Things You Might Not Know About Michelle Pfeiffer And David E. Kelley’s Relationship

Published on February 27, 2018. Updated November 9, 2020

Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley have been married for 24 years! Despite their long-standing relationship, not a lot is known about them because they are fiercely protective of their family. But, we’ve done some digging and have found 12 facts about their relationship that most people don’t know:

12. How They Met

Pfeiffer and Kelley met on a blind date that was set up by a mutual friend in January 1993. The date wasn’t anything fancy, in fact, they went bowling! Peiffer was in the process of adopting a child when she started dating Kelley, so two months into their relationship she had a daughter named Claudia (once they got married they raised her together). They enjoyed a whirlwind romance that moved rather quickly. They got married ten months after their first date in November 1993, and nine months later welcomed their first biological child, a son named John Henry.

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11. What It’s Like Dating in the Industry

When two celebrities start dating, people already start taking bets on how long it will last because the entertainment industry is such a demanding career that often splits couples up. Peiffer and Kelley are able to make it work because Kelley doesn’t work weekends and they live outside of Hollywood. “I’ve been in relationships with others in show business and, it can be difficult. People don’t believe me when I say that actually we see him, and he’s not writing all the time, and he doesn’t usually work on the weekends,” she said to ABC.

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10. Shared Morals

In addition to managing a great work schedule, they also share the same morals and values. These two have gotten very good at being a celebrity couple without actually seeming like it. “We just get along. I think we want the same things for our children, want the same things out of our relationship, and we have a similar work ethic, you know, that we both love our work and we love to be challenged.”

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9. Becoming Adoptive Parents

In an interview with Good Housekeeping in 2007, Pfeiffer opened up about what it was like adopting her daughter only two months after she started dating Kelley. “The adoption process was already in motion when he and I met. So when she came, he and I had only been together for about two months. So we had this child with us right away, and most people don’t have that. But I really got to see him in a situation that certainly would separate the boys from the men. Obviously, he really rose to the occasion. And, you know, we were both adults. It’s not like we were kids anymore, and we were both at the age where we were ready to start a family. So we both got to see each other as parents before we progressed in our relationship together, and in a strange way, it took the pressure off us, as a couple,” she said.

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8. Why Their Relationship Works

Peiffer and Kelley have now been married for an impressive 24 years! This is an incredible feat for any marriage, especially one between two people who work in the entertainment industry. When asked what their secret is to making it work, Peiffer basically said she just got lucky! “I got really lucky. And 19 years later, I never take him for granted. I’ve never met a person who has more integrity than my husband. I respect that. There’s his humor and intelligence, too, and he’s really cute, all those things — but if you don’t respect your partner, you’ll get sick of him,” she said to Parade back in 2012.

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7. Saturday Night Date Night

Every relationship takes work, whether it’s a star-studded one or not, but in Hollywood, it sometimes requires a little bit more work, so Pfeiffer and Kelley make sure they have a date night once a week. She told ABC in an interview that each Saturday night they do dinner and a movie. “I’m always talking to people who, oh, gosh, we haven’t had a date, they can’t think when the last time was they went out with their spouse. I think because we became parents, two months into the relationship, and so it was really, really important in the beginning. So we sort of set it up early on, and, and we sort of had arrested development in the honeymoon period of our relationship. It was just something that stayed,” she said.

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6. Dodging the Tabloids

It’s pretty common for relationships in Hollywood to come under scrutiny at some point in time, but somehow Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley escaped this curse. Even though they both have careers in the limelight, their relationship has been generally untouched by the tabloids. “I’m not sure why we were never written about and I’m grateful for it. Perhaps it’s because people think we’re boring. Well, we are!” she said to Express.

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5. Good Cop vs. Bad Cop

It’s always interesting to find out which parent takes the role of bad cop and good cop in the family — sometimes the answer is surprising! When it comes to Pfeiffer and Kelley, the Scarface actress said she’s the disciplinary one. “I’m probably the bad cop in the house, yeah. Because Dad is the one to say, ‘Oh, OK.’ I don’t want to be the bad guy, but I am definitely more of the disciplinarian, the strict one, by default,” she said to Good Housekeeping.

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4. Very Compatible

In an interview with Express, Pfeiffer talked about how she’s grateful her marriage was considered far too boring to be written about in the tabloids and why she and Kelley work so well together. “Life is made up of the choices and I’ve not always made good choices but I know I picked the right man. David and I work because we are really compatible. We have similar morals and we both love to balance work and family in the same way. We respect each other, which is really important.”

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3. Will They Ever Work Together?

Pfeiffer once teased that fans might see her and husband, David E. Kelley, who is a TV writer-producer, work on a project one day. Her main concern is crossing over her personal and professional life. “I’d worry about coming home and complaining to him about the people I work with. I wouldn’t want to bring my work home with me like that. But it doesn’t mean we won’t do something together one day. I couldn’t ask for anyone better. David’s the best in terms of developing things for women. I watch [his shows] and I turn to him and say, ‘I hope these actors realize how lucky they are,'” she said.

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2. The Secret to Keeping Their Marriage Going

In an interview with Closer at the Television Academy Hall of Fame, Pfeiffer and Kelley were asked how she and her husband keep their “hearts racing” after 20 years of marriage. “That’s not hard, but I’m not going to give away her secrets!” joked David. He also said the secret “is probably that we love each other and respect each other and hold hands a lot.”

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1. What Was it About David That Won Michelle Over?

Michelle and David’s relationship moved so quickly, it didn’t take much for them to fall for each other. So what was it exactly that won Michelle over? “Here’s the truth: When we first got together, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it never did. It never has. I just couldn’t believe it could be true that he was such a decent person. And then, he actually has this very wicked sense of humor. And he is so gifted and really bright. It just blew me away,” she said to Good Housekeeping.