Few Hollywood love stories have been as intertwined with the movies as the relationship between Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman. They met on the set of a vampire action film, fell in love while both were in other relationships, married within a year of going public as a couple, and continued working together across multiple blockbuster projects. Then, after 11 years of marriage, it all unraveled over the course of a slow, quiet separation that stretched across four more years before the paperwork was finally complete.
The Kate Beckinsale Len Wiseman divorce timeline spans from their November 2015 separation to the finalization in November 2019, but the full story of their relationship begins more than a decade earlier on a Budapest film set. Here is the complete chronological account of how they came together, the years they spent as one of Hollywood’s most visually striking power couples, and the events that brought their marriage to its end.
How Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman Met on the Underworld Set
In 2002, Len Wiseman was preparing to direct his first feature film, a vampire-versus-werewolf action movie called Underworld. He cast British actress Kate Beckinsale in the lead role of Selene, a vampire warrior. By Beckinsale’s own account, she initially turned the role down, believing a film about vampires and werewolves was not the type of project she was looking for. Wiseman called her back, and when she saw character drawings he had made that were clearly based on her likeness, she accepted.
At the time, both were in committed relationships. Beckinsale had been with Welsh actor Michael Sheen since 1995. The couple shared a daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, born on January 31, 1999. Wiseman had been married to his first wife, Dana, a kindergarten teacher, since 1994.
The film was shot in Budapest, and in a detail that has been widely noted in the years since, Beckinsale personally asked Wiseman to cast Sheen in the film so that her family could join her on location. Wiseman agreed. Sheen auditioned and impressed the director enough to land a major role as the Lycan leader Lucian.
Both Beckinsale’s relationship with Sheen and Wiseman’s marriage to Dana ended in 2002 during or shortly after the production. By January 2003, Beckinsale and Wiseman were publicly seen together as a couple. They were engaged by June of that year.
Beckinsale has repeatedly pushed back against the narrative that she left Sheen for Wiseman. In a 2012 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she said the popular version of the story, in which she was on set and simply ran off with the director, was “just not true.” She said that if it had happened that way, it would have been very difficult to maintain a positive relationship with Sheen afterward, which they demonstrably did.
For his part, Sheen said in interviews that while the situation was “obviously not easy,” he never felt anything had happened behind his back. He praised Wiseman as a good man and a wonderful stepfather to Lily.
The 2004 Wedding and a Decade of Professional Collaboration
Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman married on May 9, 2004, in Bel-Air, Los Angeles. It was Beckinsale’s first marriage and Wiseman’s second.
The couple had no children together, though Wiseman took on a stepfather role with Beckinsale’s daughter Lily, who was five years old at the time of the wedding.
Their marriage was defined in part by an unusually close professional collaboration. They worked together across multiple high-profile films during the course of their relationship:
- Underworld (2003): Where they met. Wiseman directed; Beckinsale starred.
- Underworld: Evolution (2006): The sequel, again directed by Wiseman with Beckinsale reprising her role as Selene.
- Total Recall (2012): Wiseman directed this remake of the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, with Beckinsale playing the antagonist opposite Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel.
- Underworld: Blood Wars (2016): The fifth installment in the franchise. While Wiseman did not direct this entry, he contributed to writing and production, and Beckinsale returned as Selene.
In a 2012 interview with Parade, Beckinsale spoke positively about their working relationship. She said one of the things they liked least about their careers was the forced separation that different projects could create, and that working together allowed them to avoid that.
She also joked during a Tonight Show appearance around the same period that her secret to working with her husband was to “always argue over text so other people aren’t embarrassed,” adding, “You’d be amazed how fast you can type ‘douchebag.’”
Early Signs of Trouble: The Wedding Ring and the Hesitation on Children
Looking back, there were subtle public signals that the marriage was not entirely smooth, even during its seemingly stable middle years.
In July 2012, Beckinsale told Glamour UK that she was going “back and forth” on whether to have a child with Wiseman. She was 39 at the time and already the mother of a teenager. The remark was not explosive on its own, but it suggested a lack of settled agreement on a major life decision.
By July 2015, Beckinsale was photographed without her wedding ring at the ITV Summer Party in London. The couple had not been spotted together in public since Memorial Day 2015, when they were seen leaving Joel Silver’s annual party hand in hand. That May appearance turned out to be their last public outing as a couple.
In October 2015, a source told Entertainment Tonight that Wiseman had been staying at the Sunset Marquis hotel in Los Angeles. His last social media mention of Beckinsale had come in May, when he retweeted a photo from a group celebration of the upcoming Underworld 5.
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The CJ Franco Sightings and the November 2015 Separation
The separation between Beckinsale and Wiseman became a public story not through an official announcement, but through a series of paparazzi photographs.
Beginning in early October 2015, Wiseman was spotted out in Los Angeles with CJ Franco, a 24-year-old model. They were photographed together on October 6, again on October 19, and once more on November 17, when they were seen leaving The Nice Guy, a popular West Hollywood restaurant, together at 2 AM. In all of these outings, Wiseman was not wearing his wedding ring.
Meanwhile, Beckinsale was in Prague filming “Underworld: Blood Wars,” the fifth installment in the franchise she and Wiseman had built together.
On November 20, 2015, the separation was officially confirmed. A source told People at the time: “They are still friendly and spend time together in L.A. when Kate is there. There has been no drama. It’s just not Kate’s style. They have both had complicated schedules and have grown apart.”
Another source confirmed that neither Beckinsale nor Wiseman had been wearing their wedding rings for months by the time the separation was announced. Their last appearance together at a public event had been the January 2015 Golden Globe Awards, where Beckinsale was already ringless.
The 2016 Divorce Filing and Three Years of Waiting
Despite the separation becoming public in November 2015, no divorce papers were filed for nearly a year. It was not until October 2016 that Wiseman officially filed for dissolution of the marriage in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences.
The filing included several notable details:
- The couple’s date of separation was listed as “to be determined”
- Wiseman requested that the court terminate its ability to award spousal support to either party
- He asked that both sides pay their own legal fees
Reports at the time indicated that neither party was seeking spousal support, which initially led some outlets to speculate that a prenuptial agreement existed. However, when the divorce was later finalized, it was revealed that the couple had no prenup.
Beckinsale retained the services of Laura Wasser, one of Hollywood’s most prominent divorce attorneys, whose previous clients have included Angelina Jolie and Kim Kardashian.
In the settlement, Beckinsale asked to keep her personal effects and jewelry, as well as all earnings she had accumulated after the date of separation. She also deeded a home in the Hollywood Hills to Wiseman as part of the asset division.
The divorce was finalized in November 2019, almost exactly four years after the separation was first announced. The lengthy timeline was not unusual by Hollywood standards but reflected the lack of urgency on either side to formalize an ending that had already taken effect in practice years earlier.
Life After Divorce: Kate Beckinsale’s Relationships and Career
Following the separation, Beckinsale entered a series of high-profile relationships that attracted significant media attention, partly because of the age gaps involved.
- Matt Rife (2017): The comedian was 21 at the time, while Beckinsale was 43. The relationship lasted approximately one year.
- Pete Davidson (January to April 2019): The Saturday Night Live cast member was 25. Their brief romance generated substantial tabloid coverage, particularly given that Davidson had recently ended his engagement to Ariana Grande.
- Various other links: Beckinsale has also been linked to comedian Jack Whitehall and, in later years, to other younger men, though she has been characteristically private about the specifics of her personal life.
Professionally, Beckinsale continued working steadily in film and television. Notable projects include her role in the Amazon series “The Widow” (2019) and the action thriller “Wildcat” (originally titled “Lioness”), released in 2025.
She has also been remarkably open on social media about topics ranging from her sense of humor to her health. In recent years, she revealed a hospitalization that sparked public concern, though she later addressed it directly on Instagram. Her relationship with daughter Lily, now 27, and her continued friendship with Michael Sheen have remained visible parts of her public life.
Life After Divorce: Len Wiseman’s New Chapter
Wiseman’s post-divorce life has been defined by both a new relationship and a career resurgence.
His relationship with CJ Franco, the model he was first photographed with in October 2015, developed into a long-term partnership. On July 4, 2023, Wiseman proposed to Franco during a dinner at their favorite restaurant in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Franco, then 32, described the moment to People, saying Wiseman got down on one knee just as fireworks began. They have remained engaged since, with Franco noting that the couple has chosen to maintain separate professional lives rather than the collaborative working relationship Wiseman had with Beckinsale.
Professionally, Wiseman directed “Ballerina” (2025), a spinoff of the John Wick franchise starring Ana de Armas and featuring Keanu Reeves. The film earned $140.2 million at the global box office against a $90 million budget and represented a significant comeback for Wiseman in the action genre.
The Complete Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman Relationship Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Len Wiseman marries his first wife, Dana |
| 1995 | Kate Beckinsale begins relationship with Michael Sheen |
| 1999 | Daughter Lily Mo Sheen born to Kate and Michael |
| 2002 | Kate cast in Underworld; she suggests Michael Sheen for a role |
| 2002 | Both Kate’s relationship with Sheen and Len’s marriage to Dana end |
| January 2003 | Kate and Len first appear publicly as a couple |
| June 2003 | Kate and Len become engaged |
| May 9, 2004 | Wedding in Bel-Air, Los Angeles |
| 2006 | Collaborate on Underworld: Evolution |
| 2012 | Collaborate on Total Recall |
| July 2012 | Kate says she is “back and forth” on having a child with Len |
| January 2015 | Last public event together (Golden Globes); Kate ringless |
| May 2015 | Last sighting together at Joel Silver’s Memorial Day party |
| July 2015 | Kate spotted without wedding ring in London |
| October 2015 | Len spotted with model CJ Franco; also ringless |
| November 17, 2015 | Len and CJ Franco photographed leaving The Nice Guy at 2 AM |
| November 20, 2015 | Separation officially announced |
| October 2016 | Len files for divorce citing irreconcilable differences |
| 2017 | Kate dates comedian Matt Rife |
| January to April 2019 | Kate dates Pete Davidson |
| October 2019 | Divorce settled; Kate deeds Hollywood Hills home to Len |
| November 2019 | Divorce finalized after nearly four years |
| July 4, 2023 | Len proposes to CJ Franco in Cabo San Lucas |
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman get married?
Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman married on May 9, 2004, in Bel-Air, Los Angeles, California. It was Beckinsale’s first marriage and Wiseman’s second.
When was the Kate Beckinsale Len Wiseman divorce finalized?
Their divorce was finalized in November 2019, approximately four years after their separation was first announced in November 2015 and three years after Wiseman filed the paperwork in October 2016.
Did Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman have children together?
No. The couple had no children together. Beckinsale has one daughter, Lily Mo Sheen (born 1999), from her previous relationship with actor Michael Sheen.
Why did Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman split?
Wiseman cited irreconcilable differences in his divorce filing. A source close to the couple told People that they had “complicated schedules and have grown apart.” The separation became public after Wiseman was spotted with model CJ Franco while Beckinsale was filming in Prague.
Did Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman have a prenup?
No. According to TMZ, the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement. In the settlement, Beckinsale kept her jewelry, personal effects, and post-separation earnings, while she deeded a Hollywood Hills home to Wiseman.
Is Len Wiseman engaged to CJ Franco?
Yes. Wiseman proposed to CJ Franco on July 4, 2023, during a dinner in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The couple has been together since approximately 2015.
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Last Updated on September 21, 2026 by 247 News Around The World
