At the Oscars this evening, Best Supporting Actress nominee Amy Madigan will be supported by her husband of more than 40 years, ed harris, underscoring a partnership that blends long careers and a sustained personal life together.
Ed Harris: Career Highlights and Nominations
Ed Harris has been recognized across film and television with multiple major nominations. Born in 1950, he grew up in New Jersey and began his higher education at Columbia University, where he was on the football team. After his family moved to New Mexico, he transferred to the University of Oklahoma and later to the California Institute of Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1975.
His film work earned four Oscar nominations for performances in Apollo 13, The Truman Show, Pollock and The Hours. On television, his portrayal of the Man in Black in Westworld, which ran from 2018 to 2022, brought an Emmy nomination. Harris most recently appeared in How to Make a Killing and is slated to feature next in The Dink, a sports comedy set to premiere this summer.
A Marriage and Family Spanning Decades
Madigan, 75, and ed harris, also 75, began dating in 1981 after she saw him in a 1980 stage production. They married in 1983 while working on a film together and later co-starred in the 1984 movie Places in the Heart. The couple have one daughter, Lily, who followed her parents into acting.
Madigan has described their relationship simply: “We just love each other and we work really hard at that and in our work. ” On the night of her Oscar nomination for Weapons, she noted that her husband “loved it, ” saying he had long observed the threads of her performances come together in the role. She also credited a supportive family, including their daughter.
How Their Work and Partnership Intersect
Both actors have spoken about the intimacy of sharing a profession. Harris has said that when they are not working together it can be difficult to talk about the day, while working together brings shared, often unspoken emotion that draws them closer. Their professional collaborations and individual projects have continued in parallel, with both maintaining active careers while sustaining a decades-long marriage.
With Madigan appearing at the Oscars and Harris lined up for a forthcoming film this summer, the pair remain a visible example of a long-term partnership that spans family life and sustained creative work. Their immediate plans center on the awards season and upcoming film releases tied to their ongoing careers.
