Kevin Kline is opening up about his enduring 35-year marriage to actress Phoebe Cates, who famously stepped away from Hollywood back in the ’90s to raise a family. The couple met auditioning for the 1983 comedy-drama “The Big Chill” and married in 1989. They share two children, Owen, born in 1991, and a daughter, Greta, born in 1994.
“If your marriage lasts more than six months, you’re already in the Guinness Book of World Records, if you’re a Hollywood marriage,” Kline remarked to Business Insider at the Toronto International Film Festival. However, Kline doesn’t label their marriage as a Hollywood marriage.
He said that he doesn’t consider their relationship to be a “Hollywood marriage” because they have literally never lived in Hollywood. For most of their marriage, Kline and Cates have resided on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where she runs the Madison Avenue upscale women’s clothing and accessories boutique, Blue Tree. Kline also noted that despite their fame, he and Cates are both “pretty low-key, non-celebrity types.”
“That’s why you’ll see no Botox,” Kline quipped. “These are my lips, what’s left of them.”
As they near their 36th wedding anniversary in March, Kline praised Cates as a wonderful wife and mother. “She’s got her head on her shoulders, unlike me. I usually have my head on her shoulders, too, he shared with the outlet. She’s a great wife, a great mother, great person, and she keeps me honest.”
“Except for in interviews,” Kline joked.
Kline started his career in theater with the Acting Company and earned two Tony awards for his roles in “On the Twentieth Century” and “The Pirates of Penzance.” His first film role was in “Sophie’s Choice.” He is also recognized for his performances in “The Big Chill” and “Silverado.” In 1989, Kline received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for “A Fish Called Wanda.”
Cates began her career as a teen model, gracing the cover of Seventeen magazine in 1979. She also appeared in Elle magazine and British Vogue, among others. She is best known for her roles in “Sarah in Paradise,” “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “Private School,” and “Gremlins,” among others. However, except for an appearance in the 2001 film “The Anniversary Party,” her close friend Jennifer Jason Leigh’s directorial debut, Cates retired from acting in the mid-90s. And even now that the pair’s children are grown, it seems clear that she’s still enjoying her low-key life out of the spotlight.