One of Hollywood’s most enduring couples delighted fans on Tuesday as they showed their romance is still going strong after 26 years of marriage.
The actor, 78, who first became a household name as Lenny on Laverne & Shirley, appeared in high spirits as he planted a kiss on his stunning wife, 73, herself a star in her own right.
Back in 1983, she played Lana Lang, the love interest of Christopher Reeve’s Superman in Superman III, and a decade later returned to the superhero world as Martha Kent, the adoptive mother of Tom Welling’s Clark Kent in Smallville.
These days, she has won a new generation of fans as Mayor Hope McCrea in Netflix’s hit series Virgin River.
Between breaks in filming on Tuesday, she couldn’t resist planting a smooch on her longtime beau – who fans will also remember as a Saturday Night Live favorite and one of the stars of This Is Spinal Tap.
So, can you guess which adorable Tinseltown couple this is?
If you said Michael McKean and Annette O’Toole, you’d be spot on!
And the story behind this veteran Hollywood couple is almost as fascinating as their long careers.
They had encountered each other earlier in their careers, but didn’t begin dating until they reunited on the set of Final Justice in 1998.
They married a year later in 1999.
Both McKean and O’Toole brought established careers and families into their marriage.
McKean was previously married to Susan Russell from 1970 to 1993, and the couple had two sons, Colin and Fletcher.
Tragically, their eldest, Colin, died in 2012 at the age of 36 from an accidental overdose.
O’Toole was married to Bill Geisslinger from 1983 until 1993, and they had two daughters, Nell and Anna.
On the career front, McKean’s work spans more than five decades.
He first became a household name in the late 1970s as Lenny Kosnowski on Laverne & Shirley, a role that showcased his comedic talents.
He followed that with memorable performances in Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries – notably This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind (for which he co‑wrote the title song and won a Grammy).
McKean also earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for his role as Chuck McGill on Better Call Saul and has appeared in a wide range of television series, including Dream On, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Grace and Frankie.
More recently, he has lent his voice to the Rugrats franchise and reprised his Spinal Tap role in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.
O’Toole’s career is similarly wide‑ranging. She first began acting as a teenager in the late 1960s, with early credits on variety classics such as The Danny Kaye Show and guest appearances on series like Gunsmoke and My Three Sons.
Her breakthrough film role came with Superman III in 1983 as Lana Lang, and she later solidified her place in pop culture as Martha Kent on Smallville.
O’Toole also starred in series such as Nash Bridges and The Huntress, and she played adult Beverly Marsh in the 1990 adaptation of Stephen King’s It.
In recent years, she has gained a new generation of fans on Netflix’s Virgin River.
Over the years, McKean and O’Toole have appeared together on screen, including musical collaborations.
The couple co‑wrote songs for the film A Mighty Wind, earning an Academy Award nomination for A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow, and have performed live together at venues such as Feinstein’s at the Regency in New York.
