Who is William Daniels married to? All about the Boy Meets World actor amid DWTS appearance 

William Daniels had long shared his life with Bonnie Bartlett, his wife of more than seven decades. The couple’s story began at Northwestern University, where they studied acting before marrying in 1951, as Us Weekly reported.

William David Daniels was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 31, 1927. William Daniels's first major credited television role was as the young John Quincy Adams in the 1952 A Woman for the Ages. His most popular works include his roles as George Feeny on Boy Meets World, the voice of K.I.T.T. in Knight Rider, and Dr. Mark Craig on St. Elsewhere.

Years later, William Daniels looked back on a lifetime of performances and decided to slow down. Speaking to Forbes in an interview published on April 4, 2022, shortly after his 95th birthday, he admitted that he had found comfort in simplicity after years in the spotlight.

“I’m very happy having a comfortable way of life now without having to perform or do anything stressful, I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do,” he shared.

Yet, the legendary actor couldn’t stay away from the screen for long. According to Us Weekly, he recently shared a touching Boy Meets World reunion moment with Danielle Fishel on Dancing With the Stars. During the October 14 broadcast, Fishel and Pasha Pashkov jived to the series’ familiar theme song, and William Daniels joined them on the dance floor, delighting fans with a rare and nostalgic appearance.

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Danielle Fishel thanks William Daniels on DWTS for a lifetime of guidance

Danielle Fishel had nothing but gratitude for her longtime mentor William Daniels during her Dancing With the Stars appearance. Explaining why she chose to dedicate her performance to the Boy Meets World legend, Fishel said,

“I don’t think I would have been the professional that I am [without William Daniels]”

Daniels, who called in ahead of the show, told her he was “very proud of all she’s doing.”

“This dance is for you Mr. Feeny, thank you for always showing up even when the cameras stopped rolling,” she shared.

When the performance began, Fishel and her partner Pasha Pashkov kicked off their jive beside Daniels in a classroom-style office before hitting the ballroom floor. The routine ended where it started, back with Daniels, who gave the pair an “A+” for their effort. Although the actor’s grade couldn’t have been higher, the judges’ scores told a slightly different story. The duo earned a total of 29 out of 40.

Fishel and Daniels had famously shared the screen for years as Topanga Lawrence and Mr. George Feeny on the ABC classic Boy Meets World, which aired from 1993 to 2000. Earlier in October, Fishel had teased the reunion on her Danielle With the Stars podcast, saying,

“Mr. Feeny himself is going to be on the ballroom floor with me.”

While she admitted that “saying it out loud feels crazy,” Fishel told listeners that the pair would be performing to the Boy Meets World theme song, “the one you all know and love.” Explaining her motivation for the tribute, Fishel said,

“It’s really a dedication to Bill and the role he has played in my life and the role Boy Meets World has played in my life. He’s just such an inspiration to so many of us. And to be able to say thank you to him and to give him this kind of platform for him to receive the love that he deserves is going to be very memorable.”

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William Daniels and Bonnie Bartlett get candid about their marriage

When asked by Forbes how a marriage could last more than seven decades, Bonnie Bartlett answered with the kind of honesty that only comes from experience.

“So much happens and you live — the good things, you hurt each other, we’ve hurt each other but you recover and you grow and you change and you adapt. You have to be able to adapt to the other person. You have to think of them first. It doesn’t happen overnight. It took us years to get to a real companionship marriage,” she shared.

William Daniels nodded to the early challenges that came with balancing love and ambition.

“At first, there’s a lot of struggle and there’s a lot of uncertainty of whether you’re in the right business at all when you can’t get a job and you can be difficult — difficult to live with because of all this uncertainty, what you really have to do is learn to respect the other person and their feelings and try to be as easy (laughs) to live with as you possibly can,” he shared.

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William Daniels looks back on Mr. Feeny’s lasting legacy and the show that defined a generation

Looking back on his years as the beloved Mr. Feeny, William Daniels told Forbes that the experience was one he remembered fondly.

“I look back on it as being a pleasant experience,” he shared.

His wife, Bonnie Bartlett, who later joined Boy Meets World as Dean Bolander, Mr. Feeny’s on-screen partner, recalled how much her husband had cared for his young castmates.

“Bill loved all those kids, he did, he likes them now, too. We see them! They’re all great,” she shared.

Daniels, now in his late nineties, said seeing his former co-stars as adults had been a joy.

“They’ve grown up. They’re adults, they’re married, they have children. It’s a whole different scene,” he remarked.

Bartlett added that fans still react emotionally when they encounter Daniels at conventions or public events. When asked why she thought his portrayal of Mr. Feeny had touched so many hearts, she didn’t hesitate.

“Because Mr. Feeny is the last thing he has played, by then, Bill could become Mr. Feeny. Dr. Craig was kind of mean, you know? John Adams was tough. By the time he was Mr. Feeny, all the good stuff that is Bill came through and that’s him. That’s all of his growth, his development,” she explained.