13 Photos Of Dondre Whitfield And Salli Richardson-Whitfield Over The Years
After meeting in the late '90s on the set of "Between Brothers," the couple have built a beautiful family and a strong foundation.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 08: Actors Salli Richardson Whitfield and Dondre Whitfield pose for a picture at the 8th Annual AAFCA Awards at the Taglyan Complex on February 8, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images)
We love a longevous love story! (That’s a 25-cent word for long-lasting, by the way.) That’s exactly what actress and director Salli Richardson-Whitfield and actor Dondre Whitfield have. The couple tied the knot in 2022 after meeting 27 years ago while he was working together on his series Between Brothers with Kadeem Hardison and Tommy Davidson.
While appearing on the OWN series Black Love in 2019, the beauty admitted that she was the first person to say the L word.
“I think I was the first person to say, ‘You gon’ marry me, or I’m gonna marry you.’ I was just in love,” she said at the time, before delving into the day she told Dondre she loved him. “What do you do when you’re so in love? I think I said, ‘You don’t have to say nothin’, I just want you to know how I feel.'”
Of course, Dondre felt the same.
“Literally, when we first got together, we spent five days straight–like, I didn’t go home. I slept with my clothes on; we didn’t do anything. It was the first time in my life that I didn’t try anything. There was something about her that I just felt that connection,” he said during a Black Love panel in 2021. “Every day, I took her to breakfast. I went to the mall so I could buy me some new clothes. I didn’t go home for five days straight. That’s literally how that happened.”
The two tied the knot and soon became parents to kids Parker (a proud Spelman student) and Dre.
And while Salli was sure she was in love with Dondre early on, she didn’t realize he was truly the one for her until they were already husband and wife.
“We had our ups and downs and breakups to figure out how we work this out, especially in Hollywood and both being in the business and under different types of pressures…I feel like once you get married, you don’t know still. You don’t know what you’re signing up for. And I truly believe that now, in our marriage, I don’t know if I knew then, but I know now,” she said in 2021.
The pair have a come a long way since they met in the late ’90s. See photos of the two and their kiddos over the years.
01
01
2022
Dondre T. Whitfield (currently starring on NBC series “Hidden Hills” and Salli Richardson (starring in Dreamworks “Biker Boyz” feature, and plays Denzel Washington’s wife in his directorial debut, “Antwone Fisher”). Exclusive Photos (Photo by Barry King/WireImage)
02
02
2003
HOLLYWOOD – JANUARY 28: (US TABS OUT) Actors Dondre Whitfield and wife Salli Richardson attend the after-party for the film premiere of “Biker Boyz” on January 28, 2003 at The Garden of Eden in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)
03
03
2004
Salli Richardson and husband Dondre Whitfield during 6th Annual Mercedes-Benz DesignCure at Home of Sugar Ray and Bernadette Leonard in Pacific Palisades, California, United States. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic)
04
04
2006
Salli Richardson Whitfield with daughter and Dondre Whitfield (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)
05
05
2007
NEW YORK – DECEMBER 11: Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield (left) and husband actor Dondre Whitfield arrive at the “I Am Legend” New York Premiere at Theater at Madison Square Garden on December 11, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)
06
06
2009
Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield and husband Dondre Whitfield participate in the 17th Annual ESPY Awards celebrity golf tournament at Industry Hills Golf Club on July 14, 2009 in Industry, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)
07
07
2012
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 30: Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield and husband Dondre Whitfield attend the 11th annual Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational gala at the Aria Resort & Casino at CityCenter March 30, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for MJCI)
08
08
2013
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – NOVEMBER 10: Actors Salli Richardson-Whitfield (L) and Dondre Whitfield arrive at Tommy Davidson’s birthday celebration at H.O.M.E. on November 10, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage)
09
09
2016
HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 17: Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Dondre Whitfield and children Parker Richardson-Whitfield and Dre Terrell Whitfield arrive at the premiere of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ ‘Zootopia’ at the El Capitan Theatre on February 17, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
10
10
2017
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 18: Actors Dondre Whitfield (R) and Salli Richardson attend Morehouse College 150th Anniversary: 29th Annual “A Candle In The Dark” Gala at The Hyatt Regency Atlanta on February 18, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
11
11
2019
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 06: Salli Richardson-Whitfield (L) and Dondre Whitfield attend the 10th Annual AAFCA Awards at Taglyan Complex on February 06, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
12
12
2022
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 02: Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Dondre Whitfield attend the premiere of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty” at The Theatre at Ace Hotel on March 02, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images)
13
13
2022
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 14: (L-R) Salli Richardson and Dondre Whitfield attend the Los Angeles premiere of Apple’s “They Call Me Magic” at Regency Village Theatre on April 14, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
