The Chemistry Hid The Calendar
TV casting can make two performers seem perfectly matched even when their birthdays tell another story. Here, the gap refers to the actors’ real ages, not necessarily their characters’ ages. Some shows acknowledged the difference; others barely made it part of the relationship at all. In several cases, the woman was the older performer, which makes the casting even more interesting.
Jay And Gloria, Modern Family: 26 Years
Ed O’Neill and Sofía Vergara were more than 26 years apart while playing married couple Jay and Gloria Pritchett. O’Neill was born in 1946 and Vergara in 1972. The sitcom acknowledged Gloria was younger, but the performers’ real gap was still striking.
Screenshot from Modern Family, ABC (2009–2020)
Blake And Krystle, Dynasty: Nearly 25 Years
John Forsythe and Linda Evans played Dynasty power couple Blake and Krystle Carrington. Forsythe was born in 1918 and Evans in 1942, putting nearly 25 years between them. Their polished chemistry made the difference much less obvious onscreen.
Screenshot from Dynasty, ABC (1981–1989)
Stewart And Sally, McMillan & Wife: Nearly 21 Years
Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James played police commissioner Stewart McMillan and his wife, Sally. Hudson was born in 1925 and Saint James in 1946. That left nearly 21 years between the performers behind one of the 1970s’ breezier television marriages.
Screenshot from McMillan & Wife, NBC (1971–1977)
George And Louise, The Jeffersons: More Than 20 Years
Isabel Sanford was actually much older than Sherman Hemsley, her television husband on The Jeffersons. Sanford was born in 1917 and Hemsley in 1938. The actors playing Louise and George Jefferson were more than 20 years apart.
Screenshot from The Jeffersons, CBS (1975–1985)
Florida And James, Good Times: 19 Years
Esther Rolle and John Amos played Florida and James Evans on Good Times. Rolle was born in 1920, while Amos was born in 1939, making her a little more than 19 years older. It is another notable example where the actress was older.
Screenshot from Good Times, CBS (1974–1979)
Richard And Monica, Friends: More Than 19 Years
Tom Selleck’s Richard Burke became one of Monica Geller’s major relationships on Friends. Selleck was born in 1945 and Courteney Cox in 1964. The actors themselves were a little more than 19 years apart.
Screenshot from Friends, NBC (1994–2004)
Nucky And Margaret, Boardwalk Empire: More Than 18 Years
Steve Buscemi and Kelly Macdonald played Nucky Thompson and Margaret Schroeder, whose relationship eventually became a marriage. Buscemi was born in 1957 and Macdonald in 1976. Their real-life age gap was just over 18 years.
Screenshot from Boardwalk Empire, HBO (2010–2014)
Grace And Nick, Grace And Frankie: Nearly 18 Years
Grace Hanson’s romance with Nick Skolka eventually led to an elopement on Grace and Frankie. Jane Fonda was born in 1937 and Peter Gallagher in 1955. Fonda is nearly 18 years older than the actor who played her later-life husband.
Screenshot from Grace and Frankie, Netflix (2015–2022)
Sandy And Lisa, The Kominsky Method: Nearly 17 Years
The Kominsky Method paired Michael Douglas’s Sandy Kominsky with Nancy Travis’s Lisa, his adult student and on-and-off girlfriend. Douglas was born in 1944 and Travis in 1961. Their birthdays fall just under 17 years apart.
Screenshot from The Kominsky Method, Netflix (2018–2021)
Fitz And Olivia, Scandal: Nearly 17 Years
Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn played Olivia Pope and Fitzgerald Grant, the central romantic pairing on Scandal. Goldwyn was born in 1960 and Washington in 1977. That puts the performers nearly 17 years apart.
Screenshot from Scandal, ABC (2012–2018)
Dick And Joanna, Newhart: More Than 13 Years
Bob Newhart and Mary Frann played married innkeepers Newhart. Newhart was born in 1929 and Frann in 1943, leaving roughly 13 and a half years between them. Their understated chemistry made it easy to overlook.
Screenshot from Newhart, CBS (1982–1990), Modified
Tom And Shiv, Succession: 13 Years
Matthew Macfadyen and Sarah Snook played Tom Wambsgans and Shiv Roy, whose marriage became central to Succession. Macfadyen was born in 1974 and Snook in 1987. The performers were just over 13 years apart.
Screenshot from Succession, HBO (2018–2023)
Oliver And Lisa, Green Acres: Nearly 13 Years
Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor played married couple Oliver and Lisa Douglas on Green Acres. Albert was born in 1906 and Gabor in 1919. Nearly 13 years separated them, though the sitcom focused far more on their city-versus-country clash.
Screenshot from Green Acres, CBS (1965–1971), Modified
Jonathan And Jennifer, Hart To Hart: Nearly 13 Years
Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers played glamorous married sleuths Jonathan and Jennifer Hart. Wagner was born in 1930 and Powers in 1942, putting them nearly 13 years apart. Their smooth partnership made the difference easy to miss.
Screenshot from Hart to Hart, ABC (1979–1984)
Walter And Skyler, Breaking Bad: More Than 12 Years
Bryan Cranston and Anna Gunn played Walter and Skyler White on Breaking Bad. Cranston was born in 1956 and Gunn in 1968, making the actors more than 12 years apart. Their age difference was hardly the biggest problem facing that marriage.
Screenshot from Breaking Bad, AMC (2008–2013)
Dorothy And Stan, The Golden Girls: More Than 11 Years
Dorothy and Stan Zbornak were divorced before The Golden Girls began, but their history kept Stan returning. Bea Arthur was born in 1922 and Herb Edelman in 1933. Arthur was more than 11 years older than the actor playing her ex-husband.
Screenshot from The Golden Girls, NBC (1985–1992), Modified
Alicia And Peter, The Good Wife: More Than 11 Years
Julianna Margulies and Chris Noth played Alicia and Peter Florrick, the marriage at the heart of The Good Wife’s opening scandal. Noth was born in 1954 and Margulies in 1966. The performers were about 11 and a half years apart.
Screenshot from The Good Wife, CBS (2009–2016)
John And Olivia, The Waltons: Nearly 11 Years
Ralph Waite and Michael Learned played John and Olivia Walton, the parents at the center of The Waltons. Waite was born in 1928 and Learned in 1939. Their real-life age difference was nearly 11 years.
Leonard And Penny, The Big Bang Theory: More Than 10 Years
Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco took Leonard and Penny from neighbors to marriage on The Big Bang Theory. Galecki was born in 1975 and Cuoco in 1985. Their real-life age difference was 10 years and seven months.
Screenshot from The Big Bang Theory, CBS (2007–2019)
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