Jamie Lee Curtis spotted Christopher Guest’s photo in Rolling Stone and instantly knew something most people wouldn’t dare say out loud. “I’m going to marry that guy,” she told her friend Debra Hill. It wasn’t a joke. Just five months later, on December 18, 1984, they were husband and wife.
At the time, Guest was fresh off his This Is Spinal Tap success, and Curtis was already a rising name in Hollywood. They had never met before she saw that magazine photo—but she got his number through mutual contacts, left a message, and then waited. He didn’t call. Not at first. Days later, they ran into each other at a restaurant. No words were exchanged, but he recognized her and gave a small wave goodbye. The next day, he called. That one phone call changed everything.
They’ve now been married for over 40 years. In a business known for fast breakups and tabloid drama, theirs has always been a quiet, steady partnership. Together, they adopted two daughters—Annie in 1986 and Ruby in 1996—and built a family far from the spotlight.
In 1996, Guest became the 5th Baron Haden-Guest after his father passed away, technically making Curtis a baroness. But she’s never used the title. “It has nothing to do with me,” she once said.
What truly defines her is the love story that started with a magazine photo—and turned into one of Hollywood’s most enduring marriages. In the sections ahead, we take a closer look at Curtis’ husband, Christopher Guest, and the life they’ve built together.
Meet Christopher Guest, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Husband of Over 40 Years
Guest was born in New York City on February 5, 1948, to a British diplomat father and an American mother who worked in television casting. He spent his childhood between the U.S. and the U.K., attending the High School of Music & Art in New York before later studying acting at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Music was his first passion—he played everything from clarinet to mandolin and once performed with Arlo Guthrie in a school band.
Over time, his career shifted toward comedy and film. In 1984, he co-wrote and starred in This Is Spinal Tap, the rock satire that would launch a new era of mockumentary-style comedies. He went on to direct and appear in cult favorites like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. His acting credits also include The Princess Bride, A Few Good Men, and a season on Saturday Night Live.
Guest inherited the title of 5th Baron Haden-Guest following his father’s death in 1996. The peerage gave him a seat in Britain’s House of Lords until reforms removed most hereditary positions. Technically, Jamie Lee Curtis is Lady Haden-Guest—but as she’s made clear, the title has never been something she’s embraced.
They Faced Infertility Early On, Then Became Parents Through Adoption
After facing infertility, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest turned to adoption to build their family. They are now parents to two daughters—Annie, born in 1986, and Ruby, born in 1996. In a newsletter for Pact, Curtis once described motherhood as “every wonderful cliché in the book,” adding, “There is an unexplainable sort of thing you just feel. It’s a permanent commitment, one I’ve changed my life to meet.”
Annie, their older daughter, studied dance and graduated from Kenyon College with a BFA in 2009. She worked as an instructor at MNR Dance Factory in Los Angeles, the same studio where she first trained as a child. In 2019, she married Jason Wolf in a small backyard ceremony. Though she generally stays out of the spotlight, Annie occasionally appears alongside her mother at red carpet events.
Ruby, their younger daughter, came out as transgender in 2020. Curtis and Guest were fully supportive. “Being a parent is about love, and I love Ruby,” Curtis told Morning Joe. “This human being has come to me and said, ‘This is who I am.’” Ruby later married her partner, Kynthia, in 2022.
Jamie Lee Curtis Calls Her Recovery the Greatest Achievement of Her Life
Jamie lived with a secret addiction for years. It began after a routine cosmetic surgery, when she was prescribed painkillers. Over time, what started as a medical necessity turned into quiet dependency. She would later admit to taking Vicodin and washing it down with wine—often alone, often in silence.
The turning point came in December 1998. Standing in the kitchen of her Idaho home, Curtis reached for the pills again. A friend visiting from Brazil approached her from behind and said softly, “You’re not Jamie.” That moment stayed with her. A few months later, she read a published account of addiction by writer Tom Chiarella. His words hit hard. She saw herself in them.
By 1999, Curtis got sober. She found help and committed to recovery. “My recovery from drug addiction is the single greatest accomplishment of my life,” she has said. It took time, effort, and honesty—but she’s been open about every step.
The pain, she explained, wasn’t just physical. It went back to childhood. Her parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, divorced when she was three. Her father was often absent. Jamie’s upbringing was strict. Those early years left their imprint.
She rarely discusses how Christopher Guest handled those years, but their long, steady marriage tells its own story. He was there through it. And he still is.
