Today, Bette Middler celebrates her 77th birthday, and she has been married to Martin Von Haselberg, also known as Harry Kipper, for approximately half of her life. When Midler first saw Haselberg, she thought he had the appearance of an adult, and she felt an instant attraction to him because of this.
In 1984, she and Haselberg went on their first date, and exactly six weeks later, they abruptly eloped to Las Vegas, where they wed at the Starlight Chapel. This marked the beginning of their romantic relationship. A man who did an impression of Elvis Presley served as the event’s officiant and was seen at the gathering with Bette Midler and Mark Wahlberg.
Midler had made the first move by asking Haselberg out on a date after they had just known each other for those six weeks of dating. Haselberg had accepted Midler’s proposal. They decided to get married on the spur of the moment, and just one year later, they became parents to their beautiful daughter.
Midler made numerous attempts to have additional children with Haselberg in the years that followed the birth of their daughter. She tried everything, including fertility treatment, but she continued to lose her pregnancies until they finally came to the conclusion that they should settle for just one child.
Midler and Haselberg may have had a whirlwind courtship and a rushed marriage, but what they share is genuine, and Midler believes that they have been responsible for keeping each other young at heart. Haselberg also believes that Midler and she have been responsible for keeping each other young at heart.
Midler has been quoted as saying in the past that she did not want to ever grow up and that she saw herself as an eternal teenager. She claims that she has never had the experience of feeling like an adult, which is why she considers herself incredibly fortunate to have married a man who is still very much in touch with his inner kid.
Midler is of the opinion that the majority of people are just like her and her husband, who appears mature on the surface but have a childlike nature on the inside. She referred to it as the “human condition” and insisted that there was no reason to feel ashamed about it.
Despite the fact that they appear to have the perfect marriage on the outside, Midler and Haselberg have had their share of marital problems. During an interview, the actress admitted that she and her husband had a few disagreements before the birth of their daughter Sophie Von Haselberg.
Due to the fact that Midler was constantly away working on movies or other projects in other cities, Sophie was able to spend more time with her father. After she was born, the couple came to the conclusion that they would make her their primary concern and center of attention.
According to Midler, they came to the conclusion that they wanted to provide the greatest possible upbringing for their child, so they decided to remain together until their relationship improved.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Midler and her husband believe that putting one’s family ahead of one’s career is the most important factor in maintaining a successful marriage. Haselberg is quoted as having said:
“We made a concerted effort to craft our lives in just the way that they are now.”
There is no such thing as a perfect marriage, but Midler is relieved that she and Haselberg were able to resolve their issues instead of walking away when they first started having problems. She also needed to learn how to compromise, which was something she was not used to doing before meeting him and was something she had to learn how to do. She said:
“Listening is very hard. And acceptance of it. The most difficult of all is to reach a compromise.”
The bright young lady referred to Haselberg as “the best father who ever existed” and lauded him for all the sacrifices he had made for the benefit of his family. Reports indicate that he gave up his work as a commodities trader in order to raise his kid and assist Midler in her endeavors in the entertainment industry.
Haselberg is German, and Midler has stated that he is the one who taught their daughter how to cook and how to communicate in German since he is a native speaker of the language.
Due to the fact that Midler was constantly away working on movies or other projects in other cities, Sophie was able to spend a significant amount of her childhood with her father.
However, when Midler got home from work, she took on the role of the fun parent, which helped strike a healthy balance between the two styles of parenting. She was the only kid in her family, so she got all of the attention that her parents could give her, and she cherished every minute of it.
The elated wife is quick to point out that he has been a wonderful provider for her throughout their entire time together. She is now aware that maintaining a marriage requires patience; after all, the benefits are what she and Haselberg have been appreciating together for the past few decades.
Their daughter, Sophie, is now an adult and has likewise found a guy who she considers to be “the one” in Harry J. N. Guinness. Their wedding was a low-key affair that took place in the year 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the globe.
Sophie claims that they had not intended to get married in the year 2020, but due to everything that was going on and the constraints imposed by COVID-19, there could be no more than 11 persons present at the ceremony.
Sophie, her husband, and the rest of their family came up with the wedding ideas and put them into action. It lent a distinct air to the occasion, and Sophie elaborated on how warm and inviting the atmosphere was in an Instagram post that she published after the fact.
Both Bette Midler and her husband now lead contented and tranquil lives in Millbrook, New York, where they take part in activities they enjoy together, such as practicing tai chi.
In addition to this, they give money to one of their favorite charities, the New York Restoration Project, which works to develop green and open areas in towns all around the state of New York.
Even though things have changed for them since their daughter Sophie moved out to begin her own life, the pair is still quite satisfied with their situation. Midler is positive that she would be able to fulfill her role as a grandma to the fullest because she was able to parent her children to a satisfactory degree. In her words:
“I promise to be a wonderful grandma.”
Despite this, she did not rush into taking on the position at any point in time. In 2013, she told her daughter that she was not prepared to become a grandmother and prevented her from having a grandchild.
Midler is content with the way her life has developed, and she is looking forward to spending the rest of her life with Haselberg, about whom she brags all the time. She referred to him as a “genius” in an earlier interview and said that he had the potential to be a great actor but instead chose to pursue painting and photography.
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Nobody, at least not at this point, will be able to dissuade Midler from her conviction that they have a “great” marriage to one another. Happy birthday Midler!