Gerald McRaney Survived Cancer With Help From Wife Delta Burke Who He Now Helps Overcome Problems With Diabetes

Sep 04, 2023

Gerald McRaney is one of the most popular actors in the field of television and film. Some of his most popular acting credits include “Simon & Simon,” “Major Dad,” “House of Cards,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Longmire” and many more.

The actor’s most successful stint was in the series “This Is Us” where he played the role of Dr. Nathan Katowski, which made him win the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy Awards.

Regarding his personal life, he was born on Aug. 19, 1947, which makes him 76 years old. He was first married to Beverly Root from 1967 to 1971. He later met his second wife Pat Moran, and they tied the knot in 1981.

Unfortunately, their relationship didn’t work out, and they divorced eight years later. In the same year, he married his third wife, Delta Burke, two years after they met on the set of “Simon & Simon.”

Fortunately for the actor, his wife stood by his side despite the darkest hours of his life as he was diagnosed with lung cancer, but later recovered.

Delta Burke was born in Orlando, Florida, on July 30, 1956. She was adopted by Frederick Burke when her previously single mom, Jean, married. In her final year of high school, when she was just 18 years old, Burke won the title of Miss Florida in 1974, making her the youngest Miss Florida titleholder in the history of the pageant.

Burke's real breakthrough came when she played Kathleen Beck in the series "Filthy Rich" in 1982. But it was her role in "Designing Women" that really propelled her to stardom. 

Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke’s romance began when they first met on the series “Simon & Simon” where the actress appeared as a guest star.

In a 2017 interview with People Magazine — when McRaney won his first-ever Emmy award — Burke revealed that her husband proposed to her on their second date. The reason behind it was that McRaney didn’t want her to “get away” as there was some competition with other men who were asking her out on dates. They later tied the knot in 1989.

McRaney described his marriage with his wife, as he told the outlet, “At the end of a day’s work, I get to come home to her – that’s the fun.”

In a separate interview with the Television Academy Foundation, McRaney further commented on his wife’s love as she also supports him in his career.

“As an actor, when she tells me something is good, I accept that I’ve done okay because she knows what she’s talking about,” he said.

However, not everything was rainbows and sunshine for the couple because although they had a great marriage, both of them also had their separate health woes. Regardless of their medical conditions, both of them stood by and took care of one another, especially at a time when they needed each other’s love and support.

There was a point in McRaney's life where he didn’t see cancer coming. However, in 2004, he underwent a physical examination before a minor knee surgery. At the time, he did not expect that doctors would detect cancerous growth.

According to a report published by Today in August 2004, the actor later had surgery to remove the cancerous growth in his lung. Even though it was considered malignant, medical experts noted that it was in its early stages when it first got detected. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2014, he mentioned that after he found out about the cancer diagnosis, he immediately thought of Burke.

“The first thing I thought of when they told me I had cancer was that I want more time with my wife,” he said.

After it was determined that his cancer was no longer coming back, his main goal was to “get some more time with her.”

On the other hand, EatingWell reported that the actress underwent a lot of stress in 1998 after her grandmother passed away as well as her pet. Even though she was busy working on a clothing line at the time, she felt that there was a problem with her body. It was later found that she had diabetes.

During one of the darkest times in her life, her husband still supported her and didn’t care regardless of what she looked like. He even helped her out when it came to taking her medication for her condition.

"It didn't matter to him how fat I got. He reminds me what I should be doing or shouldn't be eating. He likes to give me my shots and says it makes him feel like he's taking care of me,” she told the outlet.

What do you think of Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke’s relationship, especially when both of them had the darkest times of their lives due to their medical conditions? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.