People say that popularity changes people, but Neal McDonough is one celebrity who hasn’t lost touch with who they really are. He loves his family more than anything else, and even though he’s a big star, he never misses a chance to spoil his kids or make his wife feel loved.
Neal’s ability to balance his family and work-life really impressed us at Bright Side, that’s why we conducted an investigation, so you could learn more about this couple’s unique experience.
1. Neal McDonough comes from a non-show-business family.
His father met his mother when he worked at the local Ford plant. He subsequently went into real estate and purchased a little hotel on Cape Cod, where Neal grew up. Neal’s father instilled in him an honorable work ethic and told him, If you work hard, you will achieve enormous success.
As the youngest of 6 children, it was always a joy for him o make his older siblings laugh. He said, “I was the school’s prankster and the center of attention.” Because of his dyslexia, he was terrible at math and reading, but he was fantastic at making others laugh.
2. How it all started: Neal’s journey to becoming an actor
Lionel Guericolas/MPP/Starface/STARFACE PHOTO /East News
He went to Barnstable High School and graduated. He then went to Syracuse University, where he joined the Sigma Chi fraternity and got his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1988. He was offered a huge scholarship to play baseball in college, but he chose to go for acting.
He won the Best Actor Dramalogue award in 1991 for his role in Away Alone. His first movie Darkman aired in 1990, with the success of many TV shows and movies like Boomtown, Star Trek: First Contact, Minority Report, Walking Tall, and The Hitcher.
Moreover, he received positive feedback on his famous character, villain Damien Darhk, from the series Arrow where he played a character who had mystical powers, but reflects how really he’s a good person in real life.
In addition, before meeting his wife he intended to end his Hollywood career, he revealed. He planned to return to Cape Cod, work at his parents’ motel, and participate in community theater. Then he received a call from Steven Spielberg requesting an audition for Band of Brothers, and it was game on.
3. Neal McDonough and Ruvé Robertson met in 2000.
In 2000, when Neal was making Band of Brothers, the 2 lovers met by accident. He says that he fell in love with his wife, Ruvé, the first time he saw her. Additionally, he says that they ran into each other on St. Patrick’s Day during an interview in 2004.
In the same way, he claimed that the first time he saw her, he accidentally commented, “You’re tall.” At the time they met, he was already seeing someone else when he called his then-girlfriend and told her, “I’m sorry, but it’s not going to work out between us anymore. I just met the woman I’m going to marry.”
4. In 2003, the McDonough’s got hitched.
Ruvé and Neal got married on December 1, 2003, 3 years after they first met. Their wedding was beautiful, and their honeymoon was a lot of fun. It took place in Cape Cod, London, South Africa, Santa Barbara, and other places for 7 weeks.
He still shows how much he loves his wife through his Instagram posts. On their 13th wedding anniversary, he posted a lovely message saying that he had married his best friend, love, and life partner. He expressed gratitude again for the best thing that could ever happen to a man.
The McDonoughs have marked 19 years of marriage thus far, and are still going on with their wonderful life with 2 boys and 3 girls.
Of those 2 boys and 3 girls, their first child was, Morgan Patrick McDonough, then they had their second child, Catherine Maggie McDonough. After a couple of years, their third child was born, a daughter named London Jane McDonough.
Then came Clover Elizabeth McDonough, and later the couple’s youngest child, James Hamilton McDonough, was welcomed into the family. So, the family of 7, who are based in LA, lead a happy life together.
5. After they got married, Neal McDonough refused to participate in kissing scenes for movies and series.
So, on his way to becomingan actor, he made it clear that his faith comes first. In fact, he has never done any unsuitable scenes in his entire 30-year career. Even after being married for as long as they have, the father of 5 still loves his wife more than anyone else. He said, “I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are only for one woman.”
Some people in Hollywood have been willing to respect his beliefs, like when he got a part on a show that had a lot of inappropriate content: “When Marc Cherry signed me, I told him, ’You probably already know this, but I won’t kiss anyone.’” He remembered telling the show’s creator that he was a Christian, “’But this is Desperate Housewives!’ Cherry said. I told him, ’I know.’ He waited about 5 seconds and then said, ’Okay, I’ll just have to write better.’”
6. He got fired from Scoundrels for refusing to touch anyone’s lips other than his wife’s.
VALERY HACHE/AFP/East News
McDonough said that his policy of “no love scenes” cost him a role on the ABC show Scoundrels in 2010. He declared “no” to doing racy scenes with actress Virginia Madsen because he was loyal to his wife. People say that this move cost him $1 million.
He was shocked, and it was a terrible situation for him. After that, nobody would hire him because he wouldn’t agree to participate in these types of scenes. He commented, “I have a lot of faith.”
7. Neal and his family got through the storm because they chose to count on their confidence instead trying to change the world.
He knew he’d made the right decision by believing in himself and his wife, the woman he fell in love with at first sight. He said, “I’m the luckiest guy I know to have her as my partner in everything after 5 kids and a really great life.”
Neal may have had some hard times, but since then, his career has been phenomenal. His face is well-known, even if not everyone knows his name.
What do you think about how involved Neal McDonough is with his family? Do you agree that he is the best example of a lovable, dedicated father and husband? Tell us what you think in the comments.
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