40+ Forgotten Celeb Couples From the ‘80s

In the 1980s, Robert Downey Jr. was far from his future as the frontman in The Greatest Showman, and Marvel superhero, Iron Man. Back in the ’80s, Downey Jr. was struggling with addiction issues following his rise to stardom. He met Sarah Jessica Parker while filming Firstborn, and the two dated for seven years.

Married in 1985, Madonna and actor Sean Penn were a major celebrity couple of the ‘80s. The couple met while Madge was filming the iconic video for “Material Girl,” and she dedicated her True Blue album to Penn.

It wasn’t long until things went south for the “Poison Penns.” Sean Penn had a bad temper, struggled with addiction, and got involved in numerous altercations. He spent 32 days in jail after beating a musician who worked with his wife. The couple split in 1989.

We’ll admit to being shocked to hear that movie star Tom Cruise and musical icon Cher once dated. Interestingly, this unusual celebrity pair met at Madonna and Sean Penn’s wedding, when Cruise was only 22 years old — and 16 years younger than the legendary singer.

Cruise and Cher hit it off at a White House event for dyslexia, which both stars have. The Burlesque actress has since told Oprah Winfrey that she “lived in his apartment” and “he was a shy boy.” Wow!

Before there was Brangelina, before there was Brad and Jen, did you know there was Brad and Christina? In fact, this celeb coupling was more Christina and Brad, as the actress was a household name due to her role on the sitcom, Married… With Children.

Amusingly, the Dead to Me actress and the Hollywood hunk attended the MTV Movie Awards together in 1989, but they didn’t leave together. Allegedly, Applegate ditched Brad for Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach instead. What was going on in the ‘80s?

An unusual person with an intense childhood, Michael Jackson didn’t exactly have conventional relationships. The Prince of Pop met actress Brooke Shields at the 1981 Academy Awards and ended up proposing to her multiple times.

From Shields’ perspective, the relationship was more of a strong friendship. In fact, she told MTV it was “the most natural and easiest of friendships.” The actress also told Rolling Stone that she promised she would be in Jackson’s life regardless of their romantic connection.

Beloved musician and entertainer Prince dated many women during his life, including actress Kim Basinger. The performer made the soundtrack for 1989’s Batman, in which Basinger starred as journalist Vicki Vale.

Speaking about her time with the artist, the L.A. Confidential star said, “I don’t really have boundaries, so I enjoyed that time of my life […] it was a really special moment in time, and I have great memories. I don’t put a lot of restrictions on myself, let’s just put it that way.”

Brother of Charlie Sheen and son of Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez became known as a member of the Brat Pack in the ‘80s. Known for starring in The Breakfast Club, the actor met Demi Moore on the set of St. Elmo’s Fire in 1984.

The couple got engaged but called things off in 1986. In the ‘90s, Estevez married singer and dancer Paula Abdul while Demi married Bruce Willis towards the end of the ‘80s. Interestingly, Moore’s therapist warned her off marrying Estevez.

After working as a cheerleader for the L.A. Lakers, becoming their choreographer, and being discovered by the Jackson family, Paula Abdul was a choreographer at the height of the music video era. Signed in the late ‘80s, the artist has six number-one singles and was an original judge on American Idol.

Before getting hitched to Emilio Estevez, Abdul met Arsenio Hall while they were both working on Coming to America. They dated for a year, and both speak fondly of each other.

Before he hit the big time as one of the world’s most well-known movie stars, George Clooney had a recurring role on the ‘80s sitcom, Facts of Life. Around this time, Clooney was involved with actress Kelly Preston, and the pair eventually lived together with a potbellied pig named Max.

The relationship didn’t last, and Preston went on to marry actor John Travolta. Sadly, she passed away in 2020. Clooney cared for Max the pig until his death in 2006 and is now married to Amal Clooney.

Drew Barrymore and Corey Feldman were both child stars, and were set up on a date by the actress’s mother when they were just 10 and 14 years old, respectively. In 1989, when Barrymore was a teenager, the pair started dating for real. However, the ET actress had already been to rehab multiple times and was trying to stay clean.

Unfortunately, Feldman was heavily addicted, which led to the breakdown of their relationship. The pair attended the 1988 Academy Awards together, but split up after nine months.

Self-named as the world’s first supermodel, Janice Dickinson — like many women — dated teen idol Rob Lowe in the ‘80s. Now known as the exceptionally healthy Chris Traeger from Parks and Recreation, the actor was a member of the Brat Pack, and pretty popular with the ladies.

Rob Lowe settled down in 1991 with makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff, and the couple has two sons together. Meanwhile, Dickenson became a judge on America’s Next Top Model, has been married four times, and has two children.

Rocky actor Sylvester Stallone married Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen in 1985, just 10 months after his divorce from first wife Sasha Czack. The couple had a highly publicized marriage, with constant tabloid coverage, gossip, and rumors. This ‘80s romance didn’t last long, with the marriage coming to a close after 19 months.

In 2005, Nielsen appeared on the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother and was joined by her former mother-in-law, Jackie Stallone. This ‘80s pair actually reunited in 2018 to film Creed II.

Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick played siblings in 1986’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and became romantically involved during the filming of the movie. This ‘80s pair kept their relationship pretty low-key until they were involved in a tragic car accident in northern Ireland.

Dirty Dancing was released just days after the accident, and Grey struggled with survivor’s guilt and grief. The relationship ended, and the star withdrew from acting for some time. Matthew Broderick has been married to Sarah Jessica Parker since 1997.

Dennis Quaid and Lea Thompson met while filming Jaws 3, and the actor popped the question on Valentine’s Day, 1986. Quaid had previously been married to actress P.J. Soles, and went on to marry actress Meg Ryan in 1991. Thompson and Quaid were engaged for almost a year, but called things off in 1987.

Just two years later, the Back to the Future actress married film director Howard Deutch, who she met while working on his movie, Some Kind of Wonderful.

Winona Ryder came to attention in the ‘80s with roles in movies like Beetlejuice and Heathers. She then continued into the ‘90s with films including The Age of Innocence, and Girl, Interrupted. Ryder met actor Johnny Depp in 1989 when she was 17 years old, and he 26.

After just five months, the couple got engaged and Depp got “Winona Forever” inked on his arm. This iconic celebrity relationship ended in 1993, and Depp moved on with supermodel Kate Moss. Ryder has since found renewed fame on Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Known for their roles in John Hughes’ movies, Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald both starred in ‘80s classics Sixteen Candles, and The Breakfast Club. The quintessential beauty and the geek, Ringwald and Hall dated briefly after making the high school Brat Pack classic, and have stayed close friends ever since.

Since then, the Edward Scissorhands actor has been in a relationship with YouTuber Trisha Paytas, and is engaged to actress Lucia Oskerova. Ringwald is married to Greek-American writer, Panio Gianopoulos.

A household name in the ‘80s, actress Alyssa Milano appeared on Who’s the Boss? when she was still a child. Between 1987 and 1990, the My Name is Earl actress dated Canadian actor Corey Haim, though he was going through serious addiction issues at the time.

Milano worked with Haim’s parents and manager to get the Silver Bullet actor help, but tragically, he passed away in 2010. Milano is married to talent agent David Bugliari, and together they have two children.

The Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith story begins back in the ‘70s, when the actor met the then 14-year-old daughter of his co-star, Tippi Hedren. The two moved in together when Griffith was just 15, and got engaged when she turned 18. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the resulting marriage didn’t even last one year.

By the time the ‘80s rolled around, the Working Girl actress and the Miami Vice actor decided to give it another go and had daughter Dakota Johnson – star of Fifty Shades of Grey. They have both since remarried.

These stunning celebs are known as the parents of the equally stunning Zoë Kravitz, and they kicked off their relationship in the 1980s. Back then, Lisa Bonet played Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, and Lenny Kravitz was making his way in the music business. The couple met at a concert and eloped on Bonet’s 20th birthday.

Bonet gave birth to Big Little Lies actress Zoë just one year after their wedding, and things fell apart soon after that. Bonet is now married to Aquaman actor Jason Momoa.

Kelly Preston makes her second appearance on this list, this time with the ever-controversial Charlie Sheen. Brother of Emilio Estevez, Sheen was a fellow ‘80s star and dated Preston towards the end of the decade. These two actually got engaged, but their three-year relationship came to an end when Sheen allegedly shot Preston in the arm.

Understandably, this caused a huge amount of tabloid interest, and both partners argued over the details for years. In 2011, the actress told TMZ that Sheen did not shoot her.

Perhaps the most ‘80s love story of all, Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and Dynasty actress Heather Locklear met backstage at an REO Speedwagon concert. The couple got engaged just three months after their first date, and then tied the knot in 1986.

As often happens with ‘80s rock stars, Lee cheated on his wife, leading to their divorce in 1993. The Melrose Place actress married Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora the following year, and Lee married Pamela Anderson in 1995.

Actress Diane Lane made her acting debut in 1979, and then transitioned into more adult roles in the 1980s. The Ladies and Gentlemen actor admitted on Watch What Happens Live that she dated musician Jon Bon Jovi for around five months when she was 20 years old.

John Francis Bongiovi Jr. — known as Jon Bon Jovi — was still sweeping floors and writing jingles at the start of the ‘80s. By the end of the decade, Bon Jovi’s third album was known across the world.

This attractive pair met at a backyard barbecue in 1987, when model Cindy Crawford was 21 years old, and actor Richard Gere was 37. An established actor at this point, Gere had already been linked to Barbra Streisand, Priscilla Presley, and Kim Basinger.

Crawford and Gere tied the knot in 1991. However, the relationship ended only four years later. Crawford has commented, “I just think your 20s, for women, is such a time when you’re starting to come into your own and feel your own power.”

Rebecca De Mornay and Tom Cruise were co-stars in 1983’s Risky Business, and partners in real life. The couple kept their relationship going after the film had wrapped, even trying long-distance while Cruise filmed Legend in London.

However, by the time Cruise started shooting Top Gun in 1985, the whole thing had come to a close. De Mornay went on to marry actor and sportscaster Patrick O’Neal, with whom she has two daughters.

It’s hard to believe that Billy Joel was so popular with supermodels in the ‘80s, but that’s what being a smooth-voiced piano man does in Hollywood. One of the best-selling artists of all time, Joel started releasing his own music in the ‘70s and was beloved by the ‘80s.

The “Uptown Girl” singer met Elle Macpherson on a trip to St. Barts, and they dated in the early ‘80s. Known as “the body,” Elle Macpherson initially started modeling to put herself through law school.

Co-stars in black comedy and high school satire Heathers, Christian Slater and Winona Ryder dated for a couple of weeks post-filming. Slater had made his film debut in The Legend of Billy Jean several years before and has since played the leading role in Mr. Robot.

As for Winona — we know she kept acting, but she also faced some issues in the ‘90s. The star was arrested for shoplifting in 2001 when she was struggling with prescription medicine. Naturally, the tabloids went wild.

Cher wasn’t just interested in Tom Cruise in the ‘80s — she also hooked up with heartthrob Val Kilmer. The actor became popular in the mid-80s and starred in Top Gun alongside Tom Cruise in 1986. Cher and Kilmer met at one of Meryl Streep’s parties and dated between 1982 and 1984.

Kilmer married actress Joanna Whalley in 1988, and together they have two children. Cher had already hit the big time by the ‘80s, but she walked away from the decade with an Academy Award for Moonstruck.

Known for his explosive temper, tennis pro John McEnroe still has the best singles season win rate of the Open era, based on a 1984 match. In the ‘80s, McEnroe was top-ranked but was also struggling with addiction issues.

Meanwhile, actress Tatum O’Neal was the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award and starred in 1980’s Little Darlings. McEnroe and O’Neal got married in 1986 and had three children together. However, O’Neal fell into addiction and McEnroe ended up with custody.

Popular in the ‘80s and a popular person on this list — it’s Rob Lowe again! This time, the brat pack teen idol was dating Melissa Gilbert, known for her role in Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert was only 17 when she started dating Lowe, and later wrote in her memoir, “I fell instantly, hopelessly, and stupidly in love.”

Rob Lowe proposed to Gilbert in 1986 but they split following a miscarriage. Only seven weeks after the end of the relationship, the actress married actor Bo Brinkman.

How great is this picture of Twin Peaks actor Kyle MacLachlan alongside Jurassic Park actress Laura Dern? This cute couple met while filming Blue Velvet in 1985, and dated until 1989. The Desperate Housewives star went on to date supermodel Linda Evangelista, and then married publicist Desiree Gruber in 2002.

Laura Dern ended up marrying musician Ben Harper in 2005, though they later split in 2013. Adorably, Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern reunited to star in Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return.

This rather fabulous ’80s couple contained one iconic actress and one Grammy award-winning musician. The pair met when Fisher was filming Star Wars, and had an on-and-off relationship for over 12 years. Fisher and Simon started dating in the ‘70s, and got married in 1983.

The marriage didn’t even last one year, but the couple did date following their divorce. Fisher is the subject of several of Simon’s songs including “Graceland,” which was written after their split.

We know that crooner Billy Joel was popular with supermodels, and he actually dated Christie Brinkley at the same time as he was schmoozing Elle Macpherson. Brinkley appeared on three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, starting in 1979, and met Joel while in St. Barts.

The pair got married in 1985 but split in 1994. They share one daughter named Alexa Ray Joel. Both celebs have been married four times, and are still close friends with each other.

Another ‘80s couple that has stayed friends since their split — English actors Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley. The Bedazzled actress actually became known as Grant’s girlfriend, as she was relatively unknown when they met in 1987. The couple stayed together through several scandals but split in 2000.

While both Hurley and Grant have since moved on, they are both the godparents to each other’s children. The Notting Hill star told Andy Cohen, “Now she’s my absolute best friend — number one person I call in a crisis.

Another child actress, Helen Hunt appeared in The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Facts of Life in the ‘70s. By the ‘80s, she was starring in teen movies alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Shannen Doherty, and Matthew Broderick.

Broderick and Hunt both featured in 1987’s Project X and dated briefly that same year. These two also stayed in touch after their breakup and then reunited to star in Then She Found Me together. Broderick has been married to Sarah Jessica Parker since 1997.

William Michael Albert Broad — known as Billy Idol — was an English musician embarking on a solo career in the U.S. His 1982 debut album was a success, becoming popular on the newly established MTV.

Meanwhile, Julia Roberts — 12 years younger than Idol — made her film debut in 1988’s Satisfaction. Apparently, the actress met Idol when she was just 16 years old while on a flight to Australia. Amazingly, by the time the ‘90s ended, Roberts was the highest-paid actress in the world.

Now, here’s a strange celebrity couple from the ‘80s – media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and film critic Roger Ebert. In 1983, when Winfrey took on a low-rated thirty-minute morning talk show in Chicago, the ratings suddenly went from last place to first. Critic Roger Ebert convinced Winfrey to sign a syndication deal, predicting she would make a huge amount of money.

Alas, Ebert was correct. The couple dated around this time, though Ebert went on to marry trial attorney Charlie “Chaz” Hammelsmith in 1992.

By the mid-’80s, Michael Keaton was starting to land major comedic roles such as Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice. His marriage to Caroline McWilliams had just broken down, and in 1989, he started dating unknown actress Courteney Cox. That same year, he was cast in Batman, giving him another major career boost.

Keaton and Cox were together for six years, splitting in 1995. Friends kicked off in 1994, setting Cox on her way to international stardom. The actress is currently with Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid.

Can you believe that Helen Mirren and Liam Neeson used to date? The English actress had a successful theater career, and broke through with British gangster movie The Long Good Friday in 1980. Mirren met Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson while the two were filming 1981’s Excaliber, and the pair started dating.

Amazingly, Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren lived together in the early ‘80s, and the Taken actor has since said that Mirren helped him to get an agent.

Actress Susan Sarandon got married in 1967 and kept her Greek-American husband’s name throughout her career. The Thelma & Louise actress was also involved with director Louis Malle, musician David Bowie, and actor Sean Penn. With a 14-year age difference, these two were together briefly in 1984.

As we know, Penn met and married Madonna the following year, and was subsequently married to Robin Wright. Sarandon did not get hitched again, though she has been in several long-term relationships.

Bizarrely, it’s true that co-lead singer of Kiss, Gene Simmons, and lead singer of The Supremes, Diana Ross, were together. But they were! Even more bizarre, these two met while Simmons was dating Cher. Apparently, the Armenian actress and singer sent Simmons to buy her a Christmas present with her best pal, Diana Ross.

That wasn’t such a great idea, because the two hit it off and eventually got together. Thankfully, Cher came around and ended up staying friends with both Ross and Simmons.

The only deaf performer to win an Academy Award, Marlee Maitlin took home an Oscar for her role in 1986’s Children of a Lesser God. Meanwhile, second-generation Greek-American John Stamos started off on General Hospital, and then landed the role of Jesse in Full House.

Apparently, this pair dated briefly during the ‘80s, and have remained friends since. Matlin has been married to police officer Kevin Grandalski since 1993, and Stamos has been with his second wife, actress Caitlin McHugh, since 2018.

In the ‘70s, actor Scott Baio made his onscreen debut as the title character in the musical, Bugsy Malone, and then starred in Happy Days. By the time the ‘80s arrived, he had steady roles in TV movies and spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi.

Pamela Anderson was first noticed when she attended a football game in Vancouver and found herself on the jumbotron. She got hired as a spokesmodel, and Baywatch followed. Baio and Anderson dated during this time, and were briefly engaged at one point.

They’re back! The most popular people on this list rear their heads again, this time with each other. Apparently, this coupling happened while Lowe and Ryder were both starring in 1987’s Square Dance. At the time, Ryder was only 16 years old, while Lowe was 23.

This ultimate ‘80s pairing even attended the Golden Globes together the next year, and apparently dated for two whole years! Is it wrong that we kind of want them to get back together?

We’ve already seen Brooke Shields on this list, but this time she’s here as Nicolas Cage’s other half. Shields was the youngest model to appear on Vogue’s cover in 1980, and then helped catapult Calvin Klein to major success with her campaign for their jeans.

At this time, Cage was landing various early roles and met Shields before filming 1987’s Moonstruck. In total, Cage has been married four times, while Shields has tied the knot twice.

They’ve both appeared on our list so far, but here they are together — it’s Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts. These two met while filming 1987’s Satisfaction, which was Roberts’ first big-screen debut. The Schindler’s List actor and the Mona Lisa Smile actress were together for over a year, and briefly lived together.

Liam Neeson went on to marry actress Natasha Richardson in 1994, but she tragically passed in a 2009 skiing accident. Roberts is married to cinematographer Daniel Moder.