This Actor Fell for a Waitress and Accepted Her Despite Facial Injuries—Years Later, She Stands by Him as Death Looms

• This couple celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary in 2023, a milestone worthy of admiration! 😍🙏
• For him, it was love at first sight, despite her work as a waitress and her visible facial injuries.
• Years later, she repaid his love by staying by his side, even when death threatened to take him.

This seasoned actor has been in the entertainment industry for over 60 years and has served as an American actor, producer, and singer. While shooting a hot tub scene for 1975's "Rancho Deluxe" at Montana's Chico Hot Springs, he met the woman who would later become his wife.

When he saw the waitress, he couldn't take his eyes off her with her broken nose and black eyes. He later learned that the woman had just been in a car accident, resulting in her facial injuries. Regardless, he was still enthralled by her appearance.

He recalled being riveted by "her beauty and disfigurement." For him, it was "love at first sight." Like a fascinated child, he kept sneaking peeks at her while shooting a scene, but each time, she caught him in the act.

He confessed, "I didn't know what she was, a maid or a waitress; I couldn't take my eyes off her." He thought she was gorgeous, and the contrast between her beauty and disfigurement interested him. After filming, he found the courage to approach her and ask for a date.

The woman hilariously refused but noted that it was possible they'd run into each other later because she lived in a small town. As fate would have it, the pair did, and they went out dancing, and the celebrity fell in love.

The following day, the actor had a meeting with a local real estate agent to see some property, and he invited her. They went to a ranch house by the river, and that became their first date. Something told him right then that he was looking at his home with his "future wife."

The thought worried him, but he realized he couldn't lose the love of his life, though he was also afraid of knowing she was the one for him!

The Hollywood icon was in love, but he was also worried he and this woman wouldn't have the staying power his parents had. He admitted, "For a while, I was scared of getting married. It was like it brought me one step closer to death."

Eventually, the Hollywood veteran learned to face his fear as part of life and came to terms with it.

He also admitted his biggest fear was losing his freedom, but after two years of doubt, he finally proposed. He figured he could always get a divorce if things didn't work out.

However, he didn't expect to build a deeper bond with this woman, to include children, grandchildren, and other unattainable things without marriage. Although the move was scary for him, his heart was deeply open.

In 2020, the acclaimed movie star, then 70, had been married to this woman for 43 years, and he revealed that they were different people who went by with mutual respect.

They celebrated what made them opposites instead of allowing it to separate them.

The star said they survived so long because he respected her wisdom, and he was blessed. He faced illnesses and more during their marriage, but he had the best person by his side to help him.

Jeff's Marriage to Susan and the Trials She Helped Him Conquer

Jeff Bridges grew up close to his older brother, Beau, and his parents. He recalled how his mother would give him and his sibling "time," whereby each child had an hour daily to do whatever they wanted with her.

Speaking about his children, the actor described them as his "real trophies." Jeff and his wife, Susan Geston Bridges, tied the knot in 1977 before welcoming their beautiful daughters Isabelle in 1981, then Jessica two years later, and Haley in 1985, whom he was grateful for.

The celebrity and his family were living fulfilling lives and had all they could've wanted. Jeff tried to balance his photography, music, and family, but to him, it all fell into place. However, he also credited his wife for keeping things running smoothly.

Sadly, the family's peaceful life was disrupted in October 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Jeff was diagnosed with cancer. Jeff was shooting FX's "The Old Man," but it was halted due to the virus. It was during this time that he was informed he had cancer.

Taking to his X to announce the news, he revealed he was diagnosed with lymphoma but with a promising prognosis. He vowed to start treatment and kept his fans updated on his recovery.

Susan recalled how numb they felt after getting the diagnosis, but she started supporting her husband by working on what needed to happen next. The actor began chemotherapy by infusion before shifting to oral chemo, his wife right by his side.

His family's support strengthened him to continue his treatment. In December 2020, he tweeted a photo of himself smiling while sporting a bald head and revealed he felt good. The actor also mentioned getting a puppy, Monty (visible in the image), and celebrating his 71st birthday.

By the New Year, he shared a photo on Facebook featuring him, his wife, and Monty. The star's shaved head was covered with a red beret, and he matched his wife in red and black clothes. "May we dream together of the kind of world we'd like to live in," he wrote before wishing everyone a happy new year.

In June 2019, Isabelle posted an Instagram throwback of his parents and confessed that she sometimes felt inadequate to them. She said they were the "coolest people on the planet" before acknowledging that comparing herself to her parents wasn't the best use of her time.

However, she celebrated them by saying she saw the pair as her role models, especially in chasing their dreams even when they felt they were unreachable. By January 2021, a month after the star started chemo, his tumor had started shrinking.

He and his wife were diagnosed with COVID-19, and they weren't sure he would recover. Things were so bad for the actor that Susan received a call from the hospital informing her that they might have to put her husband on a ventilator. Luckily, he ended up not needing it.

Still, Susan's response was, "Save his life. No matter what you have to do."

Doctors were worried about Jeff's condition. He revealed that they told him to fight as COVID-19 made his cancer look like nothing in terms of its severity.

The actor didn't know how to put on a fight. In his mind, he told death to "bring it on." Jeff was ready to transition and surrender, but with his wife by his side, he soldiered on!

"My wife, Sue, was just my champion through the whole thing," he gushed.

Luckily, Jeff didn't need a ventilator but later admitted that he was close to dying, and doctors encouraged him to fight.

The mother of three shared that her dream was to see her husband get out of bed, walk, and live. She believed he would reach those goals with the proper care, and he did!

In June 2022, Jeff appeared on "CBS Sunday Morning" and opened up about his cancer journey. He explained that it began with a feeling of pain, and a CAT scan revealed a 9x12-inch mass in his stomach.

When the COVID-19 diagnosis came, Susan was hospitalized for five days, while the "Crazy Heart" star stayed for five weeks! The actor recalled being unable to breathe, and doctors kept saying they were doing their best.

Jeff was ready to go, but then he started feeling better after he resolved to dance with Hayley and walk her down the aisle at her wedding when he recovers, and he did, to his wife's joy.

The "True Grit" actor was grateful for his life and back at work by May 2022. He spoke about how he now treasured life's "simple pleasures" more, especially when spending quality time with his wife.

Susan credited the months-long physical therapy Jeff got for the strides he'd made. Turning things to Susan, the actor was asked what it meant to him to have her named the Honored Mother at VNA Health's 2012 Mother's Day Luncheon.

The star said he was excited to have his wife recognized in that capacity. He noted how she'd cared for him, their children, her mother, and their grandchildren over the years. It meant a lot to Jeff to see Susan acknowledged that way.

In June 2022, he was interviewed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" about battling cancer and COVID-19. The star, who was fully recovered then, shared how he learned many things while fighting to stay alive. He explained that because chemo stripped his body's defenses.

The actor had nothing to fight COVID-19, which made the cancer "look like nothing." He also revealed how he and Susan had ridden an ambulance together to a hospital to get treatment, and Susan fully recovered quickly.

Having a loving wife by his side helped Jeff recover from his ailments, and in 2023, he looked forward to celebrating a significant milestone. The star is so in love with his wife that he still keeps a memento of their first meeting close to him.

The Love That Has Kept Jeff and Susan Going

In 2022, Jeff was in remission from cancer and said Susan gave him the resolve to keep going. That year, the couple celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary, and he believed they were both in it for the long haul.

Jeff hilariously said he realized his family liked him "very much" when they showed support during his COVID-19 diagnosis.

The actor was able to see life as a gift and acknowledged how short it was. He saw his past struggles as challenges to learn from, and his health battle showed him the healing power of love

In 2023, Jeff also acknowledged his wife and family and the unwavering support they gave when he thought his end was near.

He stated, "I was in surrender mode. I say 'Oh everybody dies, and this is me dying,' but love was certainly, you know, magnified during this time, not only with the people around me that love me but also the love of my own heart for them."

In the past, when he spoke about his wife, the actor said he'd learned a lot from her. He credited her for pointing out his self-defeat and did the same for her. Whenever he doubted starting new projects, she reminded him it was his go-to reaction, and he acknowledged that.

Susan also showed her husband different perspectives; they both cared about one another, and their relationship was the most precious thing.

However, Jeff said he knew he would never know his wife in her entirety and vice versa.

But every time they fought, they realized that "not knowing" was a good thing. The couple is comfortable with tough times as long as they are together.

After decades of fighting it, when conflicts arise, Jeff finds comfort in loving one another more.

Meanwhile, Isabelle saw their marriage as an inspiration. She revealed that they made the time to ask questions about their interests, and despite her father's fame, his family is his "greatest joy."

Spending time with the people he loved was precious, and nothing was more prosperous. Jeff encompassed his Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski character so much that he insisted that his grandchildren call him "Dude-pa!"

However, his then-two-year-old granddaughter, Gracie, couldn't pronounce it and hilariously called him "Doody!" The grandfather, being an eternal optimist, wasn't too offended by it.

By 2022, the actor had several grandchildren, including a newborn who arrived that year. Isabelle gave birth to her first child, Grace "Gracie" Louise Boesch, on March 31, 2011, and had a younger son, Ben, in 2020.

Jeff and Susan have built quite a family bound by their love, and it all began the day they first met, a photo of which Jeff carries with him to this day.

Ten years after meeting his wife, Jeff received a letter from the makeup artist for "Rancho Deluxe." The artist revealed he took two images from when the actor first spoke to Susan, and the star has been keeping one of them in his wallet since then.

Aside from his flourishing love life, Jeff has also managed to go back to work, something he thought he would never do after he fell ill. He completed shooting the first season of "The Old Man" and is making its second season.

In December 2023, Julien's Auctions and Turner Classic Movies auctioned 250 items from Joel and Ethan Coen's 1998 classic film "The Big Lebowski" starring Jeff Bridges.

The actor was glad to see that his life had returned to normal after a challenging period.