Donna Mills 'Lucked Out' When She Met Her Partner of over 2 Decades – Now They Enjoy Life as Farmers

• Donna Mills is a renowned actress known for her iconic role in "Knots Landing."
• Mills is now getting her hands dirty and enjoying the life of a farmer with her long-time partner.
• Mills just turned 83, but her age shocks her because she does not feel old.

Donna Mills is an award-winning actress who started acting in soap operas such as "The Secret Storm" and "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing." Initially, Mills aspired to be a dancer but quickly fell in love with acting.

Her success in soap operas led her to the Broadway stage, where she was part of the Woody Allen production, "Don't Drink the Water." The actress still wanted to find her way out of being a soap opera actor and starred in a short-lived series called "Dan August," where she worked with Burt Reynolds.

Little did Mills know that Reynolds would recommend her for Clint Eastwood's movie, "Play Misty for Me," which also became a success. But the psychological thriller left her stuck as she was typecast as a young distressed woman.

Mills found her way out of it and landed her most famous role. She played Abby Cunningham on "Knots Landing," an evil, heartless husband-stealing character. Although the actress played the bad guy, she felt that the role gave her confidence, which was not always well received.

Playing Abby also meant that she was met with interesting encounters from fans of the show. She recalled when people would meet her at parties and slowly pull their husbands away.

But in real life, Mills was far from evil. She was an independent woman who was unmarried but felt something was missing. "The Secret Storm" star had reached a point in her career where every box was ticked, from landing a role in a hit series to starting her production company.

Even though her career life felt complete, her personal life had taken a standstill. Mills wanted to become a mother but had reached an age where it would be difficult to conceive, so she opted for adoption.

At 54 years old, the "Knots Landing" star adopted her daughter Chloe. She got her when she was only four days old in 1994. Becoming a mother brought Mills an abundance of happiness. "Those are my happiest times in my life, sitting in the rocking chair with her on my chest, singing to her," she gushed.

After welcoming Chloe, Mills knew she wanted to become a full-time mother, so she put her career on hold for 18 years to raise her daughter. When Chloe left for college, the actress was ready to return to work.

She knew the return would not be easy, but Mills landed a guest role on "General Hospital," which earned her an Emmy Award. Then she made an appearance in the Jordan Peele film "Nope."

Finding Love at 60

The "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing" star had her first child in her 50s and found love even later in life. Mills fell in love with actor-producer Larry Gilman at 60.

He is known for his work in famous productions such as "Final Destination," "Cool Runnings," and "M*A*S*H." The actress confessed that her dating history had been with "bad boys," but when she met Gilman, she knew she had met a good man. "I lucked out," she gushed.

Although Mills admitted to previously dating "bad boys," she never liked being with rich men. She explained that men with more money wanted to have the power, and it never worked out because she wanted the same.

When she got with Gilman, Mills expressed that she had finally found a partner that allowed her to have her power while his position in her life was never threatened. The producer is not only the best partner, but he is big on romantic gestures, too.

Gilman surprised his long-time partner with a vineyard. The actress said he had told her about the idea, but she did not think it would work because she thought the vines would affect the hills in their backyard.

Gilman did not listen to her reservations and continued planting. The vines have stayed in place, and Mills was excited to have a vineyard in her backyard and for them to commercialize their wine. The couple has finally reached the stage of producing a hundred bottles.

The vineyard at their home is the only one growing Malbec in Los Angeles. Gilman gave an update on their flourishing plants and said, "With the 431 plants that we have, we will do between 50 and 75 cases a year. That's between 600 and 900 bottles. Last year was our best year. We did 100 cases."

Mills is also excited to enter a different territory from her glamorous Hollywood life. She is proud of their growing vineyard and loves that she and Gilman bond over farming. "We're farmers. And to be a farmer is kind of fun." expressed the actress.

The "Nope" actress recently turned 83 but looks nothing close to her age. When asked how she maintains her youthful looks, she said, "Oh, it's hard!" but the mother of one knows she is not getting any younger and wants to enjoy life as much as she can.

The actress made a red carpet appearance at the Movieguide Awards. She looked nothing close to 83 in her short white satin dress with silver glittery heels. The "False Arrest" star let down her blonde hair and graciously smiled at the cameras.

Donna Mills revealed that she was just as shocked as everyone at her age. She often looks at her birth certificate in disbelief because she does not feel old. But she admitted that entering her 70s and 80's has had her thinking about her mortality, and it "sucks." The actress is making the best of her life, but if it was up to her, she would want to live forever.