Elliott, 74, and Ross, 79, both made a name for themselves as Hollywood stars independently before they first met in 1978 on the set of the horror movie The Legacy, which was shot in London.

1978 Pete (Sam Elliott) and Maggie (Katherine Ross) are lovers to whom strange things begin to happen, in Universal’s horror thriller ‘The Legacy’

While this was the first time they officially met, Elliott admits he had encountered the lovely Ross before then, when he had a small role in Butch Cassidy almost a decade before. The actor was too shy to approach her, however, he told AARP The Magazine: “I didn’t dare try to talk to her then. She was the leading lady. I was a shadow on the wall, a glorified extra in a bar scene.”

Finding time between projects is tough for all actors but Elliott proved early on it was a priority. He nearly passed up his breakout role as Cher’s boyfriend in the 1985 movie Mask because he was on a honeymoon with his true love in Hawaii.

Daughter Cleo Rose with her parents at age 6, the now singer posted the photo to her Instagram “My mom and I have a joke that we’re always talking when pictures are taken”

The loving couple is still going strong after all these years and teamed up again onscreen in 2017 for the film The Hero, about an aging Western film icon. Ross plays his ex-wife and was thrilled to work on what she called “a really moving story.”

Joint projects like these, Ross believes in some ways nurture the real love and relationship: “Sometimes that’s easier than real life,” Katharine said. “You’re [sic] got a script. You’ve got a part. You’ve got your creative juices flowing together. It’s not about the dirty dishes in the sink or whether you’ve picked something up at the laundry. …”

Eliott, Ross and their daughter Cleo Rose in Malibu, California

Elliott and Ross at the 91st Acadamy Awards, Elliott was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for A Star Is Born