Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie realized that they didn't want to wait to become husband and wife. The couple, who've been together since May 2019, secretly eloped at a seaside resort in Santa Barbara, California.
It may have seemed a little hasty, but Dennis — who's been married three times before — seems certain that Laura is the one. "I just love who she is as a person," he told People magazine. "Her character, her intelligence, of course, her beauty. And her point of view of the world."
The two reportedly met at a business event. While they seem happy together, many people have frowned at the fact that they have such a big age gap. While Laura is 27, Dennis is 66.
"I didn't go out looking for an age gap or someone really younger than me," he said to The Guardian. "I met her at a business event and then the relationship developed. I don't fall in love easy. But I can't let what a few people think control all that."
He also added that he really feels like she's the one. "I've been married three times and this is the final one, I know it is," he continued. "I feel like I have a real partner in life."
Prior to Laura, Dennis has been married to P.J. Soles, Meg Ryan, and Kimberly Buffington. Most of these partnerships lasted for multiple years. He has a son with Meg named Jack, who recently turned 28 — which is close in age to his new wife. Like his parents, Jack is also involved with film.
Speaking of film, Dennis has admitted that he's always been a little freaked out by fame. And it got worse when he was married to Meg, who was his most high-profile relationship. "It was out of control, being followed all the time, wherever you went, kind of stalked basically," he said to The Guardian. "It was champagne problems, you know, but looking back it was very intrusive."
That may be why he chose for his recent wedding to be low profile. It seemed to work for Laura, who's equally smitten with her new husband. "It's like nothing can bring him down," she said of Dennis. "Just getting to do life with someone who lives that way is inspiring for me. It changes my perspective and it brings so much joy to every day."
So who is Laura Savoie? According to People magazine, she was the valedictorian of her class at Pepperdine University. After graduation, she went on to earn her master's degree in accountancy at the University of Notre Dame. So Dennis was right — she is very smart.
Before dating Dennis, she was reportedly in a relationship with Jeremy Piven. But she quickly fell for Dennis — and was surprised by his proposal. It happened while Laura was visiting Dennis in Honolulu, Hawaii. "I had the ring in my pocket. It has been kind of a month-and-a-half plan … I wanted it to be private," Dennis said to Extra.
Laura was in the midst of taking a selfie of the couple when Dennis popped the question. "I put the ring in front and said, 'Will you marry me?' — and then she fell down," he said. The couple initially postponed their wedding due to travel concerns and government safety regulations, which is why the elopement has taken some fans by surprise.
Despite being so young, Laura has a lot going for her. Heavy writes that Laura is currently a certified public accountant. She also holds a registered yoga teacher certification along with her California real estate license. So she's got a bright future ahead of her.
And since Jeremy Piven is also much older than her, she apparently has a type. But some of Dennis' other acquaintances weren't all that kind when the news first broke. Actress Lea Thompson made a snarky comment on a tweet regarding the engagement news.
Lea and Dennis were linked after meeting on the set of Jaws 3-D. They dated and were engaged in the early '80s, but the wedding never happened. Upon hearing the news of the actor's latest relationship, Lea wrote on Twitter that "she was -10 when I was engaged to him."
He might not fall in love easily, but he's definitely had a lot of relationships. His first wife, P.J. Soles, was also an actress. They met on the set of the film Our Winning Season. They called it quits in 1983 after several years together. After dating Lea, he then met — and fell for — Meg Ryan.
At the time, Meg was a huge star. While many people felt as if Meg left her husband for a brief romance with Russell Crowe, it turns out that Dennis wasn't faithful during their years together — at least according to Meg. "It dissolved before it became sport for the press," she said. "The public and the press tuned in way after. The reasons we broke up have nothing to do with another person."
"Dennis was not faithful to me for a long time, and that was very painful," she said. "I found out more about that once I was divorced." She insisted that Russell was there to see the end of it go down, but he didn't cause the split. "He was definitely there at the end, but it wasn't his fault. I was a mess. I hurt him, too, at the end. I couldn't be in another long relationship, it wasn't the time for that. So I got out," she admitted to In Style magazine, per Today.
After Meg, Dennis was married to Kimberly Buffington. The two were together for six years. They had two children together but couldn't make it work. Their divorce documents state that "the marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities … that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation."
Hopefully, the fourth time is a charm for Dennis. Aside from weddings, the star has been keeping busy with his new podcast, The Dennaissance. During each episode, he talks with a celebrity friend of his about their life. Even if some of his friends might question his choices, he's still a big name in Hollywood and has a ton of connections and supporters.
