Kate Beckinsale has had several high-profile relationships throughout her career, but only one marriage. Her ex-husband is American filmmaker Len Wiseman, the director best known for launching the Underworld franchise.
Beckinsale and Wiseman met while making the original Underworld in 2003, married the following year and eventually spent more than a decade as husband and wife. Their divorce was finalized in 2019, ending one of Hollywood’s better-known actor-director relationships.
Who Is Len Wiseman?
Len Wiseman is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He directed Underworld, the 2003 action-horror film that established Beckinsale as the franchise’s central star.
Stick to the Facts
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The movie brought the pair together professionally before their relationship became romantic. Wiseman went on to remain involved with the Underworld series, while Beckinsale reprised her role as vampire warrior Selene in several installments.
Their professional partnership therefore continued even after they became a married couple.
How They Met
Beckinsale and Wiseman first worked together on Underworld. At the time, neither was single.
Beckinsale was in a long-term relationship with Welsh actor Michael Sheen, while Wiseman was married to his first wife, Dana. During production, however, Beckinsale and Wiseman developed a relationship that eventually changed the course of both their personal lives.
Beckinsale later recalled being impressed by Wiseman’s knowledge of the action and science-fiction genre. Their connection grew while working on the film, and the couple eventually decided to marry.
Their Wedding
Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman married on May 9, 2004, in Bel-Air, California.
Their wedding came only a year after Underworld introduced them to one another. At that point, Beckinsale’s career was already gaining momentum following movies including Pearl Harbor, Serendipity and The Aviator.
Wiseman’s career was also developing rapidly, particularly after the success of Underworld.
The couple subsequently became a familiar presence at Hollywood premieres and industry events.
Working Together
Their marriage and professional lives were closely connected.
Wiseman directed Beckinsale in Underworld and its sequel, Underworld: Evolution. He also remained involved with later films in the franchise, although he did not direct every installment.
The pair also worked together on Total Recall, the 2012 science-fiction remake. Beckinsale starred as Lori Quaid, while Wiseman served as director.
Their shared film projects made the marriage particularly interesting to fans because the couple continued collaborating professionally while maintaining their personal relationship.
No Children Together
Beckinsale and Wiseman did not have children together.
However, Beckinsale was already a mother when she married Wiseman. She shares daughter Lily Mo Sheen with actor Michael Sheen. Lily was born in 1999, several years before Beckinsale and Wiseman’s wedding.
Wiseman therefore became part of a family that already included Beckinsale and her daughter.
The Separation
After more than a decade together, Beckinsale and Wiseman’s marriage began to unravel.
Reports of their separation emerged in 2015. The couple had reportedly been living separately for some time before the split became public. They were last widely seen together as a couple earlier that year, and the separation was subsequently confirmed.
At the time, neither publicly offered an extensive explanation for what had caused their relationship to end.
The breakup was described publicly as amicable, although the couple’s divorce proceedings continued for several years.
Divorce Filed
Wiseman officially filed for divorce in October 2016.
Court documents cited irreconcilable differences. The filing came nearly a year after the couple’s separation had become public.
The legal proceedings did not involve child custody because Beckinsale and Wiseman had no children together. The pair had therefore already established their own family arrangements after separating.
Divorce Finalized
The divorce was eventually finalized in November 2019.
That brought the marriage to a formal close roughly five years after their wedding anniversary in 2019 and several years after their initial separation.
Beckinsale and Wiseman’s relationship had therefore lasted considerably longer than the period covered by the divorce proceedings themselves.
Their marriage lasted about 11 years before their separation, although the legal dissolution took additional time.
Michael Sheen
Although Wiseman is Beckinsale’s only ex-husband, he was not the only major relationship in her personal history.
Before Wiseman, Beckinsale spent approximately eight years with actor Michael Sheen. They met while working on a stage production and later welcomed their daughter, Lily.
The pair never married, but they have maintained a notably friendly relationship after their breakup. Their ability to co-parent and remain close has often been highlighted as an example of a successful post-relationship family arrangement.
That distinction is important for anyone searching for Kate Beckinsale’s “ex-husband”: Michael Sheen is her former partner and the father of her daughter, not her former husband.
Life After Wiseman
Following her divorce, Beckinsale continued to attract considerable attention for her acting career and personal life.
She was subsequently linked romantically with several public figures, including comedian Pete Davidson, musician Goody Grace and comedian Matt Rife.
None of those relationships resulted in another marriage.
Her career has also remained active, with Beckinsale continuing to work across film and television while occasionally discussing aspects of her personal experiences in interviews.
Kate Beckinsale has one ex-husband: Len Wiseman.
The couple met while filming Underworld in 2003, married on May 9, 2004, and collaborated on several major film projects. They had no children together and separated in 2015.
Wiseman filed for divorce in October 2016, citing irreconcilable differences, and their divorce was finalized in November 2019.
