Mr. Feeny's On-Screen Love Interest Is His Real-Life Wife

TV

Mr. Feeny and Lila Bolander's on-screen chemistry in 'Boy Meets World' likely had something to do with the actors' connection. William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett are married.

Published on July 3, 2022

William Daniels spent years portraying the ever-present Mr. Feeny on the TV show Boy Meets World. Early in the series, it was explained that Mr. Feeny was a widow. In later seasons, he found love again when he began seeing Pennbrook University dean Lila Bolander. Fans of the series were happy to see Feeny find love again. Bonnie Bartlett, the actor who portrayed Dean Bolander, and Daniels have a love story of their own. 

Mr. Feeny’s on-screen love interest thrilled ‘Boy Meets World’ fans 

Mr. Feeny spent the early seasons of Boy Meets World as a bachelor with a sad past. Mr. Feeny’s wife died sometime before the start of Boy Meets World. While Boy Meets World only briefly mentioned his wife’s death, fans of the series noted that Feeny often seemed pensive and sad while gardening in his backyard. 

By the later seasons, Feeny found love again with the dean of Pennbrook University, though it certainly wasn’t love at first sight. Feeny eventually fell for Dean Lila Bolander, played by Bonnie Bartlett. The pair’s romance was sweet, and their chemistry was outstanding. That’s probably because Bartlett and Daniels have been married for decades. 

William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett celebrated 70 years of marriage in 2021 

Bartlett and Daniels were married many years before Daniels became Mr. Feeny and Bartlett became Dean Bolander. In fact, the duo tied the knot before either was famous. The couple married in 1951, welcomed a son who died shortly after birth 10 years later, and adopted two more children, all before they landed their breakout roles. 

While they’ve enjoyed a 70-year marriage, some moments weren’t so great, said Bartlett. During a 2021 interview with People, Bartlett revealed that there was a year when she “really hated” Daniels. She opted to stay and work through things because of the children they shared. It’s a good thing for Daniels that she did. In an Instagram post celebrating their marriage, Daniels said of his wife, “Bonnie has been my biggest win in life.”

‘Boy Meets World’ isn’t the only show the couple worked on together 

While Boy Meets World fans will surely remember Bartlett as Dean Bolander, she and Daniels have appeared together several times over the years. Most famously, the married couple worked together on St. Elsewhere.

Daniels appeared in more than 100 episodes of the famed medical drama as Dr. Mark Craig. Bartlett appeared in 79 episodes as Ellen Craig, Dr. Craig’s wife. Though the actors were happily married in real life, their on-screen characters in St. Elsewhere had more than their fair share of romantic drama. 

Before St. Elsewhere, they worked together on the 1977 TV movie Killer on Board as Marshall and Debra Snowden. They appeared together in another movie in 1981. More recently, they both took on roles in Touched by an Angel in the early 2000s. The couple, now in their 90s, are enjoying a quieter life these days. 

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