{"id":267805,"date":"2024-12-30T19:33:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T19:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/30\/steve-bakunas-and-her-ex-husbands-hollywood-life\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:09:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:09:53","slug":"steve-bakunas-and-her-ex-husbands-hollywood-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/30\/steve-bakunas-and-her-ex-husbands-hollywood-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Bakunas and Her Ex-Husbands \u2013 Hollywood Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Image Credit: Penske Media via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Linda Lavin<\/strong>, lead\u00a0character of CBS sitcom Alice <\/em>and prolific stage and film actress, died at age 87<\/a> on Sunday. The Golden Globe <\/a>winning actress parlayed her acting work into activism, marching for the Equal Rights Amendment and joining the National Commission on Working Women, per The Hollywood Reporter. <\/em><\/a>She won two Golden Globes<\/a>, a Tony, and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame during a career in TV, Film, and Broadway, that spanned over six decades. Behind the scenes, at the time of her death she was married to Steve Bakunas<\/strong>. Prior to that, she was married twice.<\/p>\n

So who is Linda Lavin\u2019s husband, and who were the men who came before him? Read more about the luminous actress\u2019 current husband and her previous two marriages below.<\/p>\n

Steve Bakunas<\/h2>\n

At the time of her death, the Mid-Century Modern<\/em> actress was married to musician and artist Steve Bakumas for nearly 20 years. According to the Daily Mail<\/em><\/a>, Bakunas is two decades her junior, and they married in 2005 \u2014 on Valentine\u2019s Day<\/a>, no less. Per the outlet, they met six years prior to that at a theater in North Carolina. The couple lived in Wilmington, where they created a community theater (Red Barn Studio,) and later New York.<\/p>\n

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In an interview with PEOPLE<\/em><\/a>, less than a month before her death, she gushed over her \u201cwonderful\u201d life with Bakunas. \u201cI have a wonderful life, a wonderful husband who\u2019s standing over there and I have a very rich and full life and I\u2019m happy to show up,\u201d she told the outlet for the December 4 red carpet interview.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to show up at this time in my life. I\u2019m really grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

In October, she took to Instagram<\/a> to share a photo with Bakunas and gush over their shared love. \u201cHaving the best birthday ever with my life\u2019s love\u2026.so loving and joyful fun adverturesome and serene too!\u201d she captioned the October 15 post.<\/p>\n

Kip Niven<\/h2>\n
\"Linda
Linda Lavin and ex-husband Kip Niven (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd.\/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>, Linda married actor Kip Niven<\/strong> in 1982, shortly after her first marriage ended. The duo met on the set of Alice, where Niven appeared in several episodes as a recurring character. Though the marriage lasted a decade, the 1992 divorce played out contentiously. According to Soap Central<\/em><\/a>, Linda would later say Niven treated her with \u201cdisgust and contempt.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outlet claims he also made exorbitant requests in alimony, though the couple shared no biological children (Linda was a stepmother to Niven\u2019s children from a previous marriage.) According to Soap Central<\/em>, Linda claimed her ex made \u201cno contributions\u201d to the ill-fated union. \u201cThis husband made no contributions as a partner, father, or supporter of my career,\u201d she reportedly stated. \u201cAny reasonable person would have walked away with dignity after such behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, per the outlet, the legal battle ended with Kip walking away with a $675,000 settlement \u2014 a sum far short of the $6 million total settlement he was reported to be after. Niven died in 2019, per Wikipedia<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ron Leibman<\/h2>\n

Linda\u2019s first marriage was to Tony winning actor Ron Leibman<\/strong>, whom she married in 1969. It lasted 12 years, ending in 1981. Little is known about Ron and Linda\u2019s marriage, but according to PEOPLE<\/em><\/a>, Ron would go on to marry Arrested Development<\/em><\/a> actress Jessica Walter<\/strong> in 1983.<\/p>\n

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