Susan Walters Wed ‘YR’ Co-star Linden Ashby after 3 Months — They Had 2 Kids in Their 36 Years Together

Susan Walters was so besotted with fellow actor, Linden Ashby, that it didn’t take long for the couple to get married. The pair has since welcomed children in their union and are one of Hollywood’s longest-lasting couples.

Linden Ashby’s acting career was still in its early stages when he met his wife, Susan Walters, a fellow actress. The pair met and fell in love in 1986 when they met on the set of “Loving.”

The soap opera set was in New York, and in a previous interview, Linden noted how the odds happened to favor them despite the city where they met and their professions. The pair fell in love very quickly.

Linden Ashby posing for a “Loving” shoot on September 24, 1985. | Source: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images

The actor revealed that he and Susan tied the knot within three months of meeting! The Atlantic Beach, Florida-born actor, shared how she was around 21 or 22, and he was 24 or 25 when they got married.

Linden, born on May 23, 1960, graduated from Jacksonville, Florida’s Bolles High School before studying for a degree in psychology and business administration in Durango, Colorado’s Fort Lewis College, which he dropped out from in his junior year to pursue acting.

Susan Walters at the grand opening of Magia Cafe, in Los Angeles, circa 1988. | Source: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images

After moving to New York, he studied acting at Neighborhood Playhouse. Linden was able to get minor acting roles, and in 1994 he appeared alongside Kevin Costner in “Wyatt Earp.”

His breakout role was in the “Mortal Kombat” movies, where he played Johnny Cage. In 1997, he starred in “Blast” and the following year, he got to feature on “Melrose Place” for 35 episodes.

Linden also appeared on “The Young and the Restless (Y&R)” as Cameron Kirsten for 55 episodes. In 2004, he had a role in “Wild Things 2,” and three years later, he was seen in the movie “Resident Evil: Extinction.”

The star got to feature alongside Steven Seagal in “Against the Dark” in 2008, and that same year his fans got to see him in “Impact Point.” The year after, he was in “Anaconda – Trail of Blood,” and from 2011 until 2017, he featured on “Teen Wolf.”

HOW LINDEN BECAME SUSAN’S CO-STAR IN “Y&R”

Linden Ashby, Susan Walters, and  their daughters Grace and Savannah Ashby at the release of “Cinderella” on Video & New Album, at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, on October 2, 1995. | Source: Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images

Linden has had the pleasure of starring in several soap operas in his acting career. As mentioned above, he’s appeared in “Loving” as Curtis Alden, in “Days of our Lives” as Paul Hollingsworth, and in “Y&R.”

His fans probably know him best for his role as the villain in “Y&R.” Linden’s wife was on the show as Diane Jenkins when producers approached him to star in the series for thirteen episodes.

The character was such a hit that he was asked to appear in more episodes. He happened to be shooting a movie while he was starring on “Y&R” and had to try and split his time between the two productions.

Linden shared how acting in a soap opera was nerve-wracking but also great for actors because it was like being in a live and spontaneous performance. He likened it to shooting a play but confessed there wasn’t much time to prepare and was expected to get a scene correct quickly. 

SUSAN AND LINDEN’S LONG-TERM AND ONGOING BOND, PLUS THEIR CHILDREN

Linden and Susan frequently share Instagram posts showing how they’ve maintained their strong bond. In September 2021, Linden shared an adorable image of him and his wife outdoors.

Susan kissed her husband on the cheek as he stared straight at the camera while smiling. In the post’s caption, he revealed they were out biking, camping, and hiking while living a good life at Zion National Park.

The couple appears to enjoy staying active and fit, and the following month they were by Trabuco Canyon in California. The actress shared an image of her and her husband riding mountain bikes in the dirt.

On April 19, 2022, the couple celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary. Susan honored the milestone by sharing a cute photo of her and her husband posing and described him as her spouse, partner, friend, and rock.

The second image was of the couple embracing while on an outdoor adventure. On May 3, 2022, Linden shared a family photo that included the couple’s children and wrote:

“A person does’t get a whole lot luckier than I’ve gotten.”

Susan and her husband share two children, daughters, who are now adults. Grace Ashby was born in June 1991, while her sister, Savannah Ashby, was welcomed the following year in November.

The family of four used to split their time between staying in California and Atlanta, Georgia, with Linden once revealing he’d spoken to his children about joining show business. The actor said he told them he was okay with them joining in.

However, he demanded that they first get an education. The family has strong bonds, and when in Atlantic Beach, they would visit Linden’s mother, but they also tried seeing his sister, nieces, and nephews. 

When in Atlantic Beach, the actor would go to Neptune Beach’s “Pete’s Bar.” He also visited the area’s “Oyster Bar” and “Sliders Seafood Grille,” and in Atlantic Beach, he would frequent “Tapas” and “Royal Palm Village Wine.”

When visiting, Linden and his family would walk around, go biking, and surf. However, the actor has many other hobbies, including golf, windsurfing, tennis, scuba diving, hunting, and horseback riding.

She [Susan Walters] joked that Linden [Ashby] was entitled to about “three quarters” of her salary…

In March 2022, Susan revealed that Grace would be a first-time mother, leading them to become first-time grandparents! The actress said her daughter was due to give birth in August 2022.

The star shared how she and her husband were extremely excited about that. On the other hand, Savannah found her way into the entertainment industry and worked for Paramount/Viacom TV as the legal counsel of business affairs.

WALTERS’ RETURN TO “Y&R” AND THE ROLE HER HUSBAND PLAYS

Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless,” on February 23, 2022. | Source: Sonja Flemming/CBS/Getty Images

Susan played the role of Diane Jenkins on “Y&R” from 2001 to 2004. However, in 2022, she got to reprise her role after Jenkins faked her death, as per the actress’ interview on the Dishing with Digest podcast.

Even though it was 20 years since Susan appeared on the soap opera, she confessed that it felt like she’d featured recently. Besides “Loving” and “Y&R,” the star and her husband have acted together in other shows.

Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins and Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott on CBS Television Network’s “The Young and the Restless” on February 23, 2022. | Source: Sonja Flemming/CBS/Getty Images

The pair had roles in “Melrose Place” and “Teen Wolf.” During her 2022 People magazine interview, Susan revealed that her husband was the one who helped her with her lines for “Y&R,” where she starred alongside Eric Braeden and Peter Bergman.

She joked that Linden was entitled to about “three quarters” of her salary as he helped her run her lines every night. Showing how much she valued him, she shared how “amazing” he had been.

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