Matthew Modine Couldn’t Say No to His Wife the First Time He Saw Her

Matthew Modine had a difficult start to his acting career. He first took a job at a restaurant before his acting career picked up.

It was also during that job as a chef that he met his wife, Caridad Modine. She was a customer that he couldn't say no to.

Modine's acting career and his romance took off simultaneously, and over four decades later, both are going as smoothly as possible.

Matthew Modine Was Spellbound by His Wife the First Time He Saw Her

When Modine first got to New York to pursue acting, work wasn't that easy to come by. So, to get by, he took a job as a waiter at a restaurant called Au Natural instead.

However, the person in charge there did not let him wait tables. Instead, he sent him to the kitchen to work as a chef.

The Stranger Things actor had a bit of experience in the kitchen, as he had worked at a restaurant when he was 11, and his parents owned a Mexican restaurant when he was little. So, his experience came in handy, and he stuck around.

One day, he received an order from a waiter for a dish to-go. Modine, however, refused to make the dish as he knew it would suck as a to-go food.

The server insisted, saying the customer, a female, was a regular at the place and a good customer. Still, Modine was in no mood to make the dish.

So, he stepped up and said he would tell the customer "no" himself if the waiter did not want to. He went outside to the dining area, determined to ask her to go to someplace else for her order.

However, all his sternness vanished when he saw the customer. Instead, he asked her, "How many do you want?"

Recalling the moment he saw the client, who would later become his wife, he said, "It was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen in my life."

"I do believe in love at first sight," he added while talking with Hallmark.

Matthew Modine with his wife of over 40 years, Caridad Rivera Modine. (Photo: Matthew Modine/Instagram)

That love at first sight with wife Caridad later turned into a marriage that has lasted over four decades. He acknowledges the support she has given him all these years.

While talking to Closer Weekly in 2020, he said Caridad was "the greatest partner and friend a person could ask for." He appreciated the stability and strength she had provided him and even doubted if he would still be alive if it were not for her presence.

Matthew Modine and Caridad Modine's Marriage and Family

Modine married his wife Caridad Rivera, a makeup artist and wardrobe stylist of Puerto Rican origins, on October 31, 1980. They have two children together — a son and a daughter.

Both their children are in the filmmaking business.

Their son, Boman Rivera Modine, (born on November 8, 1985) is mostly an assistant director and has worked on over 26 projects. He has also worked as a director and producer, with a few writing and acting credits as well.

Boman, however, prefers to keep his life as private as possible. His Instagram is private and not much is known about his personal life.

Their daughter, Ruby Wylder Rivera Modine, is a bit more well-known than her brother. She was born on June 31, 1990, and is an actress of decent stature. She has worked on various big projects and many smaller ones alongside her father.

Modine is now a grandfather, thanks to Ruby's son, Avery Winter. Avery is just over a year old at the time of this writing.