Interracial Couples from Hollywood
by kalyani10
Hollywood is not exactly known for true and lasting love; and yet in a place where partners change in the blink of an eye, there are some couples who have gone beyond skin color and found love with a person of a different race. Here are then some inter-racial couples from Hollywood, both past and present, with some of them even standing the test of time.
- Robert de Niro and Grace Hightower
Even though Hightower is a singer, actress, socialite and philanthropist in her own right, she is more widely recognized as wife of longtime Hollywood actor Robert DeNiro. The two met in London in 1987 and after dating for around ten years, got married in 1997. However their early married years saw a lot of ups and downs with DeNiro even filing for divorce in 1999 and a custody case over their son Elliot in 2001. But the divorce was never finalized and the couple renewed their wedding vows in 2004 in front of a crowd of Hollywood celebrities.
- Alfre Woodard and Roderick Spencer
Another African-American woman who has found long term happiness with a white partner is Alfre Woodard, a Golden Globe Award-winning film, TV and stage actress. She has been married to writer Roderick Spencer for nearly three decades. The couple has two children, Mavis and Duncan. Apart from the fact that Woodard is married to a partner of another race, the very longevity of the marriage in a place like Hollywood where marriages rarely last longer than fashion runway trends, has surprised many. But Woodard is believed to have given credit for her steady marriage to the support from both her and her husband’s families.
- Derek Luke and Sophia Adella
Sophia Adella is an actress who is best known for her appearances in films like Spartan, Lying in Wait and Knockout. She is married to actor Derek Luke who besides appearing in various television series like the NBC show Trauma, made his big-screen debut performance in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, directed and produced by Denzel Washington.
- Sydney Poitier and Joanna Shimkus
Joanna Shimkus is a former Canadian model and actress though now she is better known as the wife of famous Hollywood actor and diplomat Sidney Poitier. Shimkus was born to parents of Lithuanian origin but was brought up in Montreal, Quebec. She made her debut on the silver screen in 1964, in Jean Aurel's film De l'amour but was soon noticed by film director Robert Enrico and went on to act in several French productions. Shimkus married Poitier in 1976 and went on to have two daughters with him, Anika and Sydney Tamiia, who also is an actress. Interestingly Poitier starred in the groundbreaking film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” which was a comedy built around parents’ acceptance of an interracial couple.
- Paula Patton and singer Robin Thicke
R&B singer Robin Thicke and Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol are another young celebrity couple for whom love is color blind. In addition to bringing up their two-year-old son Julian, the adorable pair have been keeping busy with their work. "Sweetest Love" crooner is starring on ABC's "Duet's" while the "Jumping the Broom" star already has a full load. She recently became the newest spokesperson for Pepsi NEXT and landed a lead role in two upcoming films. Even then in June 2012, Patton and Thicken were seen heating up the small screen together in the first ever commercial for Remy Martin cognac.
- Lena Horne and Lennie Hayton
Lena Horne was another actress and performer of the early half of the twentieth century who settled for inter-racial marriage later in her life. Horne’s parents was a mix of African-American, Native American and European stock and belonged to the upper stratum of middle-class, well-educated African-Americans who were beginning to make a place for themselves in the early decades in America. After one failed marriage, Horne married white bandleader Lennie Hayton in 1947. At the time, Hayton was one of the premier musical conductors and arrangers at MGM. However the marriage was kept secret for three years because of racial pressures. Even though the couple started living separately in the early 1960s, they never divorced. Until his 1971 death, Hayton remained her pianist, arranger, conductor and manager.
- Sophia Adella and Derek Luke
Sophia Adella is an actress who is best known for her appearances in films like Spartan, Lying in Wait and Knockout. She is married to actor Derek Luke who besides appearing in various television series like the NBC show Trauma, made his big-screen debut performance in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, directed and produced by Denzel Washington.
- Ice T and Nicole
Popularly known as Coco or Coco Austin, Nicole is an American model and actress. Apart from appearing in various magazines and publications, Nicole has also made brief appearances in television shows and specials including Hip-Hop Wives, the Comedy Central Roast of Flavor Flav, The Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Nicole is married to famous rapper and actor, Tracy Marrow who is better known by his stage name Ice T. The two were married on married December 31, 2001 in Las Vegas. Austin and Marrow renewed their wedding vows for their 10th anniversary at a well-publicized event in Hollywood on June 4, 2011.
- Whoopi Goldberg and Lyle Trachtenberg
Whoopi Goldberg is among the most high-profile women who have married white men and that too more than once. The famous actress, comedienne, political rights activist, singer-songwriter and talk-show host has been married thrice and her last two husbands were white. In 1986 Goldberg married cinematographer David Claessen but the couple divorced a couple of years later. In 1994 she got married to the actor Lyle Trachtenberg but stayed together for only a year before the two divorced in 1995. Apart from spouses, some of the people Goldberg was romantically linked to were also white like Italian-American stage actor Frank Langella as well as Ted Danson, an actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom Cheers, and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series Becker.
- Jessica Alba and Cash Warren
Famous for her roles in movies such as Sin City and the Fantastic Four series, Jessica Alba is a Hollywood actress of Mexican heritage. She is married to Warren, the son of African American actor, Michael Warren, who was on the TV show Hill Street Blues in the 80s. The couple have two daughters: Honor Marie Warren and Haven Garner Warren.
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