:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Delta-Burke-Gerald-McRaney-052725-9271ae18bae74d95b0dd5e7f527e6a59.jpg)
Gerald McRaney and Delta Burke first met in the mid ’80s, at a publicist’s awards luncheon.
The actress, now 68, and the Paradise actor, 77, may have felt sparks — but it wasn’t until later that they began dating, after McRaney was cast in a guest role on Burke’s hit show Designing Women.
Speaking to PEOPLE in March 2025, McRaney chalked up the success of the marriage to his wife.
“Marrying Delta, that’s the secret,” he said of why the two have stayed together for so long. “That’s it. She’s the one for keeping it together. Honestly, I think one of the biggest components to a happy marriage is that you’ve got to marry the right person.”
The Mississippi native said that he and the Florida-born Burke’s common backgrounds contributed to their compatibility. “I think a lot of it was just both of us being southern,” he said. “We had common ground there.”
Of course, there were other factors at work, too.
“Also, I thought she was the most drop-dead beautiful woman I’d ever seen,” he added.
Nearly four decades after the two met, they celebrate their 36th anniversary on May 28, 2025. See glimpses of their relationship below.
Decking the Halls
Darlene Hammond/Getty
Delta Burke, in a red satin cape, and Gerald McRaney, in a wreath boutonniere to match, attend the Hollywood Christmas Parade in Los Angeles on Nov. 29, 1987. They were married two years later.
Hollywood Nights
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The two attend a party for Burke’s popular 1980s/1990s show, Designing Women, held at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.
On Set
CBS via Getty
Burke, as Suzanne Sugarbaker and McRaney, as Dash Goff, kick back on the set of Designing Women in 1987. As McRaney told PEOPLE in an earlier interview, the couple’s romance didn’t begin until they were done filming together.
“I actually asked her out while we were doing the show, but I waited until after the show was over to have the date,” he said. “So we had a date and we had a second date, at which point I proposed to her. And she accepted. And basically, we’ve been together every day for 38 years.”
Staying Close
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
The actors share a sweet moment at the 1988 Women in Film lunch in Los Angeles.
Fashion Forward
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Burke and McRaney are all dressed up for the 5th Annual American Cinematheque Award Honoring Ron Howard, held at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. in 1990.
On the Go
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The couple zip in to the Los Angeles International Airport in style in an undated photo.
Awards Season
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
Burke and McRaney attend the 42nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, held in 1990 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California.
For the Troops
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
The two arrive at the taping of Bob Hope’s television special Bob Hope’s Yellow Ribbon Party, held at the comedian’s Palm Springs home in California in 1991.
Hello, Dolly
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty
McRaney and Burke are dressed the part at the 1993 opening weekend of Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.
A Warm Embrace
Kevin Winter/Getty
The couple get cozy at an NBC party held in honor of the Television Critics Association at Jillians at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles in 2000.
Hail to the Chief
Greg Mathieson/Mai/Getty
Burke — who, at the time, was starring as the first lady in the television series DAG — arrives with McRaney (who would later act as a former president on Paradise) for the real-life inaugural parade held for George W. Bush in 2001 in Washington, D.C.
Pattern Makers
Frazer Harrison/Getty
The two arrive to the 2010 premiere of the film Get Low held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater inside The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills.
“There’s something about being with the right person that makes you know that when you have a disagreement, that it is worth fighting for,” McRaney told PEOPLE in an earlier interview of their marriage secret. “You may fight with the person, but you fight to keep the relationship going more than you fight with the person. That’s the important thing. There is some work involved, but most of it has been an absolute joy.”
