Who Is Tina Knowles-Lawson's Husband? All About Actor Richard Lawson

Tina Knowles-Lawson filed for divorce from Richard Lawson in July 2023

After eight years of marriage, Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson's marriage is coming to an end.

Tina filed for divorce in July 2023, citing irreconcilable differences, and asked for her name to be restored to Celestine Knowles.

The couple were friends for more than three decades before marrying in 2015. Tina was previously married to Mathew Knowles, with whom she shares daughters Beyoncé and Solange, though the two separated in 2009 and divorced in 2011.

“I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I had ever met,” Richard wrote of Tina in an Instagram tribute celebrating their anniversary in April 2021. “The thing that was so striking was that your beauty continued to be enhanced by your incredible heart, compassion, empathy, generosity, and philanthropy ... It took 32 years for my attraction for you to come full circle. It was well worth the wait.”

Richard has been working as an actor for decades, and he and Tina even opened their own theater center together in 2017.

From his eight-year marriage to the fashion designer to their recent split, here's everything to know about Richard Lawson and his relationship with Tina Knowles-Lawson.

He’s an actor, producer and director

Richard is an actor who has been working steadily in movies and TV since the ‘70s. He’s appeared in a plethora of projects, including 1982’s original Poltergeist movie, and starred as Lucas Barnes on the long-running soap opera All My Children from 1992 to 1994.

He has also appeared on Dynasty, The Cosby Show, Moesha, NYPD Blue and Mixed-ish, among other popular shows. Additionally, Richard has also worked as a producer.

He runs an acting studio

In 2005, Richard created Richard Lawson Studios, which he says is an acting school on the surface, but is also an “empowerment academy.”

“Since its inception, I’ve empowered people to identify their dream and then provide the tools to help them manifest it,” reads the official website. “I empower actors to develop the skill and gain the techniques necessary to create the evidence needed to fulfill their dreams. I use acting techniques to empower anyone to identify what it is they want and what they need to do to go get it.”

He has two children

Richard has two children from previous relationships.

He welcomed daughter Bianca Lawson in 1979 with then-wife Denise Gordy. Bianca has followed in her father's footsteps as an actress, having appeared in popular shows like Pretty Little Liars and Queen Sugar.

Richard also has a son, Ricky, who was born in 1992. Ricky is a songwriter who worked on Beyoncé's most recent album Renaissance.

He survived a plane crash

In 1992, Richard was aboard USAir Flight 405, which departed from LaGuardia Airport in New York en route to Cleveland, Ohio. The plane crashed during takeoff, and 27 people were killed; Richard was one of 24 survivors.

“An event of this magnitude has an indelible effect on your psyche and spirit.  It certainly teaches you that there are no guarantees in life,” he wrote on his website. “You have to live every day as if it’s your last.”

He added that the tragic event inspired him to write a "yet unpublished novel," which he is adapting into a screenplay.

He and Tina were longtime friends

Richard and Tina had been in each other’s lives for more than 30 years before saying they tied the knot, as Richard's late sister was one of Tina's best friends.

Following her split with Knowles, Tina initially didn’t know if she’d remarry. “There was a time when I doubted if I would find love again,” she told PEOPLE in 2015. “But I was determined to be happy.”

She added that it only took four months with Richard before she knew she wanted to marry him, saying, “This is somebody that I could really spend the rest of my life with."

Their relationship kicked into gear when Richard helped her recover from surgery. “I wasn’t very comfortable with it because I was like, ‘This is not the way to start a relationship off. It’s not very romantic,’ ” Tina told PEOPLE. “But he just proved to me that he was there, that he was really in my corner, and he took such good care of me, and he was so patient. That’s when I knew: This is something special.”

Blue Ivy encouraged them to get married

Tina's granddaughter, Blue Ivy, was the one who first planted the seeds of marriage between the couple. “[In September] we went on a boat with Beyoncé and Jay-Z for her birthday, and when we came out one night dressed to go to dinner, Blue said, ‘Oh, ya’ll look beautiful. When are ya’ll getting married?' ” the fashion designer told PEOPLE shortly after their 2015 wedding.

“Richard said, ‘Oh, Blue, soon. Do you approve?’ And she said yes,” Tina added. “That’s the first time we talked seriously about getting married.”

Before proposing to Tina, the actor reached out to Beyoncé and Solange. “I called her children and I asked for her hand in marriage from them,” he explained on the Black Love podcast in 2017. “I thought that that was important, because I knew without that, based upon the fact that Tina lives for her children, that it didn’t stand a chance unless they were on board. I was fortunate enough that they were completely on board and just over the top excited about it.”

They married in 2015

The pair tied the knot on April 12, 2015, on a yacht in Newport Beach, California, surrounded by friends and family. Tina's granddaughter, then 3-year-old Blue Ivy, was a flower girl, and Solange’s son, Daniel Julez Smith Jr., was the ring bearer. Other notable guests included former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; Richard’s kids, Bianca and Ricky; and Samuel L. Jackson.

“To walk down the aisle and see all my friends and family and to see my handsome man standin’ there, and to know that at 61 you can still find love and have a magical day like that it was really beautiful,” Tina told PEOPLE at the time.

Tina added that neither of her daughters performed at her nuptials because she “didn’t want them to work,” but rather “enjoy the day” with no pressure.

He founded a theater center with Tina

In 2017, Richard and Tina joined forces to start WACO (Where Art Can Occur) Theater Center in Los Angeles. The organization is “dedicated to the empowerment of Los Angeles artists, young people and stories of the African diaspora.”

Richard serves as the center's president and Tina is vice president; they are both co-artistic directors. Beyoncé, Solange and Rowland sit on the advisory board.

Tina filed for divorce in July 2023

On July 26, 2023, Tina filed for divorce from Richard after eight years of marriage. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Tina cited irreconcilable differences and marked their separation date as July 25.

She also asked the court to terminate the court’s ability to award spousal support to her or Richard and asked for her name to be restored to Celestine Knowles.

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