Known for his iconic role as Breaking Bad’s Walter White, as well as the goofy dad on Malcolm In The Middle, actor Brian Cranston has become a recognizable face and household name over the last several years. Even with his relatively recent explosion of success, Brian has been a Hollywood player for the last few decades, with a range of movie and TV roles before his breakout role in Malcolm and incredible success with Breaking Bad.

In fact, a TV role some 30 years ago led to a fateful encounter – meeting Robin Dearden, the woman who would become his wife just a few short years later! In a bit part on the show Airwolf, Brian actually played a criminal holding his future wife’s character hostage! When they met, he had a gun to her head!

…Not exactly the most romantic beginning, but when the pair met, they immediately knew there was a connection. They were both seeing other people at the time, but tell interviewers that the sparks were undeniable. Robin says, of their first encounter, “…he was the funniest man I ever met.”

Even though they were both taken at the time, they obviously saw something special in one another. They parted ways after filming their episode of Airwolf, and when they crossed paths again about a year later (this time, both single), they immediately hit it off – picking up where they’d left off. The two started dating, and were married in 1989.

With 27 years of marriage under their belt, they are another exception to the typical pattern of Hollywood’s short-lived marriages and high profile divorces. So what makes their marriage different?

As far as we can tell, there are two major factors that have led to such a long and successful marriage. The first, of course, is a sense of humor. Brian is a notoriously funny guy, and his humorous nature is part of what made him so memorable to Robin after they met. The two regularly make each other laugh, and that lighthearted outlook likely helps them laugh off minor problems as well.

The other major factor is keeping their personal business out of the media. Sure, you may see them on the red carpet together or hear stories of their daughter Taylor getting into acting, but they aren’t plastered across the tabloids or getting involved in high-profile dramatics. They keep their marriage between the two of them, and they are probably stronger for it.

The takeaways here are exactly those two elements of marriage – a sense of humor and a sense of privacy. It’s important to be able to laugh at yourselves, to not take everything so seriously, and to roll with the punches when things get tough. It’s also a good idea to keep your personal matters personal – you don’t have to tell everyone about every little problem. In many cases, you end up getting biased advice and misinformation that won’t help you in the long run – not to mention the gossip or drama you may stir up among your friends and family.

Take a cue from Brian and Robin – keep your marriage relatively private, and make sure you maintain your sense of humor, especially with each other.

For more advice on how to strengthen your marriage, check out the StrongMarriageNow System today!
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Dr. Dana Fillmore and Amy Barnhart, co-Founders, StrongMarriageNow.com