Ashley Williams and Producer Neal Dodson of “Meats” attend the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Shorts Program 2 on January 28, 2020 in Park City, Utah.Photo:Tibrina Hobson/Getty
Tibrina Hobson/Getty
Ashley Williams doesn’t pass up an opportunity to celebrate her husband, Neal Dodson.
The Jim Gaffigan Showstar met him in 2003 in the office of an acting coach. The producer popped the question on Thanksgiving in 2009, and the couple got married in May 2011.
“He grounds me. He allows me to laugh at myself and calms me down,” Williams told PEOPLE exclusively before their Nashville wedding. “He puts things in perspective.”
“He’s dreamy. He’s also a rockstar dad and we don’t know what we’d do without him,”Williams once wrote in an Instagram captiondedicated to the father of two. “Thanks @nealdodson17 for leading our nomadic family through the trenches with humor, bright ideas and unwavering energy. Every day is a ride and I’m ever grateful.”
So who is Ashley Williams’ husband? Here’s everything to know about Neal Dodson and his relationship with the Hallmark actress.
He grew up in Pennsylvania
Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson.Ashley Williams Instagram
Ashley Williams Instagram
Dodson grew up in York, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Central York High School in 1996 and went on to attend the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he graduated from in 2000.
In his hometown, he was honored in October 2023 as a member of the inaugural class of the Central York Performing Arts Hall of Fame.
“The hall of fame is intended to recognize and honor Central York High School alumni, teachers and others who have achieved a high level of excellence in the performing arts,” reportedtheYork Daily Record.
Williams and Dodson met in 2003
Williams and Dodson first met in 2003 in the office of acting coach Warner Loughlin. At the time, she was starring in the sitcomGood Morning, Miamiand Dodson was working as an assistant.
He “was coaching actresses on their accents for auditions and I was on a sitcom and that day he was wearing a big red @Carnegiemellon hoodie and I just wanted to hug him,” the actress revealed ina 2019 Instagram post, looking back on 16 years since their first meeting.
“He started handing me plays he thought I’d like: ‘just take this. Read it.’ He seemed nervous,” she added. “I was delighted. He talked a lot… but everything he said was interesting, funny, and somehow rang true or resonated in me the way only the sound of a cello ever had before.”
He is a producer
Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson attend the Robert Redford ‘All is Lost’ after party on May 22, 2013 in Cannes, France.Dave M. Benett/Getty
Dave M. Benett/Getty
After graduating from Carnegie Mellon’s drama program in 2000, Dodson had dreams of becoming an actor. He settled in New York City and did some theater and commercial work before making a move into production.
In 2008, he co-founded Before the Door Pictures production company with friends and fellow Carnegie Mellon graduatesZachary Quintoand Corey Moosa. The name comes from one of the first acting exercises in the drama program at the Pittsburgh University.
“We wanted a name that would tie us all together,” Dodsontold the school’s website. “Obviously, we all had Pittsburgh and CMU in common, and here we are together again, starting a new thing.”
“Zach jokes about it, but really, he’s the face of the company, I’m the brains and Corey’s the heart,” he added.
His producer and executive producer credits includeAnother Cinderella Story(2008),Love on a Limb(2016) andRun This Town(2019). In addition to frequently working with Quinto and Moosa, he has also worked on severalJ.C. Chandorfilms, includingMargin Call(2011),All Is Lost(2013),A Most Violent Year(2014) andTriple Frontier(2019).
Williams and Dodson got married in 2011
Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson attend the Pizza Hut x Legion M Lounge during Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020 in Park City, Utah.Presley Ann/Getty
Presley Ann/Getty
The couple said “I do” on May 29, 2011, in an outdoor ceremony at the Nashville home of the bride’s sisterKimberly Williams-Paisleyand her husband,Brad Paisley.
“We wanted an intimate, farm-inspired wedding,” Williams told PEOPLE of their no-frills day. “We basically planned an upscale keg party!”
TheSomething Borrowedstar wore a classic ivory Augusta Jones gown and blue sandals for her special day, and exchanged wedding bands with her husband purchased from Overstock.com.
Their 50 guests were also given flip-flops at the reception, which was held in the sandpit where Paisley trains his horses. Though the country musician hosted the nuptials, a four-member local country band provided tunes for the evening.
Attendees were fed a “small and simple” family-style menu including a signature whiskey cocktail, pulled pork, biscuits, macaroni ‘n’ cheese and banana pudding in lieu of a wedding cake.
He is a father of two
Ashley Williams and Neal Dodson attend the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards on March 1, 2014 in Santa Monica, California.Jeff Vespa/WireImage
Jeff Vespa/WireImage
“He’s gorgeous and healthy. So far he’s soothable and calm. Knock on wood!” the new mom shared with PEOPLE. She added abouthis name inspiration: “His name is Gus. For no other reason than: Who doesn’t love a guy named Gus?”
TheHow I Met Your Motherstar announced in January 2017 that she was expecting the couple’s second child. SonOdie Salwas born in Los Angeles on May 17, 2017, sharing a birthday with his dad. “This time, we had a hospital birth at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center,” Williams told PEOPLE.
“It’s been a crazy year, and that’s where I felt best giving birth this time around. It was very different than a home birth, but the confidence and ease of my doctor, Jay Goldberg, was truly awesome,” she added.
He’s worked with Williams
“Here he is. My @nealdodson17. The greatest producer I’ve ever worked with, and the man that makes everything possible,” the mom of twowrote in an Instagram postdedicated to her husband, who served as an executive producer on both movies.
Both holiday movies, which star Williams and her real-life sister Williams-Paisley as sisters Meg and Jennifer Swift, premiered in December 2021 as part ofthe network’s original Christmas lineup. One movie focuses on Jennifer’s return to her hometown, while the other shows Meg traveling to help Jennifer’s restaurant staff prepare for a competition.
She added in the caption, “This movie was a true labor of love, and would not have happened without Neal Dodson. Thank you for your mind, your heart, your care, your everything, always.”
Dodson also worked as an executive producer on the 2016 Hallmark movieLove on a Limbstarring his wife, and co-produced her directed shortMEATS, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020.
source: people.com
