The story of Dustin Hoffman, who was lucky enough to meet his wife in a very peculiar way

There are those who believe that destiny is already traced. Others consider that each individual builds his own path. But be that as it may, acclaimed actor Dustin Hoffman went from living below the poverty line until age 31 to becoming one of the most respected performers in the Hollywood movie industry. But this is not the only example to show that the actor is marked by good luck.

Regardless of destiny, life’s events are also based on dedication and patience. And we, from awesome.clubwe discover that behind the happy marriage between the actor and his wife, there is a beautiful story to be told.

Dustin Hoffman is considered one of the greatest actors of all time. A tribute paid to him by the Kennedy Center Honors called him “one of the most versatile and iconic actors of this or any other generation”. As if that were not enough, Hoffman is also successful in other areas, such as his personal life. Fate smiled on him in the form of a 41-year marriage to businesswoman Lisa Hoffman.

Dustin and his wife, Lisa Hoffman, are about to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary, but they’ve apparently known each other their entire lives. Dustin’s mother was friends with Lisa’s grandmother in Los Angeles, California, where they both grew up. However, the two only went to see each other for the first time during a family gathering. At the time, the actor was 27 years old, while Lisa was only ten. Still, according to the businesswoman herself, she knew immediately that she wanted to marry him. “Dustin would tell jokes, play the piano and encourage me to dance around the room. After we got together, my grandmother recalled that that day I said to her, ‘I hope he waits for me, because I want to marry him.’

In addition, Mrs. Hoffman revealed a more curious piece of information: before she was born, her current husband was studying to become a classical pianist and, at age 16, he played the piano at the wedding of the parents of the one who would become his wife. The fact is always remembered by her when she wants to joke saying that she already loved her husband even before he was born, listening to him from inside her mother’s belly. And the passion was confirmed ten years later.

Dustin moved to New York to start studying acting, but he returned annually to Los Angeles to visit his parents. That’s when Lisa had the chance to see him. However, in 1969 Dustin married actress Anne Byrne, a union that would last 11 years and would result in the birth of their daughter Jenna Byrne and the adoption, by Dustin, of Karina Hoffman, daughter of Anne’s first marriage.

Lisa had to wait about 12 years until she turned 22. In turn, Dustin was 38. At that time, the actor was divorcing Anne, his first wife. Lisa’s grandfather had passed away, and Dustin showed up to offer his condolences. It had been years since they had seen each other, but even so, the attraction was instantaneous.

On their first date, the two confirmed that they would get married. “With that first look, I knew,” Lisa said. “Dustin asked how many kids I wanted to have. I said I wanted six, and he replied that since he already had two, four would be enough. And that’s just how things evolved.”

Lisa was studying law and already had a degree in psychology when they got married in 1980. That year, Dustin won an Oscar for Best Actor for the film Kramer vs. Kramer. Kramer, while his partner would graduate a year later at 25 and give birth to the couple’s first child, Jake.

The new baby, however, was born premature and with complications in the lungs. This required Lisa’s total dedication to the mission of motherhood. Then Rebeca, Max and Alexandra Hoffman would arrive.

Later, the Hoffman family began to travel the world accompanying the actor as he shot his films. “Our values ​​are traditional”, said Lisa. “It was important to Dustin that we were together as a family. For both of them, that was the purpose of marriage.”

Despite work and social commitments, family has always come first for the Hoffmans. “Our priority was to stay with the children. Even though we went to a social engagement later, we had dinner with the boys first and went out later. We still love to gather around the table,” said the star’s wife.

Currently, Dustin’s wife is a cosmetics entrepreneur, thus showing that, as she told The Daily Telegraph in 2016, it is crucial to develop an identity of your own outside of Hollywood. About the time they have been together, she has said, in a joking tone: “I say that, in Hollywood, the years are like the age of a dog. You have to multiply them by seven.”

Taking into account the details involving how the couple met and started a life together, we can say that, apparently, fate reserved them for each other. “We’ve been together for almost 30 years, and the scariest part is the fact that it feels like we started dating a week ago”, said Dustin in 2007. Today, married for more than 40 years, Lisa added that, after so long, she and her husband are still hopelessly in love, seeing their mutual affection “continue to grow”.

In your opinion, what characteristics does a couple need to have to build a solid and lasting union?