"I met him when he was kissing someone else," Smart, who played Charlene on the popular sitcom, has quipped in the past about meeting her future husband on the show. Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. The powerhouse is a Ballard High School alum who gained acting prowess from the University of Washington Professional Actors Training Program. Who are Jean Smart and Richard Gilliland's children? - The Sun They also met and fell in love after working together on the '80s CBS sitcom Designing Women, per Entertainment Weekly, afterGilliland landed a recurring role on the series in 1986 as J.D. She jokingly recalled, "I met him when he was kissing someone else.". She then asked another cast member, Delta Burke, to figure out if he was married. Gilliland, who was wed to actress Jean Smart for nearly 34 years, suffered from a "brief illness" prior to his death in Los Angeles, according to a press release shared with PEOPLE. "I managed to just get by, you know?" Jean Smart is an awfully smart woman who has maintained a name in showbiz, thanks to her passion for acting and the ability to do it so well. It did not end there; the actress advanced her craft by working with prestigious theater companies and appeared in various plays like "Much Ado About Nothing," "Fallen Angels," "A Christmas Carol," and "A History of the American Film.". In an interview with The New Yorker, Smart remembered her husband as an unfailing source of support. The teenager was excited and proud of his mother, who won an award for her performance on "Hacks," adding that it was well deserved. She described her upbringing as "very happy," adding that she was "just expected to help out" and that she got her first job bringing meals to patients at a hospital when she was just 15 years old. I think there are a lot more opportunities for second chances in our lives than we think. The Emmy winner, who shared two children with Gilliland, also reflected on her life without him. Jean Smart is one proud mama. She explained that, rather than pursue fame for himself, her husband "really sacrificed his career for me to be able to take advantage of my opportunities." For example, late 2021, the mother of two appeared with her youngest child, who adopted a new name. "I didn't even fly on an airplane until I was 20 years old," she said. ", Jean Smart and actor Richard Gilliland arrive at the ACT Today! Gilliland and Smart had been married for nearly 34 years. "I wouldnt have all this, if it wasnt for him., Smart admitted that it has been really weird for her since she lost her husband, adding, Its not anything I ever dreamed would happen. [22] She also had a supporting role in David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees (2004). "Beginning a friendship of 50 yrs. But I'll still smoke in a movie. I was a wreck, but it actually turned out to be very funny., The Mare of Easttown star explained that Gilliland, who was also an actor, was never able to truly show off his acting chops because he set his career aside for her own. Jennifer Grey Was Married to Clark Gregg for 19 Years and Share a Child She Cried When They Separated, Cloris Leachman Did "Everything Humanly Possible" to Save Her Son & Failed - Meet Her 5 Grown-up Kids, Michael J Fox Was Isolating Himself From Wife of 34 Years & Kids - She Helped Him to Become Part Of Family Again, Bruce Willis' 'Big Gang of Women' Stands by Him amid His Aphasia Diagnosis His Blended Family, Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz's Kids Lived Different Lives after Parents Thrust Them into the Spotlight, Sissy Spacek & Jack Fisk Are Married for 48 Years Although They Never Expected a Lifelong Relationship, Meet Leslie Uggam's Kids with Husband Who It Was Socially Taboo & Illegal to Marry In Several States, Alyssa Milano Named Her Son after Her Co-star Who She Had 'No Idea' Was Crushing on Her, Blue Bloods Amy Carlson Is a Loving Wife to Husband Syd Butler for 17 Years & Doting Mom of 2 Kids, Meet Susan Lucci's Kids with Husband of 52 Years Who She Met When She Was a Waitress, Susan Lucci's Husband of 52 Years Called Her Then-Fianc 'This Boy' at Her Engagement Party, Loretta Lynn Fought for Her Beloved Husband Though He Called Other Women into Their Bed, Y&Rs Tracey E Bregman Finds Dating Interesting After 23-Year Marriage & Welcoming 2 Sons, Kirstie Alley Went Through Miscarriage & Ugly Custody Battle to Become a Single Mom of 2 Kids.