winningham called her husband, who was working on their home in Connecticut at the time, to fill in. "And I just thought, I love this show, I love everything about it," Edwards said in an interview with the "Girl From North Country" YouTube channel in 2022. "And if this means 800 people, a thousand people are going to be able to see it tonight as opposed to cancel it, I'm in," he said while being interviewed alongside Winningham in her dressing room.
The "Top Gun" actor received praise from outlets for jumping into the role at the last minute. "Forget Kim and Pete, Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham Are the Best Celebrity Power Couple," was a headline Jezebel ran after Edwards's impromptu stage performance.
That was not the only time the couple collaborated after their first movie. Winningham appeared in four episodes of "E.R." in 1999 as Dr. Amanda Lee. Her character even developed romantic feelings for Edwards's Dr. Mark Greene.