Paul Bettany reprises his role as the beloved Marvel android Vision in the new WandaVision spin-off, VisionQuest. The limited series, which also stars James Spader and Emily Hampshire, sees Vision’s quiet life in hiding disrupted by a bounty hunter, forcing him to go on the run with a mysterious boy who may be his son.
Paul Bettany stars in VisionQuest (@ Marvel)
Paul is a household name thanks to his roles in The Da Vinci Code, A Knight’s Tale, and, of course, playing J.A.R.V.I.S. and Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But did you know that his wife is also a major Hollywood star? Keep reading to find out more about Paul’s life off-screen.
Who is Paul Bettany’s wife?
Paul is married to Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly, who boasts an impressive list of Hollywood movie credits.
The 55-year-old is perhaps best known for her roles in Labyrinth, Requiem for a Dream, Top Gun: Maverick and Blood Diamond.
She’s also famed for starring opposite Russell Crowe in the 2001 John Nash biopic A Beautiful Mind, for which she won an Academy Award.
Jennifer starred opposite David Bowie in Labyrinth (@ Stanley Bielecki Movie Collectio)
In recent years, she’s turned her talents to television, starring in the 2020 dystopian thriller, Snowpiercer, and the 2024 Apple TV sci-fi series, Dark Matter.
Jennifer with Joel Edgerton in Apple TV’s Dark Matter (@ Apple TV)
Paul and Jennifer wed on New Year’s Day in Scotland in 2003 in an intimate ceremony in front of just family members.
How did Paul and Jennifer meet?
Paul and Jennifer met on the set of A Beautiful Mind, in which Paul also starred. The pair were initially friends as the Inkheart actress was in a relationship with fellow actor Josh Charles at the time.
Reflecting on their first meeting, Jennifer told Entertainment Tonight in November 2015: “I remember meeting him at the first read-through. I thought, ‘Hmm, he’s really good, that guy.'”
Paul, meanwhile, admitted that when he first saw Jennifer, he was blown away by her striking beauty.
Romance soon blossomed for the couple, with the Labyrinth actress revealing to ET how the WandaVision star won her heart. “He started playing guitar and it was all over,” she said.
Paul, however, had no doubt that the couple would end up together, previously telling People: “I knew from the first moment I saw her we were meant for each other.”
How 9/11 played a part in Paul and Jennifer’s romance
It was a global tragedy that made Paul realize he was in love with Jennifer, as he revealed the horrific terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, left him fearing for her safety.
Speaking to Larry King in 2015 to promote his directorial debut Shelter, Paul opened up about the couple’s relationship and revealed that following 9/11, he proposed to Jennifer before they even went on a first date.
The couple live in New York (@ Getty)
“You know what happened, Larry? What happened, Larry, was September the 11th,” he said. “Like so many people’s lives, in that moment, mine was changed forever. I spent two days trying to call this woman that I sort of barely knew.”
Paul added: “I remember very clearly thinking to myself, ‘What are you doing?’ I realized I was in love. So, I finally got her on the phone and said, ‘I’m coming over, and let’s get married’. And that’s really what happened. We had never dated.”
Paul and Jennifer’s family life
Paul and Jennifer are the proud parents of three children, son Stellan, 23, and daughter Agnes, 15. Jennifer also has a son, Kai, 29, from her relationship with photographer David Dugan, who Paul helped raise.
Jennifer also has a son, Kai, 29, from a previous relationship (@ Photo: Getty Images)
The family live in New York.
Reflecting on their decades-long relationship, Paul told People in 2021: “Marriage and children changed my life. It really altered who I was and what I saw as my goals.”
He added that the moments he cherishes most are “when I catch myself and realize the five of us are laughing together. And there is nobody on earth with whom I could be having a better time”.
