While Brad and Louise may be the on-screen love story of the ‘80s classic Teen Witch, there was an off-screen romance that delivered real-life magic. Dan Gauthier and Lisa Fuller, who starred as Brad and Randa, met on-set of the hit 1989 film, and the happy couple have been together ever since, even welcoming a son in 1991.
With Dan’s highly-anticipated return to the soap world in Days of Our Liveslater this month, we’re taking a look at the couple’s enduring romance and careers – from the co-stars who attended their wedding to the successful business venture they’ve built together.
The couple married shortly after the release of Teen Witch in 1989
A magical first meeting
Dan and Lisa first met on the set of Teen Witch (1989), where Dan portrayed leading man Brad Powell opposite Robyn Lively as Louise Miller. While the couple may not have ended up together on-screen, romance was conjured up between Brad and Randa - Louise's rival - in real life.
According to Robyn, it was love at first sight for the pair. “They dated while making the movie and got married shortly after the movie wrapped,” she told Buzzfeed in 2014. “I was heartbroken, but I still went to their wedding. Brad and Randa really lived happily ever after.”
Following their wedding in 1990, the couple kept busy with their thriving acting careers. Alongside marrying the love of her life, Lisa also joined the cast of General Hospital that same year as Dawn Winthrop, and fans may also remember her guest appearances as Toni in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
After Dan wrapped his popular turn as Lt. John McKay in the drama series Tour of Duty (1989–90), he returned to the big screen with films like Son in Law (1993) with Carla Gugino. The star also made several appearances on some of the biggest hits of the nineties, from Star Trek: The Next Generation to Friends.
Lisa shared this sweet throwback collage on her Instagram page
Welcoming a son
The devoted couple welcomed a son, James Cole Gauthier, in June 1991. While both of his parents may be in the limelight, James leads a private life away from the spotlight, though Lisa occasionally shares some adorable throwback snaps on her Instagram page.
Dan as Kevin (middle) during a guest appearance on One Life to Live in 2009
From Llanview to Salem
One Life to Live fans will remember Dan as one of the many actors to portray Kevin Buchanan on the hit soap, a role he held for three years – with the occasional guest appearance afterwards. Dan became a fan-favourite actor for many, with one viewer even declaring, “When I think of Kevin, that's who I see in my mind”; the star also earned a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for his performance.
Dan will be swapping Llanview for Salem later this year when he joins the cast of Days of Our Lives as a recast of Peter Blake. The role was last played by Baywatch alum Jason Brooks in 1998, and we’ll see Dan make his debut this December.
Fans loved Lisa in the hit '80s films The Monster Squad
New ventures
While Dan was busy with no shortage of on-screen drama, Lisa swapped scripts for songs with the release of her debut album, Teach Me Tonight, in 2006, packed with a fusion of jazz and pop.
Lisa also shares updates with fans over on her Instagram, and recently posted that she’d be making an appearance at Scarefest in Lexington, in celebration of her popular role in the horror-comedy The Monster Squad (1987).
While Lisa largely left Hollywood behind in the ‘90s, she and her husband now jointly run Dan Gauthier Acting Studio, which offers workshops and private lessons to aspiring stars in the Coachella Valley area.
The couple both serve as acting coaches, using their extensive experience to prepare the next generation of Hollywood actors, and Dan sweetly wrote his own glowing review to Lisa’s teaching skills, sharing that he “attributes much of his success to Lisa’s adept contribution to his audition and work preparation”.
To mark 9 years since the Gilmore Girls revival first hit our screens, we’re counting down our top picks for the greatest TV revivals that we couldn’t stop watching