‘One Day at a Time’ Cast: Real-Life Couples and Drama
In the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear was doing everything he could to shake up the conventions of television, his instruments of doing so appearing in the form of such shows as All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times and, of course, One Day at a Time. The latter ran on CBS from 1975 to 1984 and followed single mother Ann Romano (Bonnie Franklin) as she raised daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper (respectively Mackenzie Phillips and Valerie Bertinelli), with comic relief provided by apartment building superintendent Dwayne Schneider (Pat Harrington Jr.).
All told, the cast delivered on the show’s strong storylines that were breaking new ground as there hadn’t been many divorced single mothers in prime time up until that point. They successfully conveyed the sense that this was a family struggling to grow and move forward, all of it laced with humor. At the same time — not surprisingly — the actors behind the roles have had their own love stories, some extremely short and others that have spanned decades. What follows is a look at the real-life couples behind the original One Day at a Time.
Bonnie Franklin and Ronald Sossi
Bonnie Franklin (Ann Romano) was married twice in her life. The first time was to theater director and producer Ronald Sossi, who was well known for his efforts in experimental theater. Their marriage was short-lived, beginning in 1967 and ending in 1970.
