Actor Joe Mantegna is about to embark on his final season with CBS show,Criminal Minds. His character, David Rossi, has been married multiple times and claims a childhood sweetheart was the girl who got away. In real life, Joe has been with his wife, Arlene, for 50 years. And the couple has a beautiful love story in which they have helped each other through hard times and encouraged each other’s dreams.

Joe and Arlene are from the Chicago area and they met in high school and began dating in 1969, according to People. They married in 1975, but first they exchanged private, informal vows at the top of the Eiffel Tower. In 1978, they packed a U-Haul and moved to Los Angeles with actor Dennis Franz, who later found success on shows such as Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue. Joe, however, had a slower start.