Here's Who Hallmark Star Ashley Williams Is Married To In Real Life

Ashley Williams got her start in the acting world with a small role in the 1993 film "Indian Summer," but she really got her big break starring in the daytime soap "As the World Turns" two years later. The actor is also known for her part as Ted Mosby's love interest in "How I Met Your Mother" and as Jim Gaffigan's wife in his eponymous show. Playing the mom of five came naturally to her, and she shared with Living New Orleans, "It's so much fun being part of something I really believe in. Very true to form to the Gaffigan spirit, they play the show as the reality of their lives, which makes the comedy very grounded."

She channels her leading lady energy into her many Hallmark movies (and Ashley Williams is no stranger to the director's chair either), and she actually has real-life experience. The "Two Tickets to Paradise" actor is married to someone also in the entertainment business, but his role is more behind the scenes than hers.

Ashley Williams has fallen in love on-screen many times, but her husband Neal Dodson is the only one she has her heart set on. The two met in 2004 while working on set, with Dodson as an assistant. He has since leveled his way up to a producer, and his first project was a 2004 short film called "Chinese Dream," which was one of his proudest accomplishments. "[My friend and I] put it together ... and took it all over the world. It played at dozens and dozens and dozens of film festivals all over the world. Won quite a few of them. It ended up being on the short list for the Oscars," he told Paste. Dodson has gone on to produce other hits such "All Is Lost" starring Robert Redford which earned two Golden Globe nominations, with one win for best original score.

Dodson also got in with the Hallmark Channel and was executive producer of two "Sister Swap" movies starring Williams. "Here he is ... The greatest producer I've ever worked with, and the man that makes everything possible," the actor gushed of her husband. "This movie was a true labor of love, and would not have happened without Neal Dodson. Thank you for your mind, your heart, your care, your everything, always," she concluded. While Dodson's resumé is impressive and he's clearly successful at his job, the producer's other important role is that of father.

Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson became parents for the first time when they welcomed baby Gus on October 5, 2014, per Us Weekly. On how the pair came up with the name, Williams shared with Mini (via People), "It's not short for anything and it's not a family name. It's not for the fat mouse in Cinderella, though he's amazing. We just loved it from the start." She and Dodson chose another adorable name for their second son, Odie Sal, who was born on May 17, 2017, per People. According to the publication, he was named after Dodson's great-grandfather.

While Williams and Dodson keep their kids out of the public eye and the producer is fairly private as well, the Hallmark actor isn't shy about declaring her love for her longtime husband. In 2021, they celebrated 10 years of marriage, and Williams referenced her younger son in a celebratory Instagram post. "Happy ten years, mister. As our four-year-old would say, 'I love you all the way to You Nork. AND BACK,'" she wrote while sharing pics of the two on their wedding day, proving that Williams and Dodson are living a real-life Hallmark movie.