Laura Dern Married Hot Musician After Ex-Fiancé Billy Bob Thornton Married Angelina Jolie

Aug 11, 2022

When P.P. Arnold sang "The First Cut Is The Deepest," she may well have been singing about actress Laura Dern, whose very first engagement to fellow actor Billy Bob Thornton ended in a surprising manner. While that relationship floundered, it at least allowed her to find, fall in love with and marry her next serious boyfriend a few years later.

Dern, born into Hollywood royalty to actor father Bruce Dern and actress Diane Ladd on Feb. 10, 1967, made her first big move into the film world in 1974's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" opposite her mother. She would continue to make waves with the release of movies such as "Mask" and David Lynch's "Blue Velvet," but it wasn't until 1993, with Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "Jurassic Park" did she find widespread international fame.

While the sparks flew on the "Jurassic Park" set between Dern and co-star Jeff Goldblum, their relationship would not go the extra mile, and they called it quits in 1997. She met Thornton that same year during an appearance on the "Ellen" show, and the pair immediately hit it off. At the time, Thornton was in the midst of divorcing his fourth wife. But his lead role in 1999's "Pushing Tin" would change the course of the duo's romance.

Thornton was cast alongside Angelina Jolie, who had not yet reached the Hollywood glitterati status she is known for today. Back then, Jolie was just a rebellious 23-year-old ingénue struggling to hit the big time, while Thornton was already 44. But age was no obstacle for the two, who embarked on a whirlwind romance that culminated in a surprise wedding in May 2000.

Dern was blindsided by the news and only found out about Thornton's marriage through the press.

Dern said the break felt "like a sudden death," adding to Talk magazine: "I left our home to work on a movie, and while I was away, my boyfriend got married, and I've never heard from him again."

But her heartache would not last for long. In the fall of 2000, Dern attended a Ben Harper concert. She and the talented musician hit it off and soon embarked on a romantic relationship.

Harper was born on Oct. 28, 1969, in Pomona, California. He is of African-American and Cherokee heritage, and his mother, Ellen Harper Verdries, is Jewish. Harper began playing music for audiences at the age of 12 and had gone on to record 16 studio albums by 2022. The multi-instrumentalist with a fondness for blues, reggae, soul, folk and rock has also won three Grammy awards.   

Harper is also a supporter of the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock, which aims to fund and restore music programs in public schools across the U.S.  

While not as highly publicized as Dern's past failed relationship, Harper too suffered heartache. His first marriage to Joanna Harper, whom he married in 1996, ended in divorce in 2001. They have two children together – a son born in 1997 and a daughter in 2000.

After five years of dating, Dern and Harper married on Dec. 23, 2005, in an intimate ceremony at their California home.

On Aug. 21, 2001, the couple welcomed their first child, son Ellery Walker, and in November 2004, a daughter, Jaya.

Being a mom suited Dern, according to her close friend, singer Melissa Etheridge, who told PEOPLE:

"When she told me she was pregnant, she was very proud and very excited. She was saying, 'This is the next new chapter in my life.'"

However, that chapter would come to a close as well.

Five years after tying the knot, Harper filed for divorce in October 2010, citing irreconcilable differences. He also sought joint custody of their two children. While the pair reconciled briefly in 2012, it was not meant to be, and Dern filed her response to Harper's divorce petition, demanding primary physical custody of their two children. The divorce was finalized in 2013.

Harper later married social advocate Jaclyn Matfus on Jan. 1, 2015, and the couple has one son.

Dern's career would soar in the years that followed. After a starring turn in the HBO series "Enlightened" for which she earned her third Golden Globe, she won a fourth with another HBO hit "Big Little Lies." Starring alongside Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, her turn as lady boss Renata Klein won her a new generation of fans. In 2020, she won another Golden Globe for her turn as tough-as-nails lawyer Nora Fanshaw in the Noah Baumbach movie "Marriage Story." After the win, Dern shared a refreshing take on divorce, saying:

"To my amazing divorced parents, and my amazing stepparents, and my amazing children – who came from love despite an ending in a marriage – we're so privileged to redefine what family looks like."

Dern has said that life as a single parent is hard but rewarding. She told Boston Common, "On the hard days, it's stressful and there is too much going on as a single parent—and it can be hard to carve out a minute for yourself. I have never had anybody else bully me in my single parenting life. I am lucky to have champions around me, but I can definitely do it to myself."

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