James Earl Jones, who died on Monday, September 9 at the age of 93, left behind an impressive body of work on both screen and stage. But another part of his legacy was his 34-year marriage to Cecilia Hart.

“She made me laugh. She was stimulating,” the late actor wrote in his 1993 memoir Voices and silences“And she didn’t seem to take me seriously at all, which meant I could relax and be myself with her.”

Jones, who was married to Julienne Marie Hendricks from 1968 to 1972, met Hart on a television series that turned out to be short-lived: Parisa police series by Steven Bochco that ran for 13 episodes between 1979 and 1980. Lion King actor played the role of Detective Captain “Woody” Paris, while Hart, who was also previously married to actor Bruce Weitz, played the role of Sergeant Stacey Erickson.

The project marked the first collaboration for the couple, who later starred together in a production of Othello in 1982. That same year, they were married at the United Nations Chapel in New York City and welcomed their son, Flynn (who later worked as Jones’ assistant). “He was conceived on our wedding night,” Jones said The New York Times and 2012.

Although Hart and Jones kept their private lives in Dutchess County, New York, out of the spotlight, the two were often seen rendezvousing for red carpet events around the city. While they were both working on various acting projects, Star Wars star often praised his wife in interviews. “She’s how I stay grounded,” he said The New York Timesamidst the ‘glitz’ of show business.

In a 2009 interview with PEOPLE, Jones revealed that it was Hart who suggested he accept the role of the reclusive Terence Mann in Kevin Costner’s 1989 film Field of dreams.

“That’s on my cherished list,” he said of the hit project. “My wife read the script before I got home. She said, ‘Here’s a little movie you need to make.’ It was a family… That was special.”

Speaking to the Washington Post In 2014, Jones highlighted some of his own family’s daily routines.

“Rest is important and it’s hard to keep this schedule,” he said at the time. “But I try to get eight hours of sleep every night. That’s not something I’m used to. I’m used to staying up until 1, 2. But my wife feeds me well, (and) I do moderate exercise on the treadmill or the step-up, just to get my heart going.”

He also recalled meeting Hart’s parents and asking them to approve the marriage. Jones joked that the only problem with marrying Hart was that he “had to stop flirting with her mother.”

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Tragically, Hart died of ovarian cancer in 2016 at the age of 68. Jones paid a moving tribute to his wife of 34 years when he accepted a Special Tony for Lifetime Achievement at the 2017 Tony Awards.

“I want to thank my wife Ceci for being such a wonderful companion in my life and in my work,” he said onstage. “And for being the wonderful co-producer of our son Flynn and for being so dazzling on the red carpet.”