“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, along with a photo of him and Bakst taken on the morning of their wedding on May 6, 1978.
Just before heading down the aisle, the couple was seen wearing bathrobes, sitting at a breakfast table and enjoying their coffee.
In the message accompanying the picture, Sadler revealed that Bakst died this Wednesday after battling cancer for two years.
“After an astounding 45 years of marriage, I guess I still can’t understand this or put it into words,” he wrote.
Over the course of their long marriage, Sadler and Bakst had a daughter named 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
“Yesterday morning my wife Marni Bakst finally lost her two-year battle with cancer,” Sadler wrote in a Facebook post Thursday.
“After an incredible 45 years of marriage, I don't think I can understand it or put it into words,” he added.
“Perhaps with time and some distance it will become easier for me to describe this extraordinary artist, feminist, wife and mother, but for now I would like to thank you all for your patience and kind words,” he concluded and signed off: “Yours “Bill.”
Sadler posted a heartwarming tribute to his wife on their anniversary last year, adding the same picture he later uploaded to break the news of her death.
“This picture was taken on the morning of our wedding, 45 years ago today,” Sadler wrote alongside the photo last May.
“The extraordinary-looking young woman with the huge eyes is Mrs. Marni Bakst.” “The lucky young man is me,” he remarked touchingly.
“All these years later, I still bring her coffee, she still has those beautiful eyes, and I'm still the happiest man on this or any planet. “Happy anniversary, Marni!”
Bakst stood by Sadler throughout his acting career until he made his Broadway debut in Neil Simon's “Biloxi Blues” in 1985.
Sadler, 74, shared the news on his Facebook page this week, along with a picture of him and Bakst on the morning of their wedding on May 6, 1978
“After an astounding 45 years of marriage, I guess I still can’t understand this or put it into words,” he wrote
Sadler and Bakst are pictured in the late 1970s in a snapshot that she posted to her Facebook page shortly before their wedding day 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 film, television and theater
His most famous film role is as long-time inmate Heywood in the acclaimed 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption
Memorably, he played the role of Death in the 1991 comedy Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, in which he can be seen premiering with Bakst in Hollywood
The couple, who welcomed a now 38-year-old daughter named Sadler Colley Bakst, are pictured at the premiere of “The Shawshank Redemption” in September 1994
His most famous film role is as long-time inmate Heywood in the acclaimed 1994 drama The Shawshank Redemption.
Based on a novel by Stephen King, the film starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is often hailed as one of the greatest films of all time.
Sadler is also known for films such as 1990's Die Hard 2 and the 2013 Marvel film Iron Man 3, in which he played a fictional President of the United States.
Memorably, he played the role of Death in the 1991 comedy Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and reprized the role 30 years later for the 2020 film Bill & Ted Face The Music.
Sadler's recent work included the 2019 miniseries When They See Us, Ava DuVernay's dramatization of the Central Park Five case.
This year he appeared in the Max horror film Salem's Lot – another Stephen King adaptation reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption.
