A Canoe Ride to Love

Love has a way of surprising us when we least expect it. For Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, it all started on a five-hour canoe ride down California’s Big River during the filming of the 1994 movie Pontiac Moon. “We paddled in sync,” Ted recalls to Closer Weekly. “We went out as friends, and by the time we came back, we were in love.” Who would’ve thought such a long, leisurely journey through nature would lead to one of Hollywood’s most cherished romances?

Heartbreak Before Happily Ever After

What makes their love story even more compelling is the fact that both Ted, now 70, and Mary, 65, had faced their fair share of heartbreak before they met. Both had been through rocky relationships and had pretty much given up on love altogether. Mary, a single mother of two at the time, announced to her friends that she was done with relationships. Meanwhile, Ted, who was twice-divorced, felt the same way. “Ironically, life works in mysterious ways,” Ted muses. “Once you let go and surrender, amazing things often come your way.”

Lessons from a Simple Childhood

Ted’s outlook on life stems from the wisdom he gained during his childhood. Growing up as the son of a professor who ran a Native American history museum outside Flagstaff, Arizona, Ted learned some invaluable lessons early on. “As a kid, the unspoken message I got was that we didn’t have much,” he remembers. “We didn’t have TVs, and I looked like a ragamuffin. But there wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t told I was loved.” Despite the lack of material wealth, Ted’s life was rich in love and understanding, shaping the man he would become.

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Rising to Stardom

Though Ted excelled in academics and athletics, his path to stardom wasn’t always smooth. After earning a degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University, Ted struggled for years as an actor, even landing a gig as “The Aramis Man” in cologne ads. But it was his breakout role in the 1981 film Body Heat that changed everything. This led to his iconic role as Sam Malone on Cheers, turning him into a household name. The show earned him 11 Emmy nominations and two awards, but his personal life wasn’t as cheerful as his on-screen persona.

Challenges Along the Way

Ted’s first marriage to actress Randy Gosch ended after five years. His second marriage to producer Casey Coates faced a major crisis when she suffered a massive stroke during the birth of their first daughter, Kate, in 1979. Casey recalls, “For the first month, I did nothing but cry. I gave Ted permission to leave me. I thought I’d be a burden for the rest of my life.” But Ted stayed by her side, helping her learn to walk again. Despite this, the trauma created a rift between them, leading to a lack of trust. Things only got worse when Ted had an affair with Whoopi Goldberg, co-star of the 1993 film Made in America. This public scandal eventually led to the end of their marriage.