The Real-Life Partners Of The Most Iconic '70s Heartthrobs

Hollywood has always been, at least to some degree, defined by heartthrobs. Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Marlon Brando, and Paul Newman were just some of the hunks who ruled the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the '60s brought with it a new crop of handsome leading men, like Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. While there were indeed '60s heartthrobs who continued to be heartthrobs in the '70s, the latter decade also ushered in yet another fresh group of good-looking, telegenic stars. 

The sex symbol label can be a tricky thing. On one hand, it can come with a different echelon of celebrity and opportunity. On the other hand, it can come with feeling objectified and not being taken seriously as a performer. As Redford told The New York Times in 1974, "But when you feel like an object.... And I know that it's all very predictable, it's happening to me for the moment and it will happen to other people after me. But don't think I could take it if I were just totally a thing up on the mantelpiece."

To be in a relationship with a celebrity — and a sex symbol at that — can also be complicated, what with all of the public scrutiny and all. However, a number of '70s heartthrobs successfully found the love of their life at the height of their stardom. Some of these ladies are just as famous as their romantic counterparts, others have careers outside the entertainment industry, but they all have one thing in common: they married handsome stars. Here are the real-life partners of some of the most iconic '70s heartthrobs.

Erik Estrada won the hearts of millions in the '70s thanks to his role in "CHiPs." The show carried on into the '80s, and so did Estrada's heartthrob status. In 1979, while "CHiPs" was still on air, Estrada married his first wife, Joyce Miller. The marriage was over by 1980, and five years later, Estrada tied the knot with his second wife, Peggy Rowe. After two children and about five years of marriage, Estrada and Rowe split up. In 1997, Estrada got married once again, and his relationship with Nanette Mirkovich is still going strong. "Everything changed when I met Nanette. She saved me," Estrada said of Mirkovich in a 1996 interview, per the South China Morning Post, alluding to some career and financial difficulties he faced in the '90s after his second divorce.

Estrada and Mirkovich keep their relationship incredibly private, though they have offered up some details about their life together over the years. The two share one child, and per Estrada's social media, they like to travel both as a couple and as a family. "One of our many trips to Monte Carlo me and my Wife. South of France is beautiful beautiful place to be in love," Estrada captioned an Instagram post of himself and Mirkovich in Monaco. It's unclear whether Mirkovich works today, but she did have one on-screen acting job in the late '80s: a role in the Elliott Gould and Jennifer Tilly-led film "Inside Out."

Robert Redford was a force on screen. The Hollywood legend came up as an actor in the '60s, and by the '70s he was a full-blown superstar. Redford also was a producer and Oscar-winning director, making him one of the most dynamic talents in Tinseltown for decades. Redford was married twice, and in his first marriage, he and his ex welcomed four children. Redford's second wife, Sibylle Szaggars, he met later in life, and their marriage lasted until Redford died in 2025.

Szaggars isn't nearly as famous as her husband was, but she's a very accomplished visual artist. She is especially passionate about the environment, and she and Redford collaborated on a non-profit endeavor called The Way of the Rain, a piece of live art that centers around environmental issues. "Having been an environmental artist for decades, I felt I needed a stronger voice to create awareness and open up consciousness. It was then that I decided to create a staged, live and moving painting through the addition of other art forms, like music, sound, light, dance, film, and spoken word. This underlined my concern for our planet and in collaboration with my rain painting process I envisioned 'The Way of the Rain,'" Szaggars said of the performance piece in a 2021 interview for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

The truth about Harrison Ford's relationship history is that he is no stranger to walking down the aisle. The "American Graffiti" actor was married to Mary Marquardt and then Melissa Mathison before he wed Calista Flockhart in 2010. The two dated for about eight years before tying the knot, and they share one child together, a son whom Flockhart adopted before she met Ford. "Romantic love is one of the most exciting and fulfilling kinds of love and I think there is a potential for it at any stage of your life. I was not surprised that I was able to fall in love, and I wasn't surprised that I did," Ford told Hello! in 2003, shortly after meeting Flockhart.

While Ford is known for blockbuster hits like "The Fugitive" and "Star Wars" (the latter of which cemented his '70s heartthrob status), Flockhart is a screen icon in her own right. The actor has three Primetime Emmy nominations to her name, all thanks to her eponymous starring role in the late '90s sitcom "Ally McBeal." While one might assume the two actors must've first met on a set, Flockhart and Ford have never appeared in a project together. Rather, they first crossed paths at the 2002 Golden Globes. And ever since, they have been each other's biggest fans. "He supports me a lot. It's a mutual thing," Flockhart told People in 2024.

John Schneider ascended to heartthrob status in the '70s thanks to his singing and acting career, most notably his role as Bo Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard." John has been married four times; sadly, his third wife, Alicia Allain, died of breast cancer in 2023. Not long after Allain's passing, John met Dee Dee Schneider (née Sorvino), an actor and comedian who was married to "Goodfellas" star Paul Sorvino until his death in 2022.

Neither John nor Dee Dee expected their relationship. "I really didn't think I'd find love again. I thought I was done. I'm like, 'Never again. I'm done.' And that's OK. I had the love of my life, and I'll just be single and work and no problem. And then this one comes along and changes all of that. And we just laughed immediately," Dee Dee told Fox News, noting that both she and John had to reckon with the guilt of falling in love again after having happy marriages. But the two have successfully integrated their personal and professional lives. The couple, per social media, travels together, and they work together. The duo spent part of 2026 filming a documentary about the United States in honor of its 250th birthday.

Sometimes it takes more than one shot to get something right. Such was the case for '70s heartthrob James Brolin and the stunning Barbra Streisand. Before Streisand and Brolin were set up on a blind date, they had both been married before, Brolin twice, and Streisand once. Just months after meeting, the duo made their red carpet debut as a couple, and exactly two years after their first date, they got married. 

Now it's been over 30 years since the couple first met, and nearly 30 since they wed, which is an enormous feat in Hollywood. But the couple is as in love today as ever, and they have the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown to thank for that, at least in part. During an appearance on "The Talk" in 2021, Brolin said of his relationship with Streisand, "A lot of people, their marriages haven't gone well during these 15 months. We've literally fallen in love over this period of time, just being stuck together every day and making it work ... And 23 years is better than ever, I must say."

Many can see why Brolin is still so in love with his wife — she's Barbra Streisand, after all. She's conquered stage and screen, achieving EGOT status along the way, and she's got one of the best voices of anyone in show business. It's not easy to stay relevant in Hollywood for 50 years, but Streisand has done so with flying colors.

Bobby Sherman came up as a teen idol in the '60s, and he remained a heartthrob throughout the '70s. Known for hits like "Little Woman," "Julie, Do Ya Love Me," and "Easy Come, Easy Go," among others, Bobby also took on some acting roles throughout his time in Hollywood, including 52 episodes of "Here Comes the Bride" and appearances on "The Love Boat," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Frasier." Bobby left the industry to pursue a paramedic career, and he later worked in law enforcement in Los Angeles. The former heartthrob managed to do all of this before marrying his second wife, Brigitte Sherman, who stayed married to Bobby until his death in 2025.

Well before Bobby's death, he and Brigitte formed the Brigitte and Bobby Sherman Children's Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to feed and educate children in Ghana. Brigitte still serves as the organization's CEO, and she and her team keep Bobby's memory alive through their work. "To Bobby: You are missed more than words can say, but your legacy is alive, well, and serving 415 meals a day in Ghana. Thank you for teaching us how to love out loud," the organization shared on Instagram on the one-year anniversary of Bobby's death.

A teen heartthrob who can sing and act is a tale as old as time ... or at least as old as the '70s. Shaun Cassidy entered the public consciousness as a teenager in the 1970s, recording music and starring in "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries." Cassidy hasn't acted in a while; his last professional acting credit was in 1995. Instead, his contributions to the screen have come in the form of writing and producing, most notably the TV series "New Amsterdam." Throughout his time in the entertainment industry, Cassidy has been married thrice, the first two happening while his life was very much in the spotlight.

In 2004, Cassidy married his third wife, Tracey Lynn Turner. The couple share four children, as well as the four children Cassidy has from his first two marriages. And while not much is known about Turner, it's clear that Cassidy is still very much in love. In 2025, the couple celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary, and Cassidy penned a touching tribute that he posted to Instagram. "For twenty one years I've been blessed to call her my wife, and while she is the most joyous person I know and brings that joy selflessly to everyone wherever she goes, it is in her quiet moments that her grace truly shines. Happy anniversary my love," Cassidy said.

'70s heartthrob Sam Elliott has been married to Katharine Ross for over 40 years. The Oscar nominees first got to know each other while filming the 1978 horror movie "The Legacy." However, that technically wasn't their first time working together, as they were both in 1969's "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." "I didn't dare try to talk to her then. She was the leading lady. I was a shadow on the wall, a glorified extra in a bar scene," Elliott said of Ross in a 2015 interview with AARP. But their relationship was meant to be. And although she already had four marriages behind her, Ross' relationship with Elliott has stood the test of time.

After marrying, Elliott, of course, went on to star in a variety of films and TV series, including "The Contender," "A Star is Born," "The Ranch," and "Landman." Meanwhile, Ross acted more intermittently, but the projects she took on were hits, like "Donnie Darko" and "The Hero," the latter of which she worked on with Elliott. And while she's retired from show business now, Ross is still known as a '60s star, thanks in part to her Oscar-nominated role in "The Graduate." "I'll tell you what was great about [Hollywood in the 1960s]. It was a time when the old studio system was in its dying throes and they were just starting to try new approaches and the little $1 million budget films were being seen as the way to go," Ross told Variety in 2015.

Superstar siblings Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond both have long-term romantic partners. Marie is married to Steve Craig, whom she wed and divorced in the '80s and remarried decades later, while Donnie is married to Debbie Osmond (née Glenn), and the two have been together since they were teenagers. In a 2016 Facebook post, Donny, who rose to fame as a teenager and became a heartthrob in the '70s, shared that he met Debbie when he was 15, and three years later they began dating. "We've shared a wonderful life together. Debbie gave me five wonderful sons. We now have 3 beautiful daughters-in-law. With the way she looks, who would ever believe that a woman that lovely is a grandmother 8 times?! Even after 38 years of marriage, she is still a very hot babe!" Donny said.

Despite Debbie being with Donny for nearly his entire career, not much is known about Debbie. As Donny shared in an Instagram post, the couple decided early on to keep their relationship private. The singer did give a small glimpse into his marriage, though, saying, "Between raising our five sons, running the show at home, enjoying time with our grandchildren and running a business as well, I really don't know how she manages to do it all. Through the years, Debbie has often had to manage on her own while I've toured and performed on the road," he said on Instagram in 2020.

Paul Newman was a heartthrob before the 1970s rolled around. He came up in the '50s, and he stayed a sex symbol for basically the entirety of his decades-spanning career. It didn't hurt that he was undeniably talented, either. But Newman wasn't the only talented person in his household. He wasn't the only Oscar winner, either. Newman was married to Joanne Woodward, a wonderful actor in her own right who earned three additional Oscar nominations after her win in 1958 for her work in "The Three Faces of Eve." Woodward was also known for "Rachel, Rachel," "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds," and "Mr. & Mrs. Bridge," among other projects.

Woodward and Newman married in 1958, her first marriage and his second, and they stayed together until the end of Newman's life in 2008. Woodward knew that Newman was a heartthrob, but that wasn't the foundation of their relationship. "Somebody once said, 'What is your relationship based on?' and I said, 'He's very good looking and very sexy and all of those things, but all that goes out the window and what finally is left is if you can make somebody laugh, then that's very important.' And he sure does keep me laughing," Woodward said of Newman in a 2002 appearance on "Today," per People. Woodward has since retired from acting as she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease just before Newman was diagnosed with cancer.