Actress Debra Winger has been wed to Arliss Howard, her second spouse, for 25 years. She is a mother of two and even her wedding gown had a second life, which she described as “electrifying.”
During their nearly four-year marriage, Debra Winger and her first husband, Timothy Hutton, welcomed their first child. When she first met Arliss Howard, her second husband of 25 years, the actress started preparing for life alone. Their only son, her second child, was born after they got married.
The 66-year-old actress from “An Officer and a Gentleman” is content with her life as a devoted wife and mother to her two children. The star’s current life and love story are fully described here.
Debra Winger, a May 16, 1955, native who wanted to be an actress at 14, was advised by renowned filmmaker George Cukor that she lacked both a walk and class.
Despite his criticism, she rose to fame in 1980 after landing a role in “Urban Cowboy.” Cukor passed away just before Winger received her first Oscar nod for “An Officer and a Gentleman”.
She fell in love with Timothy Hutton when she saw him on television at the 1980 Oscars when he won for Best Supporting Actor.
They first met in person in 1983, and they spoke for six hours about anything and everything. Unavoidable chemistry existed between them, but they were afraid of it and avoided each other.
They encountered one other once every six months before deciding to remain friends in 1986. They moved in together soon after and got married on March 16, 1986, three months later.
They separated in 1988, one year after the birth of their first child, Noah, and got divorced two years later. Winger wed a second time ten years after their divorce.
Winger dated Bob Kerrey, a former senator and governor of Nebraska, before she wed Hutton. When Kerrey was filming “Terms of Endearment,” she met Winger.
On the “Wilder Napalm” set in 1993, she ran into Arliss Howard shortly after being divorced. She was dressed in the white gown that she had worn to Hutton’s wedding.
The moment they touched hands, Winger felt electrified even though Howard could feel her approaching down the hallway. She had made the decision to live alone and never be in a relationship at the moment.
Howard admired Winger’s ability to blend in. He claimed that Winger knew how to switch on what he called “the Debra Winger thing” whenever appropriate when she wanted people to take notice of her.
The union took place on November 28, 1996. After more than two decades of marriage, Winger is convinced that the key to their success is being awake, alive, holding onto love, having the ability to light up the other person, and a little fairy dust.
After obtaining her third Academy Award nomination at age 40, Winger made the decision to end her burgeoning acting career. She felt that the concept of Hollywood had never existed for her, and it was a decision she made for herself.
The actress had already performed or felt the roles she was getting, thus she was no longer interested in them. The actress began hunting for tougher tasks.
She soon realized that her life was more difficult than the parts they gave her, so she made the decision to live it fully. She knew she was returning even though she had already departed, but she kept that information to herself.
She put her career on hold in 1995 and relocated to New York in order to concentrate on her marriage and relish being a mother as she gave birth to her second son, Babe, at the age of 42. She and Howard purchased a two-bedroom, two-bath co-op in which to raise their children.
She was gone for six years, but she kept busy with volunteer work, environmental advocacy, stage performing, and simple pleasures like gardening, reading, and raising her kids.
In addition to having her second kid during her break from acting, the “Shadowlands” actress also lost her mother, began teaching alongside a professor from Harvard University, and generally lived her life.
She made a comeback in 2001 by co-starring with her husband in “Big Bad Love.” She admitted that going back to acting was more difficult than leaving it. She is aware that change characterizes life and that nothing in the cosmos is permanent.
Sam, Howard’s son from a previous marriage, gained a stepmother when Winger wed Howard. She had time to home-school the boys after quitting the industry, and she didn’t look back because they were a part of her “huge life.”
Noah, her first child, became a documentary and fiction film writer and director. He won the Indie Spirit Award in 2021 for “Lapsis'” best first screenplay.
The actress proudly displayed behind-the-scenes images from the science fiction film on her Instagram page, highlighting her son’s accomplishments.
Noah’s ten-year documentary “In Silico” was finished in 2020. A neuroscientist’s quest to create a computer simulation of the brain was the subject of the documentary produced with funding from Sandbox Films and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
2019 saw Winger celebrating her son Babe’s graduation on Instagram. She complimented his fortitude as he rendered her speechless with his profundity and generosity.
She honors her kids, but they also post as frequently as they can about their parents on their Instagram sites. Babe once shared a photo of Winger with a caption advising her to eat a balanced meal.
A few years ago, when Howard had his birthday, Babe also posted a picture of the two of them wearing suits on Instagram to wish him a happy birthday.
Winger shared a collage of pictures from Babe’s pregnancy on the day that Babe turned 21. She is pictured with Howard standing next to her.
The next three pictures showcased his development, from when he was a young boy wearing a pirate cap to when they posed on the red carpet together and when he went camping with his brothers.
Winger displayed the entire family in another Instagram photo of them posing for a picture in Paris’ Pont Neuf.
