Mark Hamill first met Marilou, here in March 2018, when she was working as a dental hygienist and before he became a household name as Luke Skywalker.
(Getty)
The force has been with Mark Hamill and his longtime love.
The “Star Wars” actor shared on Instagram Monday that he and his wife Marilou Hamill are celebrating four decades of marriage.
In a sweet collage, three photos highlight the couple from over the years and one snapshot even includes their three children: 39-year-old Nathan, 35-year-old Griffin and 30-year-old Chelsea.
The 67-year-old captioned the post with a Maya Angelou quote that reads: “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.”
Hamill added, “40 years and counting….. #NoMeWithoutYou.”
Hamill first met Marilou when she was working as a dental hygienist and before he became a household name as Luke Skywalker. Back in 1981, Hamill told People magazine he took Marilou to see 1977’s “Annie Hall” for their first date to see if she had a sense of humor.
“I dropped women if they didn’t,” said Hamill at the time.
Soon after, the pair saw an early screening of “Star Wars,” right before he became famous, and Marilou offered a no-nonsense critique.
“There was this one close-up of a minor character, curling his lips back from his teeth,” Hamill recalled. “She leaned over to me and whispered, ‘Bad caps.’”
However, the rise of Hamill’s stardom resulted in the fall of his romance with Marilou. The couple called it quits temporarily when “Star Wars” took off in 1977.
“I had to taste groupies and fame,” Hamill admitted. “I went to Las Vegas to date 38-year-old showgirls. I wanted to scale all these women. That was exciting for about the first 10 minutes. Eventually, I wanted something to hold onto — and a family.”
Mark Hamill and Marilou. — Getty
Meanwhile, Marilou kept busy.
“I ran my own life,” she told the magazine. “But all the time I thought I was good for him, so I was hoping we’d get back together.”
The couple reunited and ultimately married in December 1978. Nathan was born the following June in England during the shooting of 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back.”
As for the secret behind their lasting marriage? Staying out of Hollywood.
“We don’t live in town, so we don’t go in and do all the party circuits,” Marilou told “Good Morning America” in April of this year.
Their youngest daughter, who works as Hamill's assistant, added that she and her mother have been by Hamill's side when he reprised his iconic role for 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” as well as 2017’s “The Last Jedi.”
“It’s fun to be together like this,” said Chelsea. “As you get older, you start treasuring the times you get to spend with family.”
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