All About Woody Harrelson’s Wife, Lara Louie, and How He Won Her Over With a Song
All About Woody Harrelson’s Wife, Lara Louie, and How He Won Her Over With a Song
Giovana GelhorenSat, October 3, 2026 at 1:20 PM UTC
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Laura Louie and Woody HarrelsonCredit: Getty ImagesTHE GIST -
Woody Harrelson first met his wife, Laura Louie, in 1987 when he hired her to be his assistant.
Three years later, Harrelson confessed his love and they started dating.
The couple, who tied the knot in 2008, share three daughters together.
From his work in Now You See Me to True Detective, Woody Harrelson is one of the most recognizable names and faces in Hollywood. But while his career isn’t stopping anytime soon, including his latest show Brothers with offscreen best friend Matthew McConaughey, Harrelson is a dad and husband first and foremost.
In 2008, Harrelson beat his own expectations and tied the knot with his longtime partner, Laura Louie.
“I never believed in the concept of [marriage],” Harrelson told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “I just never believed that it made any sense, this long-term monogamy thing that humans do.” Not only was he against marriage, but Harrelson said he “was incapable of long-term relationships.” “Then I met my wife,” he concluded.
Woody Harrelson and Laura LouieCredit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Over the years, Harrelson and Louie, who live in an off-grid eco-community on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii, have welcomed three daughters. They first welcomed daughter Deni Montana Harrelson in 1994, and then welcomed their second daughter, Zoe Giodano Harrelson-Louie, two years later in 1996. Their third daughter, Makani Ravello Harrelson, arrived 10 years after that and joined the family in 2006.
Below, find out everything there is to know about Woody Harrelson’s wife, Laura Louie, and their movie-worthy love story.
Louie first met Harrelson when she was hired to be his assistant.
When Harrelson was rising in Hollywood from his role in Cheers, he hired Louie to be his assistant in 1987. At the time, she was visiting the Cheers set as part of a media workshop. “I was like, ‘Hey, does anybody here have secretarial skills? ‘Cause I could really use an assistant,” Harrelson remembered. “And this young woman, Laura Louie, raised her hand.”
A day later, Louie visited his apartment, and they got to know one another. “We had one of the greatest conversations I ever had, so she became my assistant,” he said. “She was so great that every other person in Cheers got an assistant after that. She became my assistant the day after I met her and for the next three years.”
They started dating three years later.
Laura Louie and Woody HarrelsonCredit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Three years into Louie being his assistant, Harrelson decided to stop fighting his feelings for her and confess his feelings. Of course, that decision was a hard one to make. “It was one of those things I wouldn’t admit to myself: I didn’t want to be attracted to my amazing assistant,” he said.
It all clicked for him after a trip to Africa over Christmas. “I just started thinking about Laura, fantasizing about her,” he admitted. “I mean, talk about forbidden fruit!” He continued, “I remember it was as if my teeth were itching, like an unscratchable itch inside the teeth. That’s how much it was suffusing my being.”
When he came back from his trip, he took her for a ride in his car and performed a song that admitted to his feelings. “I remember I was 28, and there’s a line in it: ‘I’m only 28, but I’m bored with everything I do. / I’ve got nothing when I’m not next to you. … Are you thinking about me, baby? / ‘Cause I’m thinking about you,’” he remembered.
Luckily, the feeling was mutual. “I play her the song, and afterward she says, ‘Woody, I’ve been in love with you for the last two and a half years,’” Harrelson remembered. “I picked her up and carried her inside to my bedroom, and we made love, and we began a great relationship.”
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They made their red carpet debut in 1995.
Laura Louie and Woody HarrelsonCredit: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Years into their relationship, Louie and Harrelson made their red carpet debut in the premiere of Money Train in 1995. For the occasion, Louie wore a black maxi dress and gray blazer while Harrelson sported white pants, a blue shirt and a backward baseball cap.
They wed in 2008.
Harrelson and Louie tied the knot almost two decades into their relationship. They said their “I do’s” in a small, private ceremony in Maui surrounded by friends and family. “[They] were officially married yesterday on the island of Maui,” his rep told People at the time.
They share three kids.
Deni, Laura Louie, Woody and Makani HarrelsonCredit: Getty Images
Over the years, Harrelson and Louie have become proud parents to three kids. They first welcomed daughter Deni Montana Harrelson in 1994, and then welcomed their second daughter, Zoe Giodano Harrelson-Louie, two years later in 1996. Their third daughter, Makani Ravello Harrelson, arrived 10 years later in 2006.
While they’ve all kept their lives away from the spotlight, the actor hasn’t shied away from gushing about them over the years. “My wife and my daughters, they kind of loved me into a better human being,” Woody told The Guardian in 2018.
Woody also gushed about his firstborn in a 2008 interview with Esquire. “I remember my daughter Deni coming along, and she was so pure and caring of everybody and everything,” Harrelson said. “And somehow, this little being managed to get around all the obstacles -- the gun turrets, the walls, the moats, the sentries -- that were wrapped around my heart.”
“My heart at that time needed her,” he continued. “I think it’s the best thing going, parenthood.”
Louie is a businesswoman.
In addition to being a busy mom of three, Louie has worked as an entrepreneur, turning her advocacy for the environment into a business. Per People, she co-founded an organic food delivery service named Yoganics that delivered organic produce around Texas. The company closed in 2015.
She’s since started another company, named Yoganics Maui, which offers its customers yoga classes and health foods.
She and Harrelson live a sustainable life.
As previously mentioned, Harrelson and Louie are longtime residents of an off-grid eco-community on the north shore of Maui, Hawaii. “It’s a really beautiful place,” The Hunger Games star told SF Gate in 2005. “Everybody cares about this Earth and they’re all biodynamic farmers and just really cool people. It’s really a loving community and I’m blessed to be a part of it.”
Per Harrelson, he and Louie are as sustainable as they can be, putting biodiesel in their car, using nonwood paper and growing 90% of their own food. “Nobody in our neighborhood has any power lines—we’re all solar,” he explained. “At the end of the night when the lights go out you just look out at the valley and the only lights are stars.”
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
