See 5 Hollywood Couples Who Defined the ‘80s with Their Romances

The '80s were the decade of excess — and some bigger-than-lifecelebrity couples.

While plenty of star duos grabbed headlines, five stood out as some of the era's obsessions. FromArnold SchwarzeneggerandMaria Shriver's California dreams to the bohemian magic — and sitcom scandal — ofLenny KravitzandLisa Bonet, PEOPLE profiled these stand-out pairs back then, sitting down with the stars to hear the latest on their relationships.

Years later, Kravitz opened up about his relationship with Bonet — the two weremarried from 1987 to 1993and welcomed daughterZoë Kravitzin 1988 — which has remained friendly and kind in the decades since their split.

"I am what I am because of our experience, because of everything that I was, everything that she was and everything that came together," he told PEOPLE in his 2024 cover story.

Of the five, only one couple —Maury PovichandConnie Chung, whowed in 1984— is still together. From opposites attracting to a glamorous second-time-around engagement, learn more about the five couples we couldn't stop talking about in the 1980s.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver

From PEOPLE's Oct. 14, 1985, issue:She is an inner-circle Democrat and niece ofJFKwho co-anchors theCBS Morning News,and he is a Reaganite who made his reputation with an oiled body.

Schwarzenegger said the reason for the success of their relationship is that Shriver had him figured out.

"I'm impatient when I want to get something done right away, and if it isn't, I go crazy," he shared. "I'll get in the car screaming about something, and she'll say, 'Oh, yeah, look good, be brutal, look like theTerminator,' and I'll start laughing. Or she'll pat my shoulder like I'm a child and say, 'Good boy, thinking about his career. Going to be a big star.' She always makes me laugh."

And what Shriver likes about Schwarzenegger?

"His sense of humor," she said. "His intelligence."

Maury Povich and Connie Chung

From PEOPLE's April 10, 1989, issue:They are the Married Media Couple of the Moment: Chung, who left NBC News for CBS and a three-year contract for close to $6 million, will slide into the Sunday anchor slot, take the helm at a magazine-style show and pinch-hit forDan Rather.

Povich, the wry host of Fox TV's successfulA Current Affair, last year also started anchoring the 7 p.m. news at the Fox station in New York.

"He's the excitement, the lightning, the recreation director," said Chung. "I'm so tight and under control. I never act on impulse."

Povich agreed. "She has not planned one vacation in our lives," he said. "She's terrible at recess."

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Anjelica Huston and Jack Nicholson

From PEOPLE's July 8, 1985, issue: Prizzi's HonorcostarsJack NicholsonandAnjelica Hustonwere so popular they got their own cover story.

In it, theOscar-winning actor opened up quite a bitabout his love.

"Isn't she terrific?" he said. "She's a dark, coiled spring of a woman with long flowing lines. She's got a mind and a literary sense of style, and you better believe she's got imaginative energies. She's absolutely unpredictable, and she's very beautiful. What is it that holds me to her? It's love, I guess, and only love!"

Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet

From PEOPLE's Nov. 6, 1989, issue:Destiny led Kravitz to a chance romantic encounter backstage at a 1985New Editionconcert in Los Angeles.

"There are lots of stories concerning that night," Kravitz told PEOPLE of his love at first meeting withCosby Showstar Bonet. "But the bottom line is, I thought she was great."

Now living in a loft in downtown Manhattan, "Lisa and I just like to be together," said Kravitz. "We just hang out at home with our kid. We're kinda boring, really."

The two seemed to share a '60s kind of love, eating organic foods, wearing Woodstock-era duds and preaching peace. In fact, "Flower Child," one of the better songs on his R&B-inflected retro-rock albumLet Love Rule, is a paean to their relationship: "She wears rubies on her fingers/ Tiny bells upon her toes/ She's the finest thing I've ever seen/ Love that ring inside her nose."

Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith

From PEOPLE's Feb. 27, 1989, issue:Curled up on a sofa in the Beverly Hills Hotel,Melanie Griffithwas luxuriating in the glow of her newly brilliant career. Two days before, she'd won aGolden GlobeforWorking Girl.

But now, the one thing more dazzling than her professional prospects was a four-carat rock on her left hand, a gift from her once-and-future husband,Don Johnson.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" she burbled. "It looks like it came out of a bubble-gum machine."

On Valentine's Day, she and Johnson ended weeks of speculation with the announcement that they aregoing to have a baby.

"She's up in the clouds, she's so happy," saidher mom, actressTippi Hedren.

Griffith gave Johnson the word on theMiami Viceset.

"I got completely stupid," said Johnson. "I've been mush-faced ever since."

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