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Being married to someone within the same profession has a wide array of benefits. Not only do they share common goals, but they understand the stress and pressures that go along with the career. Sharing a common ground in both business and personal life creates a strong bond between couples.

However, there are some that believe mixing business and pleasure is detrimental. No marriage is perfect, in fact, over 40% of all marriages fail. To go along with those depressing stats, the success rate of famous couples is dwindling down rapidly as well. Maybe it’s the pressures of being in the public eye, or being apart for long periods of time. But finally there’s some good news- There are a special group of famous director/actor couples out there in the crazy Hollywood scene who love, support, and share in each other’s successes and triumphs.

Below are the top 10 director/actor couples who have found success in both marriage and work.

10. Jordan Alan and Amanda Righetti

Gold Award winner and director Jordan Alan has been credited thus far with 8 films. He is known for Cats Dancing on Jupiter, Terminal Bliss, and Cat’s Cradle to name a few. Actress Amanda Righetti got her start as a model, but soon jumped into the acting field by landing a role on The O.C. She is best known for her part as “Grace” in The Mentalist, and has also appeared in several films including Captain America: The First Avenger, Friday the 13th, and Role Models. Righetti has been awarded New York Independent Film and Video Festivals “Best Actress in a Short Film Award” and has had more than 25 acting appearances.

Jordan and Amanda were married in April 2006, and have one son together. This wholesome and beautiful pair married in Oahu, and their wedding was featured in InStyle Weddings. Righetti says she is “happily married” and handles her time with her husband between Hollywood and Hawaii very well.

9. Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor

Emmy Award winner Ben Stiller has written, stared, and directed over 50 films. He’s most popular for There’sSomethingAboutMary, Meet the Parents, and Zoolander.Christine Taylor began her acting career in the late 1980’s on a Nickelodeon show Hey Dude. She is probably best known for her role as Marsha in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel. Taylor has been credited with 52 acting roles and has been nominated for two MTV Movie Awards.

This funny couple has been together for quite some time. They met while filming a never-broadcasted television pilot for Fox, and have been married since May 2000. Ben and Christine have two children, and have stared in 3 movies together- Zoolander, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Tropic Thunder. Ben Stiller gushes over how he met his wife- “We started hanging out… and it developed into, ‘Wow, this is great… I love this person.”

8. Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich

Genie Awards winner Paul W.S. Anderson is a director who primarily works with science fiction films and video games. He’s known for directing the popular video games Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Super Mario Bros, and well-known films such as Shopping and Resident Evil. He has directed over 15 projects. Milla Jovovich got her start in modeling and began acting in the late 1980’s. She’s had over 40 acting roles, and is best known for staring in the Resident Evil films as well as The Fifth Element. Jovovich has been nominated for numerous awards including the Blockbuster Entertainment “Best New Actress” Award, and “Best Horror Actress” from the Scream Awards.

Paul and Milla met in 2002 while filming Resident Evil, which Anderson directed. The striking pair had a daughter in 2007 and later married in 2009. Jovovich makes it known that her love for her daughter and husband is her main priority- “… having a child completely changed the way I look at my life. My main priority now is my child and my family.”

7. Len Wiseman and Kate Beckinsale

 

“Best Director” nominee Len Wiseman has directed 6 films, and is best known for his work on Underworld, Total Recall, and Live Free or Die Hard. Kate Beckinsale began her acting career in 1993, which jump started after she had a role in Pearl Harbor and stared in the Underworld trilogy. She has since been involved in 43 acting projects, and has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The two met in 2003 while filming Underworld. The both ended their current relationships once meeting and went on to wed in 2004. This joyous couple has been together over 10 years and they raise Beckinsale’s daughter (from her first marriage) together. Kate Beckinsale has sweetly said about Wiseman “I’m very blessed to have a husband who appreciates me.”

6. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

American Award and Golden Globe Award winner Ben Affleck first got his start in acting in 1995, and then later moved onto producing and directing. He has been credited with directing 14 films.

Golden Globe winner Jennifer Garner first came to light in the ABC thriller Alias in 2001. She has since appeared in many well-known films such as Pearl Harbor, Juno, and Dallas Buyers Club. Garner has had over 45 acting roles in her career thus far.

This stunningly sweet pair first fell for each other while filming the movie Daredevil. They married in a secret Caribbean wedding in 2005, and have three children together. Ben and Jennifer clearly adore each other. Jennifer has once said "He knows when to swoop in with the gesture. He's sweet that way. Honestly, I would do anything for that man, because I know it's not taken for granted."

5. Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann

Director Judd Apatow has been involved with tons of projects and has directed over 13 films. He was ranked #1 on Entertainment Weekly’s “The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood”, and has won numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy Award. His best known films are The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked up. Leslie Mann has had 35 acting roles in her career so far, and has been nominated for a Critics Choice Award and a CFCA Award. She is well-known for her comedic roles, many of which are her husband’s films.

This cute comedic pair met while Leslie Mann was auditioning for The Cable Guy, which Apatow wrote and produced. In fact Apatow said he “fell in love with Leslie Mann the second he saw her.” The couple has been involved in 5 collaborations together. They married in 1997 and have two daughters, who both appeared in their father’s films Knocked Up, Funny People, and This is 40.

4. Taylor Hackford and Helen Mirren

Academy Award winner Taylor Hackford initially wanted to pursue a career in law, but later realized he wanted to be involved with film. He has been credited with directing 20 films, and is best known for An Officer and a Gentleman, The Devil’s Advocate, and Love Ranch. English actress Helen Mirren’s amazing career consists of over 115 acting roles. She is well-known for playing Queen Elizabeth, and her many theatre roles. Mirren has won an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, four Emmy’s and two Cannes Film Festival Awards to name a few.

Taylor Hackford and Helen Mirren met while on the set of Hackford’s White Nights, and married in 1997 after being together for 12 years. This charming couple’s support for each other’s career is quite amazing, and Hackford even states "I'm married to, in my mind, the greatest actress in the world.”

3. Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw

Often referred to as Hollywood’s “best known director”, Steven Spielberg has had numerous block-busting films, and is credited with over 50 projects. He has won Golden Globe Awards as well as awards from the Cannes Film Festival, Academy Award, PGA, and Daytime Emmy Awards. His most popular films are Jaws, E.T. the Extra-terrestrial, and Jurassic Park. He has been called “the most influential person in his generation,” and “the most powerful figure in the motion picture industry.” Kate Capshaw worked as a teacher for a while before fulfilling her desire to be an actress. She is best known for her role in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and has had over 28 acting roles in her career.

Spielburg and Capshaw met in 1984 during the production of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. They married in 1991 and have seven children including two that are adopted. Family is a main role in this devoted couples life. Spielberg has said family is his “priority and always has been.”

2. Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter

Hugo Award and Daytime Emmy Award winner Tim Burton has directed over 28 films thus far in his career. His films have a very vivid, gothic, and fantasy feel to them, which gives them a unique advantage in the Hollywood world. A few of Burton’s big hits include: Beetlejuice, Batman, EdwardScissorhands, SleepyHollow, Planetof the Apes, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. English actress and Golden Globe nominee Helena Bonham Carter has been credited with having over 80 acting roles. She’s best known for her eccentric roles in the films Fight Club and the Harry Potter series.

This quirky couple met while filming Planet of the Apes in 2001. Burton obviously likes to cast his partner Helena Bonham Carter in his films. She has had roles in at least 7 of them, such as: Planet of the Apes, Big Fish, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows.

The couple never married but have two sons together. Bonham refers to her and Burton’s relationship as the “bonkers couple,” as they live in separate but adjoining houses.

1. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Director and Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie is best known for her acting in films such as Lara Croft, Girl, Interrupted, and The Bone Collector. She has had over 45 film appearances to date. Jolie has also taken on a directing role having directed 3 films thus far. Golden Globe winning actor Brad Pitt has at least 68 acting roles under his belt. He’s best known for his roles in Interview with the Vampire, Legends of the Fall, Seven, Ocean’s Eleven, and its sequels, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

This super-couple maybe the most famous of them all. They met while on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005. They have yet to marry as Pitt has been known for saying they would marry “when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able,” (speaking of same-sex marriage).

It’s clear that family is vital to their relationship. Pitt and Jolie have three biological children and three adopted children. Angelina Jolie is not shy about gushing over Pitt’s parenting skills- “He loves being a father… that’s one thing I’m most proud of about him.”

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