Robin Wright Was Married To Another Famous Actor Before Sean Penn
Robin Wright has been a familiar face in Hollywood since the '80s, when she starred as Kelly Capwell in the soap opera "Santa Barbara." From there, the Texas native went on to put her acting skills to the test, efforts that culminated in a Golden Globe win and eight Emmy noms for her role on Netflix's seminal show "House of Cards." But her career isn't all "The Princess Bride" is known for. Wright's marriage to Sean Penn also drew plenty of attention throughout its 20-year course.
From the outside, Wright and Penn's relationship seemed like a rollercoaster with some rather steep slopes. After meeting in the late '80s, Wright and Penn welcomed their daughter, Dylan, in 1991 and son, Hopper, in 1993, People reported. They broke up shortly after only to reconcile and tie the knot in 1996, according to Today. In 2007, they announced they planned to divorce, though the petition was withdrawn a year later, according to a 2008 People report.
Wright and Penn went on to break up yet again the following year, when Penn filed for legal separation but withdraw it a month later, USA Today reported. In August 2009, just three months after, Wright filed for divorce from Penn. That time, it stuck. The divorce was finalized in 2010, according to People. While her on-again, off-again relationship with Penn has put her in the headlines more times we can comfortably count, it wasn't her first marriage. Before Penn, Wright was married to another famous actor.
Robin Wright was married to Santa Barbara co-star Dane Witherspoon
Just as Sean Penn's marriage to Madonna ended shortly before meeting Robin Wright, she also was fresh off a divorce. In 1986, then 20-year-old Wright married Dane Witherspoon, whom she had met on the set of "Santa Barbara" while playing love interests, according to TMZ. In addition to being soap opera actors, Wright and Witherspoon also had similar roots. Witherspoon hailed from Denton, Texas, which is within the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area where Wright was born.
Wright and Witherspoon, who was nine years her senior, ended their marriage just two years into it. The former couple had no children. Wright hasn't said much at all publicly about her first husband. While playing a game on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2021 (via the Daily Mail), Wright hinted that remaining close to her exes isn't her strong suit. Witherspoon went on to marry "Trading Places" star Tracy Shaffer, a marriage that ended in 2011, E! News noted. He and Shaffer had two children, according to Capridge.
Witherspoon died in 2014 at 56, Us Weekly reported. The cause of death wasn't revealed. "He was a singular standup guy, loved and admired by many," soap opera actor A. Martinez, who also starred in "Santa Barbara," wrote on a social media post to announce his death. "My first thought, upon meeting him in 1984: 'This is the most beautiful man I've ever seen.' That beauty went all the way to his core."
Robin Wright has been married three times
Dane Witherspoon and Sean Penn weren't Robin Wright's only husbands. In 2018, Wright secretly married Clément Giraudet a year after first being linked to the Saint Laurent executive 18 years her junior, Vogue France reported. However, the marriage was short-lived. In September 2022, Wright filed for divorce just as quietly as she wed him, the Los Angeles Times reported. Wright and Giraudet kept their relationship away from the spotlight, avoiding discussing it in interviews or sharing details into their lives on social media, People noted.
Wright's engagement to her French beau was the actor's fourth. Before marrying Giraudet, Wright was engaged to Ben Foster, whom she met on the set of the 2011 film "Rampart," People reported. They announced their engagement in early 2011, but called it off that November, according to Us Weekly. "She got swept up in the engagement last Christmas, but then their schedules got crazy and she realized it wasn't the right decision," an insider detailed.
Wright and the "3:10 to Yuma" actor reconciled in early 2015. "I've never been happier in my life than I am today ... He inspires me to be the best of myself. There's so much to learn. It's endless," she told Vanity Fair that March. But by August 2015, they'd decided to go their separate ways — for good this time. "They gave it another go but were still having the same issues," a source told Us Weekly.