Hilarie Burton is a beloved actress in the TV world, thanks to her portrayal of subversive cheerleader Peyton Sawyer in The WB's One Tree Hill from 2003 to 2009. As one of the key characters at the heart of the teen drama, Peyton quickly became a fan favourite, with her on-off romance with Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) forming one of the show's most talked-about storylines.
After her breakout role, Hilarie went on to explore new characters in Grey's Anatomy, White Collar and Lethal Weapon, and is currently set to reprise her role as Peyton in an upcoming One Tree Hill sequel.
© The WBWith the original One Tree Hill finding a new streaming home on Netflix in the UK, Australia and Canada, Hilarie is bound to attract a whole new audience – but how much do you know about the star’s life and partner off-screen?
Keep reading to find out all you need to know about the actress, including her actor husband.
Who is Hilarie Burton's husband?
Hilarie, 43, is married to American actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 59, who is best known for his dark portrayal of Negan, leader of the Saviors, in The Walking Dead.
Like Hilarie, Jeffrey enjoyed a varied career in the early noughties, appearing in hit shows such as Supernatural, where he played John Winchester, the father of Dean and Sam, and as a patient in ABC's long-running medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
He's since gone on to reprise his role as Negan in The Walking Dead: Dead City, and starred in the 2025 crime thriller Neighbourhood Watch.
When did Hilarie and Jeffrey meet?
Like many people in the business, the starry pair were first introduced through mutual friends, none other than Supernatural's Jensen Ackles and One Tree Hill's Danneel Ackles.
Set up on a blind double date by their co-stars, Hilarie and Jeffrey met at an Irish pub in LA in May 2009. A year later, they became parents to their first child, Augustus 'Gus' Morgan, in March 2010.
© WireImageHilarie confirmed the news a few months later in August, when she told the New York Daily News: "We're really happy, and we're a very good team. And we got very lucky that our family is what it is."
At the time, she had not shared his name or when he was born, stressing that she wanted to "protect them like a mama wolf should".
In a rare comment about their new addition to the family, Jeffrey appeared at the Breaking Dawn: Part 1 premiere in 2011, telling E! News: "It's been spectacular... a lot of not sleeping, and then our one adult night we come here. This is our date. Can you believe it?"
Becoming a family of four
In February 2018, Hilarie and Jeffrey welcomed their second child, a daughter named George Virginia. In her memoir, The Rural Diaries, Hilarie revealed that she and Jeffrey had struggled with infertility for five years before welcoming George.
"There was no romance," she wrote. "The whole thing had become a science experiment... He'd feel used and wouldn't respond to me, and then I'd feel hurt and rejected. It was a vicious, unhappy cycle."
© Corbis via Getty ImagesIn June 2022, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, Hilarie also shared that she had undergone an abortion to protect her own health.
Posting a picture of George on Instagram, the actress wrote: "This is my child. My beloved. My daughter. It is no secret I struggled with infertility. Losing multiple pregnancies before her was traumatic. But female bodies are all different and unpredictable. Having an abortion after my fetus died allowed for my uterus to heal in a way that made it healthy enough to carry future pregnancies. It doesn't matter if you use the term D&C. The official word on the hospital paperwork is abortion. That's what it was."
When did Hilarie and Jeffery get married?
After rumours about the couple's marriage circulated for years, they kept the status of their relationship out of the spotlight. In October 2019, however, they secretly tied the knot in New York, surrounded by their closest family and friends, as well as their two children.
© Getty Images for AMC NetworksAnnouncing the happy news on Instagram, Hilarie penned: "Jeff and I just want to put it out there that WE GOT MARRIED! For real. We've lived as husband and wife for a decade. We've built a family, and a farm and found our community. For years, publications have reported that we got married in 2014 or 2015 and that I've been married and divorced before. All untrue. But WE knew our truth. So it felt silly to try and correct anything."
