Who Is Jason Bateman's Wife? All About Amanda Anka

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Known for his roles in Ozark, Arrested Development and Horrible Bosses, Jason Bateman has become one of the most recognizable faces in film and TV. His wife of over 20 years, Amanda Anka, is also no stranger to the spotlight: The actress and the producer has appeared in several TV shows and is a co-producer on The Morning Show.

"She's f------ great. [...] She's the best," Bateman told GQ of his wife in 2013.

And Anka is equally as enamored with her husband. "He's the most sensitive, generous man without being fragile, which is interesting to me," she said.

RELATED: Jason Bateman Has Begun Rewatching Ozark with His Teenage Daughter: 'This Is a Big Deal'

In 2019, when Bateman won a SAG Award for his performance in Ozark, he praised his wife and their two daughters, Franny and Maple, in his acceptance speech: "without you, none of it would be enjoyable and it probably wouldn't be possible [...] I love you more than I even tell you I do."

In February 2023, Bateman won yet another SAG Award for his role in Ozark. While behind the winner's podium, he expressed his gratitude for Anka and their two daughters.

"Thank you to my wife Amanda, my two kids at home, Maple [and] Francesca, they made me feel like I was a good dad even though I was gone for six months every year. They're better actors than I am," he said.

So who is the woman who has been standing by Bateman throughout most of his career? Here is everything to know about Jason Bateman's wife, Amanda Anka.

Her father is the famous singer Paul Anka

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Anka's father, Paul Anka, is a famous Canadian singer known for a series of hits in the 1950s, such as "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" and "Puppy Love."

By the sounds of things, Anka's father is more than happy to have Bateman as a son-in-law. As he told ET Canada in 2011, Bateman is the "actor in the family." He added, "He's … a very smart boy, a wonderful guy for my daughter."

She has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows

While Bateman may be the actor in the Anka family now, his wife has also had some experience in front of the camera.

Throughout the '90s and early 2000s, Anka had small roles in a number of well-known TV shows. In 1992, she played a vampire in the film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She also had small guest roles in Renegade, Beverly Hills, 90210, ER, The Fosters and Bones. She spent two years providing the voiceover for The Greatest Event in Television History as well.

She co-produced AppleTV+'s The Morning Show

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While Anka seemed to step back from acting, she remained involved in the film and TV industry. In 2019, she took on her first project as a producer with AppleTV+'s The Morning Show. Other producers included Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, who star in the show.

She met Bateman when they were teenagers

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Anka and Bateman met in 1988 at an L.A. Kings game — both were around 18 or 19 years old at the time. They became friends but didn't initially have a romantic connection.

"I just wasn't into where he was at," Anka explained to GQ, referring to Bateman's party-centric lifestyle at the time. Eventually, Bateman's struggle with drugs and alcohol in his 20s caused him to lose job opportunities.

"Having thought, 'This is really fun,' and staying at the party a little bit too long, I'd lost my place in line in the business; it was a case of trying to claw that back towards the end of the '90s, and not getting a lot of great responses," Bateman later said.

She started dating Bateman in 1998

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As PEOPLE reported in 2006, Anka and Bateman started dating in 1998, 10 years after they first met.

The couple married three years later in 2001 in Malibu. They settled down in L.A. in a home close to Bateman's sister, Justine Bateman.

She and Bateman have two daughters 

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The couple have two children: Francesca (Franny) Nora and Maple Sylvie.

Their older daughter, Francesca, was born in October 2006 in Los Angeles. Six years later, Anka and Bateman welcomed their second daughter, Maple, on Feb. 10, 2012.

She and Bateman have some very famous friends

Bateman has appeared in numerous projects with fellow Hollywood A-listers, so it's hardly surprising that he and his wife have a star-studded list of friends.

In 2017, Anka and Bateman went on holiday in Mexico with their good friend Aniston and her then-husband Justin Theroux. The following year, they were spotted with their children at Disneyland with Sandra Bullock.

In 2022, Anka celebrated her 53rd birthday with Aniston, Chris Pine and Jimmy Kimmel.

She and Bateman have a relationship based on friendship

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Anka and Bateman's relationship has been a long one. When asked what their secret is, Bateman explained to The Daily Telegraph, "I looked around at the relationships that were the longest in my life, and they were the ones I had with my friends."

RELATED: Jason Bateman Taped Golden Globes Appearance from Jennifer Aniston's House: 'It Takes a Village'

With Anka, Bateman explained, he felt comfortable because she was already a close friend. "With close friends, you can be with them no matter what mood you're in," he said.

"Amanda is [a great friend] and that's why it feels so effortless," he went on. "It gets better every single year."