Who Is Michelle Pfeiffer Married To? A Look at Her Past and Present Love Life

Hollywood marriages can be tricky. Some fizzle out as quickly as they begin, and others stand the test of time. Michelle Pfeiffer’s experience with love and marriage has danced on both sides of the spectrum. The question is: What kind of experience does Michelle Pfeiffer have with being married?

Michelle has been married to her talented and doting husband David E. Kelley since 1993. Her story of love and marriage, however, isn’t that straightforward. David wasn’t her first husband. Furthermore, she became a mom just before her romance with David began. Keep reading as we dive a bit deeper into what married life looks like for Michelle.

Finding love can be unpredictable, and Michelle’s story of finding love is just that. In 1992, Michelle was in the process of adopting her daughter, Claudia Rose. At the same time, she had a friend who convinced her to go on a blind date with David. Michelle was navigating the stressful adoption process and preparing to be a single mother when fate intervened, and she met her future husband.

This wasn’t just a random average Joe her friend set her up with either. David was already a successful TV writer with credits on his resume like The Practice and Ally McBeal.

Unfortunately, the blind date didn't go well — at least Michelle didn't think so. In fact, she admitted during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show that she thought David and her sister would have made a good match at the time.

Turns out, Michelle unintentionally made the date awkward. She got nervous at the last second and decided to turn it into a group date with eight different people sitting around a table at a restaurant. As a result, she wasn't sitting near David and he barely spoke to her the entire time. Making things worse, he even left early to go to a party. Michelle assumed it just wasn't meant to be. To her surprise, David called her a few days later and their conversation changed everything.

Less than a year after that blind date, they got married on Nov. 13, 1993. After getting married, David also adopted Claudia to make their family official. A year after their wedding, they welcomed their son, John Henry, into the world.

Despite both Michelle and David having high-profile Hollywood careers, they do what they can to keep their relationship and their family life private. This included trying not to work together professionally for a very long time. That changed when Michelle signed on to be a member of the cast for her husband’s Apple TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles in September 2024. Notably, this was the first time they’d worked together professionally since getting married.

Michelle’s love life wasn’t always so stable. Before David, she was married to Peter Horton. Peter is an actor and director best known for his role as Professor Gary Shepherd on the TV series Thirtysomething. The two met young and tied the knot in 1981.

If you’ve ever tried balancing a busy career and a relationship, you know how tough it can be. For Michelle and Peter, it was no different. Their acting careers were taking off, and they were constantly working. By 1988, they realized they had grown apart. The divorce was mutual.

Michelle opened up about why she and Peter got divorced while speaking to Interview Magazine: “I think my husband and I were both too young and as we started growing up, our needs changed.”

Michelle’s path to motherhood was a bit unconventional. She had already started the adoption process for Claudia Rose before she even met David.

Adoption is a huge step, and Michelle was fully prepared to raise Claudia as a single mom. Then, David came into the picture, and everything changed. He welcomed Claudia with open arms. He did not hesitate to adopt her after he and Michelle were married. Finally, they completed their family when they welcomed their son John into the family.

Over the years, Michelle has been incredibly private about her children, rarely sharing details about their lives. In fact, Michelle once told Interview Magazine she hesitated to do interviews because of how private she was.

"I am basically very private, and I’m really nervous about doing publicity. Every time I set up an interview, I say, 'That’s it. this is my last one.'" Michelle shared.

Michelle’s first marriage to Peter didn’t last, but it led her to a life she never expected. She became a mom, found love when she least expected, and built a family that has remained strong under the pressures of Hollywood. In a world where celebrity relationships often fall apart, Michelle and David’s story is refreshingly simple.