William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett married on June 30, 1951. This summer marks their 75th wedding anniversary.
While the couple has many wonderful memories behind them, they’ve also conquered many challenges together as well.
In a new interview, the couple shed light on their “open marriage” policy
William Daniels & Bonnie Bartlett Downplay the ‘Open Marriage’ Situation
Although Bill Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett remain devoted to one another, they admit that they’re only human.
“It’s funny, the press will pick up on something and make more of it than it was,” Bartlett told The Daily Mail. “There was never any discussion as to what we were going to do, but in 75 years, the two of you together, you know, it would be abnormal if you… weren’t attracted occasionally to other people.”
The “Little House on the Prairie” actress went on to mention that she and her husband were both smitten with other people, and she addressed the situation in her memoir, “Middle of the Rainbow.”
“It was non-spoken. Bill and I never sit down and make rules. We never sit down and talk about these things,” Bartlett continued. “We just live our lives. And if he’s away for a year, he’s away for a year.”
“Our lives just went on, but we never got unhinged…. We never got unhinged, but our lives did go in different directions occasionally,” she added.
In the end, the couple is grateful for the journey they experienced together.
“I wouldn’t be with anyone else in my life than this woman sitting next to me,” Bill Daniels chimed in.
The pair welcomed a son in 1961. Tragically, the baby died just a day later. The couple went on to adopt two sons, who gave them grandchildren later in life.
The Couple Met At School Back in the 1950s
Bonnie Bartlett and William Daniels might be soulmates, but their meeting was merely by chance.
“It just happened,”‘ Bartlett shared with The Daily Mail. “You don’t plan for it. You really don’t plan for it. I’m not at all romantic or anything like that. I’m a big believer in today, you know? And then all of the sudden it’s 75 years. It’s kind of amazing, I must say.”
The actors met at Northwestern University. Bonnie Bartlett read aloud from a play in class, immediately capturing William Daniels’ attention.
“I’m very good at the heavy stuff, and so what happened was that he was listening, and he didn’t think that these actors were very good. And then he heard me,” the 96-year-old told the outlet.
“And I looked, and in the back of the room, there was this blonde, and I thought, ‘Oh my goodness. She looks interesting,'” Daniels remembered. “And so I waited for her as the class filed out. And as she passed me, I said, ‘How about a cup of coffee?’ And she said, ‘You’re too short.'”
“I didn’t mean it as an insult, I just meant, “oh, no, no, you’re too short, I’m too tall for you,'” Bartlett laughed at the memory. “And he said, ‘Oh, come on,’ and we’ve been together ever since.”
Fans wish the couple a wonderful 75th wedding anniversary this summer.
