William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett are celebrating 73 years of marriage. William, 97, and Bonnie, 95, are both actors, but they met as students at Northwestern University. They tied the knot on June 30, 1951. They share sons Michael and Robert, and lost their firstborn, William Jr., just after he was born. In an exclusive interview with People, Bonnie shared that their sons and grandchildren are "the best thing that ever happened to us."
"It happened after losing a child, after great pain and sadness, and then we got these two wonderful boys, and they have been a joy the whole marriage," the Love of Life actress told the outlet.
Though Bonnie and William have "always been here for each other," Bonnie told the outlet, they have faced some challenges together, too, including a brief open marriage that made them think their marriage might not last.
Bonnie previously opened up about their open marriage when promoting her book, Middle of the Rainbow. She told Fox News Digital that although they both had other partners at the beginning of their marriage, she eventually found herself "devastated" and unable to "tolerate any kind of open marriage."
More from LittleThings: Clint Eastwood's Youngest, Morgan Eastwood, Gets Married In Wholesome & Simple Ceremony
In the recent interview, Bonnie said, "That was a time in New York when everything was open. Everything was open. We never discussed it. It just happened."
On some level, they both accepted it for some time, she revealed to People, but they also spent a lot of time apart, leading them to belief that their relationship might not survive.
"We accepted it for a while that that can happen," she continued when speaking to the outlet, but added that "it's not good for any marriage to be separated a lot, and there were times that we were separated a lot, a long time."
"We didn't think we'd make it, but we did," she admitted to the outlet. Bonnie previously told Fox News Digital that they were able to stay together for so long by accepting that people grow, evolve, and experience hardship.
"We've been together for so long, more than 70 years — a long time. I'm 93, and I met Bill when I was 18, so we had to grow up together," she said at the time.
"Bill and I have moved forward day by day and eventually, the days added up. We've been happy together and sad together, and somehow stayed together for seven decades," she continued at the time.
During their interview with People, the couple also shared which characteristics they believe are key to a long-lasting marriage.
Both Bonnie and William noted that "mutual respect" is essential, while Bonnie also added that "listening to the other person and caring about the other person's happiness" is also important.
Although they've been together for a very long time, Bonnie told People that her husband still surprises her sometimes.
"We never stop being surprised by what somebody does," she told the outlet. William praised his wife for being "very easy to live with" and "a very competent woman."
"She's smart, and I leave a lot of things up to her," he told People.
