7 hours ago
103
The Shawshank Redemption star William Sadler announced the death of his wife Marni Joan Bakst after 46 years of marriage.
Sadler, 74, shared the news on his Facebook page this week, alongside a photo of him and Bakst taken the morning of their wedding on May 6, 1978.
Shortly before going down the aisle, the couple were pictured in their bathrobes sitting at a breakfast table and enjoying their coffee.
In the message accompanying the image, Sadler revealed that Bakst died this Wednesday after fighting cancer for two years.
'After what has been an amazing forty five years of marriage I don’t think I can fathom or put into words much of this yet,' he wrote.
Over the course of their long-running marriage, Sadler and Bakst welcomed a daughter called Sadler Colley Bakst, 38.
The Shawshank Redemption star William Sadler announced the death of his wife Marni Joan Bakst after 46 years of marriage; pictured in 1990 at the premiere of his film Die Hard 2
'Early yesterday morning, my wife, Marni Bakst, finally lost her two year battle with cancer,' Sadler wrote in a Facebook post Thursday.
'After what has been an amazing forty five years of marriage I don’t think I can fathom or put into words much of this yet,' he added.
'Maybe with time and a little distance I’ll find it easier to describe this extraordinary artist, feminist, wife, and mother, but for now I want to thank you all for your patience and kind words,' he concluded, signing off: 'Yours, Bill.'
Sadler posted a heartwarming tribute to his wife on their anniversary last year, along with the same picture that he later uploaded to break the news of her death.
'This picture was taken the morning of our wedding, exactly forty five years ago today,' Sadler wrote alongside the photo last May.
'The extraordinary looking young woman with the huge eyes is Ms. Marni Bakst. The lucky young man is me,' he noted touchingly.
'All these years later I still bring her coffee, she still has those beautiful eyes, and I’m still the luckiest man on this, or any other planet. Happy Anniversary Marni!'
Bakst was at Sadler's side throughout his acting career, since before he made his Broadway debut in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues in 1985.
Sadler, 74, shared the news on his Facebook page this week, alongside a picture of him and Bakst the morning of their wedding on May 6, 1978
'After what has been an amazing forty five years of marriage I don’t think I can fathom or put into words much of this yet,' he wrote
Sadler and Bakst are pictured in the late 1970s in a snapshot she posted to her Facebook page shortly before their wedding anniversary in 2014
Sadler, pictured in 2019 at the premiere of the Ava DuVernay miniseries When They See Us, has had a long and distinguished career in movies, TV and theater
His most famous film role is as a long-serving prisoner called Heywood in the acclaimed 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption
He memorably featured as death in the 1991 romp Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, which he is pictured attending the premiere of with Bakst in Hollywood
The couple, who welcomed a now 38-year-old daughter called Sadler Colley Bakst, are pictured at the premiere of The Shawshank Redemption in September 1994
His most famous film role is as a long-serving prisoner called Heywood in the acclaimed 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption.
Based on a novel by Stephen King, the movie starred Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and is often hailed as one of the greatest motion pictures ever made.
Sadler is also known for movies like Die Hard 2 in 1990 and the 2013 Marvel movie Iron Man 3, in which he played a fictional President Of The United States.
He memorably featured as death in the 1991 romp Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, reprising the role 30 years later for the 2020 picture Bill & Ted Face The Music.
Sadler's recent work has included the 2019 miniseries When They See Us, Ava DuVernay's dramatization of the Central Park Five case.
This year, he could be seen in the Max horror movie 'Salem's Lot - another Stephen King adaptation, harking back to The Shawshank Redemption.
English (US) ·