George Segal demonstrated that ‘love lasts forever’ when he married his high school sweetheart, Sonia Schultz Greenbaum, for the third time. Continue reading to learn more about the lovely love tale that took over 50 years to be realized! The love life of Goldberg star George Segal resembled that of a traditional fairytale. He met the love of his life early in life and left her only to endure heartbreaks. After five decades and two disastrous relationships, Segal reconnected with his long-lost love, Sonia Schultz Greenbaum.
His high school sweetheart was Greenbaum.
Only the fortunate are able to reconcile with their first love, and Segal was one of them. After almost fifty years, he married his high school sweetheart. Segal and Greenbaum met at George School in Bucks, Pennsylvania, and fell in love throughout their adolescence. However, their relationship was short-lived since the pair pursued separate courses following college. Segal wanted to further his education, so he enrolled in college and then joined the military. He briefly served in the United States Army before deciding to pursue a career in acting.
Before being signed by Columbia Pictures, the Academy Award winner encountered a few stumbling hurdles. He made his debut on The Young Doctors. Greenbaum, meantime, worked as a waiter in a New York Cafe. During their time apart, the two lived their own lives and were busy raising their children. While Greenbaum married her ex-husband and had three children, the veteran had a happy marriage with his first wife, Freed.
Had Been Married Twice
On November 19, 1937, the Goldbergs actor married producer and screenwriter Freed for the first time. Polly and Elizabeth, the couple’s daughters, were born. They had been together for nearly 25 years until splitting up in 1963. (At the age of 77, Freed died of a fatal illness.) Following his divorce, the actor married Linda Sue Rogoff for the second time on October 9, 1983. In this partnership, the vows of “till death do us part” were fulfilled when he lost Rogoff to a severe illness in 1996.
Segal was despondent when Rogoff died. When he got an invitation to his 45th high school reunion celebration, he was at his “lowest point.” As a result, he refused the offer, perhaps jeopardizing any hope of rekindling his adolescent infatuation. I refused the offer since I was in the midst of a downward spiral in my life. With Linda’s death, I became disinterested in everything. I had to work to earn a livelihood. Acting, like life, has become a chore. As a result, I was unable to attend my high school reunion.
Greenbaum’s Rekindled Relationship
The reunion party organizers wanted the actor to attend, so they approached Greenbaum to persuade him to come. When she contacted him, the two spoke for hours and got acquainted. Furthermore, the veteran actor said that remembering their earlier times with her helped him feel better. It was a magical experience. It reminded me of all the spiritual things I’d read about, but when it occurs in your life, you believe in miracles. She restored my enthusiasm in life. The long-lost love birds wasted little time in rekindling their childhood passion, and they married on September 28, 1998.
Died At 87 years old
On March 23, 2021, Segal will say his last farewell to his wife of 22 years, Sonia Schultz Greenbaum. At the age of 87, he died as a result of complications after bypass surgery. Greenbaum, his loving wife, announced his death the same day in a statement to Sony Television. “The family is heartbroken to report that George Segal died this morning as a result of complications after bypass surgery,” she added. Adam F. Goldberg, the Goldbergs’ producer, also paid tribute to the late actor on Twitter, writing that Segal was “a child at heart with a brilliant spark.” He described him as “the ideal guy to portray Pops.”