Tyne Daly Blamed Her Divorce on Men's Fears at 50 & Revealed Distance Did Not Help Them Rekindle

When actors Georg Stanford Brown and Tyne Daly married in the 1960s, Interracial marriage was taboo. Even though their marriage eventually ended after 24 years, Tyne did not count it as a failure. Here are some of Tyne's feelings about her marriage and subsequent divorce.

Georg and Tyne met in New York while attending the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Georg's passion for theater arts crept up on him even after he chose to study the subject because he wanted to do something easy.

Georg worked at the academy as a janitor to pay his tuition, earning $80 a week. Georg and Tyne both studied under Philip Burton, who was also iconic actor Richard Burton's mentor.

In 1966, a mere year before interracial marriage became legal in all States in the U.S, Georg and Tyne married. Tyne said that she never saw her marriage to Georg as 'interracial.'

She believed that she was married to "another member of the human race. I gave up categories a long time ago," she explained.

They faced backlash for their decision but chose to stand their ground. The backlash grew when Tyne and Georg both appeared on an episode of "The Rookies" together and shared their first on-screen kiss.

Many people wanted the scene deleted, but Tyne and Georg insisted that the entire episode, including the kissing scene, be aired.

During their marriage, Tyne and Georg had three daughters together, Alisabeth Brown, born December 12, 1967; Kathryne Dora Brown, born February 10, 1971; and Alyxandra Beatris Brown, born October 1, 1985.

Tyne said that she wanted more children but wasn't sure she was cut out for it. "I don't know that I'm a very motherly person. I'm not sure I am," Tyne said.

Despite her doubts about mothering, Tyne also admitted that she had been playing make-believe mom since she was 11 years old. As an adult, some of her most iconic roles, such as "Gypsy," "The Perfect Mother," and "Judging Amy," were maternal in nature.

In addition to enjoying being a mom to her daughters, Tyne also enjoyed being married to Georg. Describing her marriage, she said:

“I have a good and interesting marriage that has gone on for quite some time and he’s an interesting fellow and we have some fascinating young children . . .”

TYNE'S THOUGHTS ON DIVORCE AFTER 24 YEARS

In 1990, the magazine "JET" announced that Tyne and Georg decided to get a divorce due to irreconcilable differences.

During the years leading up to Tyne and Georg's divorce, Tyne was trying to find a balance between her career and saving her marriage. She reminisced that she spent most of her time in New York for the musical "Gypsy." She then flew back to her family in LA for weekends.

But Tyne's attempts at balance didn't work as well as she hoped they would. "My sister says 'Absence makes the heart grow frantic,' so being separated by time and distance didn't help," she said.

However, the reasons for Georg and Tyne's divorce weren't one-sided. Tyne explained that when Georg turned 50, his midlife crisis set in, and he "quit [her] like a fool." She added:

"...something happens to men when they’re 50. They get horribly scared."

Despite their marriage ending, Tyne respected Georg's talent as an actor. She also complimented Georg for his ability to transform his career from actor to director. But she added that both of them didn't have the souls of bosses to work as producers.

MORE ON GEORG AND TYNE'S THREE DAUGHTERS

Georg and Tyne's three daughters were all involved in Hollywood to varying extents. Their oldest daughter, Alisabeth Brown, worked behind the scenes as a production assistant in 1992's "Sister Act."

Alisabeth also worked as the secretary to the producer on three episodes of the series "Vietnam War Story" in 1987. She kept her life out of the spotlight and didn't feature in front of the screen.

Alisabeth's younger sister, Kathryne, followed in her parents' footsteps and chose a career in acting. She is best known for the 1996 film "Poison Ivy II." In 2005, Kathryne acted in the television film "The Reading Room."

Two years later, she appeared in an episode of the popular series "Private Practice" as Ellen Embry. In an interview alongside her father, Georg, Kathryne explained that her parents didn't encourage her acting career:

"When I decided one day that I was going to go to New York and get into an acting school, I remember you were like, "No. Stay in college." Later you changed. But you did give me a bit of a lecture..."

Kathryne added that as soon as her family saw that she was passionate about acting, they were incredibly supportive. She pointed to both her parents' brilliance as motivation to get the training she needed to be a reputable actress.

However, Georg was dismissive of his own acting career, saying that he didn't think that much of it. Kathryn rebutted: "I'll bring over some videos of your work later on, and we can sit down and watch it to remind you of the brilliance."

Georg and Tyne's youngest daughter, Alexandra, was born 19 years into the couple's marriage. She was only five years old when her parents divorced and kept out of the spotlight throughout her life.

During interviews, Georg and Tyne co-parented all three children well and remained respectful of one another. Their marriage was controversial in the 1960s, but it stood the test of time in the Hollywood industry, where short marriages were common.