See 5 Hollywood Couples Who Defined the ‘80s with Their Romances
See 5 Hollywood Couples Who Defined the ‘80s with Their Romances
Kate Hogan, Emily KrauserWed, April 22, 2026 at 9:30 AM UTC
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Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet in 1980Credit: Adam Scull/Photolink/Mediapunch/Shutterstock
The '80s were the decade of excess — and some bigger-than-life celebrity couples.
While plenty of star duos grabbed headlines, five stood out as some of the era's obsessions. From Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver's California dreams to the bohemian magic — and sitcom scandal — of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, PEOPLE profiled these stand-out pairs back then, sitting down with the stars to hear the latest on their relationships.
Years later, Kravitz opened up about his relationship with Bonet — the two were married from 1987 to 1993 and welcomed daughter Zoë Kravitz in 1988 — which has remained friendly and kind in the decades since their split.
"I am what I am because of our experience, because of everything that I was, everything that she was and everything that came together," he told PEOPLE in his 2024 cover story.
Of the five, only one couple — Maury Povich and Connie Chung, who wed in 1984 — is still together. From opposites attracting to a glamorous second-time-around engagement, learn more about the five couples we couldn't stop talking about in the 1980s.
01 of 05
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver collect donations for Senator Ted Kennedy's 1980 presidential bid at Flippers Roller Disco in Los Angeles in June 1980Credit: Michael Montfort/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
From PEOPLE's Oct. 14, 1985, issue: She is an inner-circle Democrat and niece of JFK who co-anchors the CBS Morning News, and he is a Reaganite who made his reputation with an oiled body.
Schwarzenegger said the reason for the success of their relationship is that Shriver had him figured out.
"I'm impatient when I want to get something done right away, and if it isn't, I go crazy," he shared. "I'll get in the car screaming about something, and she'll say, 'Oh, yeah, look good, be brutal, look like the Terminator,' and I'll start laughing. Or she'll pat my shoulder like I'm a child and say, 'Good boy, thinking about his career. Going to be a big star.' She always makes me laugh."
And what Shriver likes about Schwarzenegger?
"His sense of humor," she said. "His intelligence."
02 of 05
Maury Povich and Connie Chung
Maury Povich and Connie Chung at KNXT in L.A. in 1977Credit: CBS via Getty
From PEOPLE's April 10, 1989, issue: They are the Married Media Couple of the Moment: Chung, who left NBC News for CBS and a three-year contract for close to $6 million, will slide into the Sunday anchor slot, take the helm at a magazine-style show and pinch-hit for Dan Rather.
Povich, the wry host of Fox TV's successful A Current Affair, last year also started anchoring the 7 p.m. news at the Fox station in New York.
"He's the excitement, the lightning, the recreation director," said Chung. "I'm so tight and under control. I never act on impulse."
Povich agreed. "She has not planned one vacation in our lives," he said. "She's terrible at recess."
03 of 05
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Anjelica Huston and Jack Nicholson
Anjelica Huston and Jack Nicholson at Yankee Stadium for the Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton boxing match in New York in 1976Credit: Fairchild Archive/Penske Media via Getty
From PEOPLE's July 8, 1985, issue: Prizzi's Honor costars Jack Nicholson and Anjelica Huston were so popular they got their own cover story.
In it, the Oscar-winning actor opened up quite a bit about his love.
"Isn't she terrific?" he said. "She's a dark, coiled spring of a woman with long flowing lines. She's got a mind and a literary sense of style, and you better believe she's got imaginative energies. She's absolutely unpredictable, and she's very beautiful. What is it that holds me to her? It's love, I guess, and only love!"
04 of 05
Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet
Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz with daughter Zoe Kravitz at a press conference at Lincoln Center in N.Y.C. on Sept. 29, 1989Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Getty
From PEOPLE's Nov. 6, 1989, issue: Destiny led Kravitz to a chance romantic encounter backstage at a 1985 New Edition concert in Los Angeles.
"There are lots of stories concerning that night," Kravitz told PEOPLE of his love at first meeting with Cosby Show star Bonet. "But the bottom line is, I thought she was great."
Now living in a loft in downtown Manhattan, "Lisa and I just like to be together," said Kravitz. "We just hang out at home with our kid. We're kinda boring, really."
The two seemed to share a '60s kind of love, eating organic foods, wearing Woodstock-era duds and preaching peace. In fact, "Flower Child," one of the better songs on his R&B-inflected retro-rock album Let Love Rule, is a paean to their relationship: "She wears rubies on her fingers/ Tiny bells upon her toes/ She's the finest thing I've ever seen/ Love that ring inside her nose."
05 of 05
Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith
Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith at an event in L.A. on April 29, 1989Credit: Paul Harris/Getty
From PEOPLE's Feb. 27, 1989, issue: Curled up on a sofa in the Beverly Hills Hotel, Melanie Griffith was luxuriating in the glow of her newly brilliant career. Two days before, she'd won a Golden Globe for Working Girl.
But now, the one thing more dazzling than her professional prospects was a four-carat rock on her left hand, a gift from her once-and-future husband, Don Johnson.
"It's pretty, isn't it?" she burbled. "It looks like it came out of a bubble-gum machine."
On Valentine's Day, she and Johnson ended weeks of speculation with the announcement that they are going to have a baby.
"She's up in the clouds, she's so happy," said her mom, actress Tippi Hedren.
Griffith gave Johnson the word on the Miami Vice set.
"I got completely stupid," said Johnson. "I've been mush-faced ever since."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
