Bette Midler is no doubt a strong, independent woman, forging an incredible career as an actress and a singer, but by her side throughout much of that journey has been her husband – and there’s no denying Midler is still head over heels for him.
The 74-year-old married her sweetheart Martin von Haselberg – who is also an actor – in 1984 and the couple share one daughter together – Sophie. Though they aren’t spotted out and about together much these days, Midler is still very much in love with her hubby – and he is her biggest supporter.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph recently about everything from her career to her personal life, the actress described Martin as a “genius” and a “wonderful man”.
With a smile spread across her face, Midler told the publication: “My husband is a genius! You know, he could have been one of the greatest actors of all time, but he chose painting and photography … he’s a wonderful man.”
And the feelings are reciprocated. Midler said with a laugh: “Well, he doesn’t think I’m boring.” Before adding: “It’s a wonderful marriage. I think he’s a genius and he thinks I’m Auntie Mame. What can I say?”
Meanwhile, Midler also discussed ageing and whether she ever wishes she was young again. While many may want to take a step back in time, the Hocus Pocus star admitted “I don’t think I could cope”. The actress said it’s “too complicated” and “too hard”, and kids nowadays have it a lot tougher than she did growing up.
“When I was growing up, my generation had the best of it,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “We dodged a bullet … I wouldn’t make it.”
Over the years Midler has been quite vocal on her opinions, never one to shy away from telling it how it is. And earlier this year the actress even lashed out at Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, slamming his actions during the horrible bushfires which engulfed much of the country. Her comments, which were published on Twitter, made headlines across the world and created quite a bit of attention for the star.
“Pity the poor #Australians, their country ablaze, and their rotten @ScottMorrisonMP saying, ‘this is not the time to talk about climate change. We have to grow our economy’. What an idiot. What good is an economy in an uninhabitable country? Lead, you f**kwit!!”
Her Tweet was shared over 26,000 times and received hundreds of comments from both Aussies and others from across the world. There were mixed views from her followers, with some agreeing with her statement, while others said as someone who lives outside of Australia, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.
“Thank you Bette and thank you to the fire fighters that are here helping from the US and Canada!” @JayStill4 commented on the post. While @ilda_talk said: “Foreigners, especially celebrity foreigners should quit being an expert on Australian bushfires since they know nothing of the land. Some of the fires were deliberately lit by firebugs. There is too much fuel on the grounds and the summer heat makes [the] situation worse.”