Inside the 45-Year Marriage of Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield—19 Years Her Junior

There have been some great real-life Hollywood love stories between actors like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall (together for 12 years between 1945 and 1957), Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (26 years between 1941 and 1967, despite the fact they never married) and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (50 years between 1958 and 2008). Yet despite all of those, there’s something just a little bit extra special in the 45-year marriage between Nanny and the Professor and Passions actress Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield, star of Grease 2 and The Colbys.

Much of it comes from the fact that he’s nearly 19 years her junior, which filled the people around them with skepticism, but never made the happy couple doubt their feelings for one other. In fact, the duo  seems more in love than ever.

As Mills explained it to Woman’s World several years ago in an exclusive interview, “If you’re lucky enough to meet your soulmate and you have a lot in common and you’re prepared to work at it when times get tough, and you’d really rather be with that person more than any other person to share everything, whether it’s good times or bad times—you know, sunrise to sunset—that’s pretty much the test, I’d say.”

Juliet Mills: love after two marriages

Born on November 21, 1941, in London, Juliet Mills is the eldest daughter of renowned actors Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell. She grew up in a family deeply rooted in the entertainment industry, with her younger siblings including actress Hayley Mills (The Parent Trap) and filmmaker Jonathan Mills. Her screen career began in infancy with a role in 1942’s In Which We Serve, and over the next few decades she appeared in 11 films, culminating in 1969’s Oh! What a Lovely War. Alongside her film work, she became a familiar presence on television, making guest appearances on a variety of shows.

However, it was in 1970 that Juliet took on the role that would define her career and endear her to audiences for generations: Phoebe Figalilly, better known as “Nanny,” on the ABC series Nanny and the Professor (1970–71).

The series follows Nanny’s arrival at the home of widowed professor Harold Everett (played by Richard Long), where she takes on the role of caretaker to his three children: Hal (David Doremus), the intellectual tinkerer; Butch (Trent Lehman); and Prudence (Kim Richards, later of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills). Much like Mary Poppins, Nanny possesses an air of mystery, a sixth sense, and an almost magical quality that set her apart.

After Nanny and the Professor ended, the cast members went their separate ways. Juliet continued to build an impressive career in film, television, and theater, eventually earning widespread recognition for her role as the mischievous witch Tabitha Lenox on the daytime soap Passions. Tragically, Richard Long passed away from a heart attack just a few years after Nanny and the Professor ended, and Trent Lehman, struggling with depression, died by suicide in 1982. Kim Richards later found fame on reality television but faced personal struggles, while David Doremus transitioned into mobile electronics.

Despite the many changes and challenges life brought, Juliet has always looked back on Nanny and the Professor with great fondness, cherishing the experience and the role that impacted her career so much.

“I’m very proud of it and have very, very happy memories of it,” she says. “I’m still recognized all over the place for that as much as anything I’ve ever done, which is extraordinary. People just hear my voice and they turn around to say, ‘Hey, Nanny!’ It was a family show and I think families enjoyed it together and it still brings back happy memories.”

She had been married twice before prior to marrying Caulfield, first to Russell Alquist, Jr., from 1961 to 1964, with whom she had son Sean; and then to Michael Miklenda from 1975 to 1980, the duo becoming parents to daughter Melissa.

Maxwell Caulfield: ‘Grease’ heartthrob to soap star

If you were watching movies in the early 1980s, you probably remember Maxwell Caulfield as the impossibly handsome, effortlessly cool British heartthrob who stole the show in Grease 2 (1982). But while Hollywood initially tried to position him as the next big thing, Caulfield’s career has been a fascinating journey filled with reinvention, resilience, and the aforementioned love story that defied expectations.

Born on November 23, 1959, in Belper, Derbyshire, England, Caulfield’s rise to stardom was anything but smooth. Following a difficult childhood, he moved to the United States as a teenager with dreams of making it big. To support himself, he worked a series of odd jobs while honing his craft in theater.

By the late 1970s, he was building a name for himself on stage, particularly with his critically acclaimed performance in The Elephant Man. He soon caught Hollywood’s attention, and in 1982 was cast as Michael Carrington, the male lead opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2. While the film was meant to be his big break, Grease 2 underperformed at the box office, and instead of skyrocketing his career, it put him in a tough spot.

As a result, Caulfield found himself struggling to break into A-list territory. However, he never stopped working, landing a starring role in the Dynasty spin-off The Colbys (1985–1987) as Miles Colby, which gave him a steady presence on television. Though the series was short-lived, it helped him remain in the public eye.

Caulfield continued to balance film, television, and theater work throughout the years, popping up in shows like Murder, She Wrote, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Casualty, and had memorable stints in soaps such as All My Children and Emmerdale. Meanwhile, he never abandoned his first love—live theater—and has continued to impress on stage, tackling everything from Shakespeare to musicals.

Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield, their time together

Fate seemed to be working its magic as Juliet Mills and Maxwell Caulfield found themselves working on a stage production of The Elephant Man. Despite their age difference, it was obvious to everyone around them that there was undoubtedly an instant connection made. And while those around them were skeptical, they walked down the aisle on December 2, 1980.

As Caulfield would later comment, “I’ve been happily married to the wonderful actress Juliet Mills since 1980, who I met performing in the Tony-winning production of The Elephant Man.”

And the collaboration didn’t stop there. In 2010, they starred in a UK tour of Bedroom Farce, playing a married couple; in 2015 they were touring the comedy Legends! along with Juliet’s sister, Hayley Mills. The focus of the show is on a pair of feuding actresses who are convinced to work on a Broadway show together.

Jump ahead to 2019 and they were touring the UK with the stage adaptation of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. Five years later, in 2024 they were on stage in Beverly Hills, California with Love Letters, the acclaimed show that explores the lifelong correspondence between two friends, exploring feelings of love and friendship.

Of these collaborations, Caulfield has commented, “They say that show business couples don’t work very well together, the sparks don’t fly because they know each other too well. In the plays that we’ve done together, we’ve found the opposite to be true. She’s the cat’s whiskers.”

For her part, Juliet summed up their ongoing love affair with the following: “When you’re in love, you don’t need words. A look, a touch, a sigh—you’ve said it all.”