Anthony LaPaglia’s Wife: Inside the Actor’s Marriage to Much-Younger Alexandra Henkel

Anthony LaPaglia has enjoyed a fruitful career since entering the film and TV industry, but the actor has also nurtured his love life. Having married three times, his longest-running marriage was to Gia Carides, who became the mother of his only child. His current wife is thirty years his junior.

Anthony LaPaglia is a South Australian native whose career in film and TV began in the 1980s. He drew his first breath in Adelaide on January 31, 1959. LaPaglia aspired to be an international Australian movie star and thought dropping his accent would help up his chances.

Following in the footsteps of Mel Gibson, he dropped his accent, and today there are over 100 onscreen credits under his name. However, seeing younger Australian stars rise in Hollywood with the ability to switch accents, he reportedly regrets losing his Australian dialect.

Regardless, LaPaglia’s career has been fruitful. The award-winning star is chiefly renowned for his role as Jack Malone in CBS’s “Without A Trace.” He played Leon in 2001’s “Lantana” and appeared as Tony Giardino in 1993’s “So I Married An Axe Murderer.”

Since “Without A Trace” last aired in 2009, LaPaglia has mostly landed film roles. He returned to TV shows in 2016, playing Jan Roth in “The Code.” He also shared the screen with Julia Stiles and Will Arnett in “Riviera” between 2017 and 2020. Most recently, LaPaglia starred as Sonny Valentine in Netflix’s “Florida Man.”

And while the Mel Gibson-inspired actor continues nurturing his decades-long career, the same can be said about his love life. Not long after announcing his split from his previous wife in 2015, he went public with his new beau, the now-33-year-old Alexandra Henkel.

Cherie Michan debuted on screen as Erika in the 1982 comedy thriller “Wrong Is Right.” That year, she also appeared as a dancer in the comedy-drama “Annie.” Michan also won brief roles in TV shows, such as in the ’90s shows “Dream On” and “Almost Perfect.”

Her last onscreen appearance was in “LA Doctors” as Katherine Nation in one episode. It appears she left her Hollywood career behind afterward. Michan was married to LaPaglia, though it’s unknown when or how long their union lasted.

Gia Carides began her career as a preteen, working both in theater and film. Her earliest onscreen credit dates back to 1977, when she portrayed Maureen in the 50-minute drama “The Love Letters from Teralba Road.” Like her former husband, she mainly took on movie roles with a few brief parts in TV shows now and then.

Carides played Liz Holt in 1992’s “Strictly Ballroom,” earning her the Best Actress in Supporting Role nomination from the Australian Film Institute (AFI). Another one of her hits is the 1996 drama “Brilliant Lies,” where she landed another AFI nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role.

Carides is also known for her part in 2002’s “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” and for playing Robin Swallows in 1999’s “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” alongside Mike Myers and Heather Graham (who once dated the late Heath Ledger). She married LaPaglia the year before in September, and the former couple welcomed one child.

In 2009, LaPaglia said Carides had no “in-built edit system” — it was one of the reasons why he fell for her. Even Carides’ mother warned him she was a “handful,” but LaPaglia was confident she was the one. By then, the two had been together for 17 years and could still make each other laugh, even during arguments.

LaPaglia also maintained honest communication with his wife and daughter but admitted that sometimes he had to tell them what they wanted to hear — like Carides asking if a pair of jeans made her look “fat.” Still, the two could communicate about their needs, as LaPaglia enlightened:

“There comes a point in a relationship where a line gets drawn in the sand. Here’s what you need, here’s what I need. How do we find balance?”

Sadly, their love story ended in April 2015 when LaPaglia filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. The proceedings were finalized in March 2016, with the former lovers agreeing on joint physical custody of their daughter. Since there was no prenup, they split their assets 50/50. Carides also won spousal and child support.

In April 2016, LaPaglia shared some thoughts on his divorce, and the actor had no hard feelings. “20 years is a long time for any relationship, and so many positive and great things came out of it… But [divorce] happens, and it’s about adjusting to the fact that people change, life changes,” he told the Daily Telegraph.

LaPaglia went public with his new beau, Alexandra Henkel, in May 2015 when they debuted their romance at the “Mad Max: Fury Road” Los Angeles Premiere. Two years later, they announced they were engaged. LaPaglia married Henkel in April 2018, but the pair only released their wedding pictures that July.

Henkel has since celebrated her love for LaPaglia online with wedding anniversary and Valentine’s Day tributes. Still, their relationship hasn’t been without its challenges. Henkel works in Marketing and is based in Melbourne, Australia, while her husband is based in America. He splits his time between the two countries, but it became a challenge in 2020.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic late that year, LaPaglia had to quarantine on three separate occasions, two weeks at a time between travels. In addition to the distance, sources claimed Henkel and LaPaglia’s age gap strained their relationship. However, it seems the two are still going strong; Henkel accompanied LaPaglia to the “Florida Man” premiere last month.