Jamie Lee Curtis Turns 64 — She Has Been with Beloved Spouse for 37 Years They Raised 2 Adopted Daughters

• Jamie Lee Curtis knew Christopher Guest would be her husband when she accidentally saw him in a magazine.

• It all worked out because they had been married for 35 years and raised their two adopted children.

Jamie Lee Curtis was introduced to show business at an early age because of her actor parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. However, that did not make her consider a career in acting immediately.

After graduating from high school, where she was a cheerleader, she went to the University of the Pacific. Almost a semester into university, Curtis was convinced to audition for the role of Nancy Drew, a teenage detective, which she did but did not get the part.

Jamie Lee Curtis in California in 2022. | Source: Getty Images

However, that did not discourage her; instead, she discovered something she loved and decided to drop out of school to pursue an acting career. Curtis started to build her name as an actor with the horror film “Halloween” in 1978 and showed off her comedic skills in “Trading Places.”

Her acting in comedies was well-received, so Curtis starred in another comedy, “The Fish Called Wanda,” and it became a success.

She went on to bag another role in the sitcom “Anything but Love” alongside comedian Richard Lewis which ran from 1989-1992. This sitcom earned the actress her first Golden Globe award in 1990.

Jamie Lee Curtis at the MTV Awards in 1996. | Source: Getty Images

It is evident that Curtis is a multi-layered actress and enjoyed a challenge from the early stages of her career. She proved her range by taking on a part in the action movie “True Lies” where she acted alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, and her performance earned her second Golden Globe award.

How Jamie Lee Curtis Found Her Husband

Curtis was on the up-rise, and the then 25-year-old actress had just purchased her first apartment and felt like her life needed a shift after making such big financial moves.

Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband Christopher Guest in Los Angeles 2001. | Source: Getty Images

She had just ended a relationship and was immersed in her newfound independence. Curtis recalled being with her friend in her apartment, paging through a Rolling Stone magazine, and coming across a picture of three men, one of whom was Christopher Guest.

Curtis pointed straight at Guest and said to her friend, “I am going to marry that man.” The actress did not even know who Guest was at the time, but her friend Debra did.

Debra told Curtis how funny he was in his film “This is Spinal Tap” and that she knew Guest’s agent. The next day Curtis wasted no time; she called his agent and left her number.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest in California 2010. | Source: Getty Images

She waited for a call-back, but it never came, so she went on with her life and started dating someone else, but Curtis said they both knew they would not last forever.

The “sweet man” Curtis was seeing had to go on an extended business trip. She dropped him off at the airport, and they both knew that would be their final goodbye.

The “Halloween” star said from the airport she drove to Hugo’s restaurant in West Hollywood to have dinner with her friends and was shocked to see Guest sitting three tables away.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest in California in 2011. | Source: Getty Images

The actors locked eyes, and Guest came up to Curtis and said, “I am the guy you called,” and she responded, “I’m the woman who called you.” The conversation did not turn into anything; thus, the actors went their separate ways again.

A few days later, Curtis got a call from Guest, and they went out on their first date at Chianti Ristorante on July 2. A month later, the two had already fallen in love, but Guest had to leave for New York to shoot “Saturday Night Live” for a year.

In September, Guest popped the question, and the couple was married by December 1984; 38 years later, they are still going strong.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest in Beverly Hills in 1987. | Source: Getty Images

However, Curtis emphasized that she and her husband have a “wonderful, complicated, imperfect life. And a very real marriage”, but they are both understanding and willing to make it through the ups and downs together.

In Hollywood, a marriage of almost 40 years is rare; most end in dramatic public divorces, which Curtis saw when her famous parents separated. So the actress’s ultimate advice for a long-lasting marriage is only these two words “don’t leave.”

She acknowledges that this is not an easy task, but she used an example of a long bus ride to paint a picture. A long bus ride can be tiring and monotonous, but if you sit it out long enough, then the scenery changes.

Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest at the Golden Globe Awards in 1995. | Source: Getty Images

Therefore, Curtis said she works daily to connect with her husband through their life changes, whether it is through their children, friends, or family; what is important is learning those “emotional chains” that have shaped them along the way.

She said, “I’ll never know why I thought we’d understand each other when I saw his photograph. Hidden in that smirk, I think, was a little secret that only I knew.”

Jamie Lee Curtis Opens up about Adoption

After they married in 1985, Curtis and Guest wanted a family but had infertility issues, which led them to consider adoption.

Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter Annie in Hollywood in 2010. | Source: Getty Images

Curtis said adoption was the only chance she and her husband had to have a family. However, she expressed that the process differs for a famous couple like them.

The actress said people tried to treat them like royalty and were too scared to look them in the eye. Still, when Curtis met her daughter’s birth mother, her celebrity status disappeared, and she appreciated the opportunity to adopt Annie.

Curtis and Guest adopted Annie in 1986 when she was eight, and the actress said it was the most “profound and non-describable event of her life.” The couple decided to expand their family and adopted Ruby, who came out as transgender in 2020.

What was special about Ruby’s adoption was that Curtis was a part of her birth. The experience of holding the baby and going home with them felt surreal for the mother of two.

As an adoptive mother, Curtis prioritized considering how the adoption process is a two-way street of joy and sadness for both the parent and the child.

Having adopted her daughter Annie at eight years old, the actress thought about some of the challenges Annie might be experiencing, especially when it comes to how loss and separation affect identity. These are aspects that Curtis believes every adoptive parent should consider.

Jamie Lee Curtis Wants to Leave a Legacy of Kindness

Curtis has been honest about the challenges and joys she has experienced in her life, from her marriage to her adoption process.

Her life experiences have given her a clear picture of the legacy she would like to leave behind, and Curtis said, “I hope my legacy will be kindness.”

The 64-year-old said she knows how difficult life can be but hopes to bring humor and help people not take everything so seriously. But the actress wants kindness to be the key ingredient to how she changes the world.

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