17 APRIL 2002
Former Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt married ex-Bond girl Talisa Soto, his co-star in the widely acclaimed 2001 film Piñero, at a very discreet ceremony in his hometown on Saturday.

The couple wed “on Saturday in San Francisco at an intimate gathering, a day that perfectly celebrated their love and happiness,” said Benjamin’s spokeswoman Ina Treciokas in a statement on Tuesday.

The wedding comes less than a year after 38-year-old Benjamin’s highly publicized split with top Hollywood actress Julia Roberts. The couple’s relationship lasted nearly four years, but came to an end reportedly because he was unable to get Pretty Woman Julia to commit to marriage.

Benjamin rose to prominence as Detective Reynaldo Curtis on the TV drama Law & Order but left the series after four years in 1999 to focus on his movie career. He has since appeared in films such as The Next Best Thing and Traffic. Benjamin and Talisa met in 2000 on the set of Piñero, the story of the Puerto Rican poet-playwright Miguel Piñero, which was critically lauded following its release last year. This is his first and Talisa's second marriage. Both are listed in the US publication People Magazine’s list of the world’s 50 most beautiful people.

New York-born Talisa, 35, first shot to fame in the 1989 James Bond film Licence To Kill. She also appeared with Antonia Banderas in The Mambo Kings and in Don Juan De Marco opposite Johnny Depp.