Compatibility
Aries Rat and Taurus Ox

David E. Kelley (4/4/1956, Aries Monkey), Michelle Pfeiffer (4/29/1958, Taurus Dog) : The actor and writer/producer have been married since 1993 and have two children. At the time they met, Pfeiffer was already part way through adopting her daughter, who arrived after the couple had been dating for two months. Pfeiffer described in 2007: "I really got to see [Kelley] in a situation that certainly would separate the boys from the men. Obviously, he really rose to the occasion. We both got to see each other as parents before we progressed in our relationship together, and in a strange way, it took the pressure off us...I mean, it's a real testament to the kind of person he is, but also to the fact that sometimes the traditional way of doing things isn't always the best way."

Colin Powell (4/5/1937, Aries Ox), Linda Powell (4/30/1965, Taurus Snake) : The 65th US Secretary of State and his daughter, an actor, shared a close relationship. Colin Powell's memoir, My American Journey (2003) included this description by Linda: "My father is a gentle man, but, as a child, I remember being a little afraid of him—he was so big. He rarely raised his voice, but when he did, my heart would drop through my stomach. But I also remember once weaving a pink-and-white net around my bicycle as decoration...The net got caught in the spokes and I went flying over the handlebars. I sat stunned and crying on the asphalt. My father appeared from nowhere, scooped me up, held me close, and carried me home."

Russell Crowe (4/7/1964, Aries Dragon), Danielle Spencer (5/16/1969, Taurus Rooster) : The two actors met in 1989, and during a famously on-again, off-again relationship, married in 2003 and divorced in 2018. Spencer described in 2020: "We have a lot of respect for each other and I consider him to be a member of my family. The marriage ended, but that didn’t mean our friendship ended. We’ve had holidays together in the past and we can happily sit down and chat."

Francis Ford Coppola (4/7/1939, Aries Rabbit), Eleanor Coppola (5/4/1936, Taurus Rat) : The two filmmakers have been married since 1963 and have three children together. Eleanor Coppola has described how they approach collaboration: "Francis is very straightforward with me about what he does and doesn’t think works, and for me I have to make a choice: maybe this doesn’t work for him, but it’s what I want to say. So I think we have to […] take that attitude, we accept the sort of information coming in, the critique, and then we kind of go our own way within that. Sometimes I see something that I suggest, and he rejects [it] at the moment, and then I see it woven in later."

David Letterman (4/12/1947, Aries Pig), Jay Leno (4/28/1950, Taurus Tiger) : The two late-night talk show hosts were one-time friends who shared perhaps the most famous rivalry in television history. In 2017, Leno described: "The idea that there was a huge rift between me and Dave — yeah, of course there was. I think Dave felt really sad he didn’t get The Tonight Show. And our shows were very competitive. Whether it’s two sports teams, or two boxers, you can trash talk each other, but it doesn’t mean you don’t respect each other. I think there was a mutual admiration. It’s not that we have a lot in common — we don’t — but I think that we have a mutual admiration for each other’s ability to make each other laugh....Dave would always go about it in a funny way. There was no animosity there. Comics have a bond: You have more in common with your worst enemy if they’re a comic than you do with your best friend, because you share something that regular people just don’t get."

Robert Redford (8/18/1936, Leo Rat), Paul Newman (1/26/1925, Aquarius Ox) : The celebrated actors shared memorable on-screen chemistry in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, and they became lifelong friends. Redford has been quoted as saying, "I think what we found out over time was that the things that made us friends were — had a lot to do with values, what we saw as valuable in society."

Billy Crystal (3/14/1948, Pisces Rat), Janice Crystal (3/16/1949, Pisces Ox) : Both actors and producers, Billy and Janice Crystal were high school sweethearts who have been married for over 50 years. They have two children and are grandparents. Reflecting on their relationship, Billy Crystal commented: "We’ve grown together, we’ve parented together, we’ve grandparented together. I’m lucky that I found the person when I was 18." On another occasion, he said, "My parents always looked like they loved being together […] that’s how my wife and I are."

Samuel L. Jackson (12/21/1948, Sagittarius Rat), LaTanya Richardson Jackson (10/21/1949, Libra Ox) : The two actors have been married for over 50 years and have a daughter together. Asked in a joint interview about about whether they had ever had to choose between being true to themselves and professional opportunity, Samuel L. Jackson responded, "We don’t compromise who we are to do the things we do. It’s imperative that we be who we are. It’s not like we’ve never heard: 'You’ll never work in this town again.'" To which LaTanya Jackson responded, laughing, "Well you have – I haven’t!"

Kathryn Reed Altman (6/2/1924, Gemini Rat), Robert Altman (2/20/1925, Pisces Ox) : The acclaimed director and actor-turned-archivist were married from 1959 until Altman's death in 2006. They had two children together as well as children from previous marriages. Recounting their first meeting, Reed described, "When we were introduced, [Altman] didn’t say hello. He just said, 'How are your morals?' And I said: 'A little shaky. How are yours?' That was the beginning."

Tracy Pollan (6/22/1960, Cancer Rat), Michael J. Fox (6/9/1961, Gemini Ox) : The two actors met on the set of Family Ties in 1985. They married in 1988 and have four children together. Celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, Pollan was asked what she thought was the key to a successful marriage. She answered, "Just give each other the benefit of the doubt. He assumes I’m doing the best I can."

Marlon Brando (4/3/1924, Aries Rat), Jack Nicholson (4/22/1937, Taurus Ox) : The two actors—both often included among the best Hollywood has ever produced—were real-life neighbours for thirty years. In a tribute after Brando's death in 2004, Nicholson described how the star of On the Waterfront and The Godfather had "been my idol all of my professional life". Nicholson wrote: "I treasured the conversations I had with [Brando]. He’s a brilliant man with a very eclectic mind. He was brutally honest, with very unusual insights into just about everything. He was very funny, too. Brando’s favorite holiday was April Fools’ Day, and, trust me, the guy pulled a couple of real crackerjacks at my expense."

Aubrey Plaza (6/26/1984, Cancer Rat), Anna Kendrick (8/9/1985, Leo Ox) : The two actors met on the set of Scott Pilgrim vs the World and have become close friends who holiday together and exchange affectionate posts online. In an interview, Plaza quipped, "Hmm, hopefully when I’m 70, Anna Kendrick and I will have our multicam sitcom, exactly like The Golden Girls. We’ll just be two fast-talking sexual ladies hitting on younger guys."

Jennie Garth (4/3/1972, Aries Rat), Tori Spelling (5/16/1973, Taurus Ox) : These two actors first met on the set of Beverley Hills 90210 in 1990 and have been best friends ever since. Spelling once described Garth as "one of the most spectacular women and human beings" she knows, and while promoting their short-lived detective series, Mystery Girls, frequently referred to Garth as her "partner in crime for life".