Danielle Kirlin is an American former actress best known today as the longtime wife of Chuck star Ryan McPartlin. Yet she had her own screen career before choosing a quieter life centered on family and business. Her confirmed credits include the television series Felicity and the 2004 horror movie Centipede!.
Danielle and Ryan married on October 26, 2002, and have two sons, Wyatt Duke and Dylan James McPartlin. More than two decades later, they remain married, making their relationship unusually long-lasting by Hollywood standards.
There is another interesting side to Danielle’s story. After stepping away from acting, she and Ryan moved into the health and food business. Their life today looks less like a typical celebrity marriage and more like a partnership built around family, healthy living, and projects they can work on together.
Where Did Danielle Kirlin’s Story Begin?
Danielle Kirlin was born on November 15, 1975, in Quincy, Illinois, according to her IMDb biography.
That makes her 50 years old as of September 2026. She will celebrate her 51st birthday in November.
Reliable public information about Danielle’s childhood is limited. Her parents, siblings, early home life, and high-school years have not been extensively covered by major entertainment publications.
That privacy is a pattern that continued later in her life. Even after marrying a recognizable television actor, Danielle never turned her personal history into a major part of her public image.
Did Danielle Kirlin Attend the University of Illinois?
Danielle has been linked to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the same university Ryan attended. Established biographical summaries of Ryan say he met Danielle there.
Ryan graduated with a degree in speech communication and played football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. After college, he spent several months traveling through Australia and New Zealand before eventually pursuing acting in Los Angeles.
The university connection is important because it means Danielle knew Ryan before his biggest television success.
She did not enter his life after Chuck made him recognizable.
Their relationship began much earlier.
How Did Danielle Kirlin Meet Ryan McPartlin?
Available biographies say Danielle and Ryan met while connected with the University of Illinois.
Detailed stories about their first date or proposal have not been widely documented in reliable interviews, so those details should not be invented.
What is clear is that the relationship became serious well before Ryan played the character that would eventually make him famous.
The couple married in 2002.
Chuck did not premiere until 2007.
Danielle therefore experienced Ryan’s career from its much earlier stages rather than arriving after Hollywood success.
A natural related article would be Ryan McPartlin’s journey from college football player to Captain Awesome on Chuck.
When Did Danielle Kirlin Become an Actress?
Danielle pursued acting around the same period that Ryan was establishing himself in Hollywood.
Her résumé is small, but it is real.
Danielle Kirlin’s IMDb profile identifies her as an actress and connects her particularly with Felicity and Centipede!.
That matters because Danielle is sometimes described online only as a “celebrity wife.”
She actually had firsthand experience with acting herself.
She knew auditions, productions, sets, and the uncertainty that can come with trying to build an entertainment career.
Was Danielle Kirlin in Felicity?
Yes.
IMDb lists Felicity among Danielle’s known acting work.
Felicity became one of the defining young-adult television dramas of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The series starred Keri Russell and followed its central character through college and young adulthood.
Danielle did not have a major long-running role on the show.
This distinction is important because small credits are sometimes exaggerated in online biographies.
Her appearance belongs to her early acting résumé, but she was not one of the program’s central stars.
What Was Centipede!?
Danielle also appeared in the 2004 horror movie Centipede!. IMDb lists it as one of the two projects for which she is best known.
The movie belongs to the creature-horror genre and involves giant centipedes attacking a group exploring caves.
It is very different from the romantic and comedy television projects that later became associated with Ryan.
Danielle’s limited filmography suggests that acting was a chapter in her life rather than a career she intended to pursue indefinitely.
Why Did Danielle Kirlin Leave Acting?
There is no strong primary-source interview in which Danielle gives a simple, definitive explanation for ending her acting career.
Some newer biography websites make claims about health issues influencing her decision, but these claims are not sufficiently supported by higher-quality sources to present as established fact.
What can safely be said is that her screen résumé became very limited after the early 2000s.
Over time, family and business became much more visible parts of her life.
That is different from saying she “failed” as an actress.
People leave entertainment for many reasons, and Danielle has not publicly provided enough information to reduce her decision to one confirmed cause.
When Did Danielle Kirlin Marry Ryan McPartlin?
Danielle married Ryan on October 26, 2002.
Both Danielle’s and Ryan’s IMDb biographies confirm the date.
As of September 2026, they have been married for almost 24 years.
Their 24th wedding anniversary falls on October 26, 2026.
The longevity is notable because much of Ryan’s best-known work came after the wedding.
Danielle was already his wife when his career moved into a much more visible period.
Who Is Ryan McPartlin?
Ryan McPartlin was born on July 3, 1975, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Glen Ellyn. He attended Glenbard South High School before studying speech communication at the University of Illinois.
Before becoming an actor, Ryan played college football.
He later worked as a model and became a certified personal trainer before building a steady acting career.
His early television work included Passions and Living with Fran.
But the role that changed his public profile arrived in 2007.
Ryan was cast as Devon Woodcomb, better known as “Captain Awesome,” on Chuck.
The character became a fan favorite.
Ryan later appeared in projects including Hart of Dixie, Devious Maids, L.A.’s Finest, Hunter Killer, and numerous television romance and holiday movies.
Was Danielle With Ryan Before Chuck?
Yes, and this is one of the most important details about their relationship.
Danielle and Ryan married in 2002.
Chuck premiered five years later.
So when Ryan suddenly became widely recognized as Captain Awesome, Danielle was not a new girlfriend adjusting to a famous actor.
She was already his wife.
They had built their relationship before his most recognizable role.
This helps explain why their story feels different from relationships that begin after one partner has already become a major celebrity.
How Many Children Do Danielle and Ryan McPartlin Have?
Danielle and Ryan have two sons.
They are Wyatt Duke McPartlin and Dylan James McPartlin.
The couple has generally protected their sons from excessive celebrity coverage.
Ryan occasionally discusses or posts about his family, but the children have not been turned into public personalities simply because their father is an actor.
That privacy is worth respecting.
Their exact personal lives, relationships, education, and future plans should not be filled in with unsupported claims.
A useful internal-link opportunity would be Ryan McPartlin’s two sons and his family life away from Hollywood.
What Has Ryan Said About Danielle as a Mother?
Ryan has publicly praised Danielle both as his partner and as a mother.
In a Mother’s Day message reported in 2025, he described Danielle as the best thing that had happened to him and praised her as a mother.
It was a short message, but it revealed something important.
Their marriage has moved through very different stages.
They were a young couple.
Then newlyweds.
Then parents.
Ryan became more famous.
The children grew older.
And Danielle eventually moved into business.
The relationship survived all of those changes.
Did Danielle Attend Hollywood Events With Ryan?
Yes.
Although Danielle has maintained a relatively private life, she has accompanied Ryan to entertainment-industry events.
Getty Images records the couple together at events going back many years, including an NBC Fall Premiere Party in Los Angeles in 2008 and the 2016 premiere of Devious Maids Season 4.
IMDb photographs also show Danielle and Ryan together at events for The Perfect Man, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and The Right Kind of Wrong.
These appearances show that Danielle was never completely disconnected from Ryan’s professional world.
She simply did not make red carpets her own career.
What Did Danielle Do After Acting?
One of the more interesting developments in Danielle’s later life is her move toward healthy food and entrepreneurship.
By 2025, reporting identified Danielle and Ryan as partners in Plate Therapy, a prepared-meal delivery business.
The idea fits naturally with Ryan’s own longtime interest in fitness.
He is a certified personal trainer, so nutrition and healthy living are already closely connected with his public background.
Danielle appears to have taken a more central role in the business, while Ryan has jokingly been described as the company’s “Chief Taste Tester.”
It is a very different kind of partnership from acting together.
But it demonstrates that their relationship extends into business as well as family.
What Is Plate Therapy?
Plate Therapy is described as a meal-delivery business offering fully prepared healthy dishes.
Instead of requiring customers to buy ingredients and cook meal kits themselves, the concept focuses on food that is already prepared.
For Danielle, the business represents an important part of her identity beyond her early acting career.
She went from appearing on screen to building something more connected with nutrition and everyday lifestyle.
That also gives her and Ryan another shared interest.
His background includes personal training.
Her business focuses on prepared healthy food.
The two areas fit naturally together.
Does Danielle Kirlin Still Act in 2026?
There is no evidence of a major active acting career for Danielle in 2026.
IMDb still identifies her professionally as an actress because of her earlier work, but her known filmography remains small.
Her more recent public story centers on her family and business activities.
It would therefore be misleading to describe her as a busy working actress today.
“Former actress and entrepreneur” is a more useful description based on the available evidence.
Where Do Danielle and Ryan McPartlin Live?
A 2025 entertainment profile reported that Danielle, Ryan, and their sons were based in Los Angeles.
That makes sense given Ryan’s continuing work in film and television and the couple’s business activities.
Their precise home address is private and is not relevant to a responsible biography.
The useful public fact is simply that the family has remained connected with the Los Angeles area.
Is Danielle Kirlin Still Married to Ryan McPartlin in 2026?
Yes.
Current biographical records continue to list Danielle and Ryan as married, with their marriage beginning on October 26, 2002.
There is no credible current report of a divorce or separation.
In fact, Ryan was still publicly praising Danielle in 2025, and recent entertainment coverage described the couple as continuing to work together in their meal-delivery business.
Their relationship is now approaching the quarter-century mark.
What Is Danielle Kirlin’s Net Worth?
Danielle Kirlin’s personal net worth has not been reliably verified.
Some celebrity websites publish estimates, but there is no strong financial reporting supporting a precise number.
She has had income opportunities through acting and business.
Ryan has also maintained a long television and film career.
But a couple’s combined household finances should not automatically be presented as Danielle’s individual fortune.
Without reliable information about ownership percentages, investments, assets, income, and liabilities, an exact number would be speculation.
Why Has Danielle Stayed Relatively Private?
Danielle has never provided a detailed public explanation of her approach to fame.
Still, her career pattern tells us something.
She acted.
She attended selected events.
She married another actor.
But she did not build a large public brand around being Ryan McPartlin’s wife.
Even after Chuck made Ryan much more recognizable, Danielle largely stayed outside the entertainment-news cycle.
That may also have helped the couple keep their family life more stable.
Public attention has usually centered on Ryan’s latest role rather than constant stories about their marriage.
What Makes Danielle and Ryan’s Marriage Stand Out?
Longevity is the obvious answer.
They married in 2002 and remain together in 2026.
But timing matters too.
They knew each other before Ryan’s biggest fame.
Danielle understood acting herself.
They raised two children while Ryan continued working.
And later, they found another way to work together through business.
Their story has therefore never depended on one television show.
Ryan may always be Captain Awesome to many Chuck fans.
At home, his relationship with Danielle began years before that nickname meant anything.
Interesting Facts About Danielle Kirlin
Danielle was born on November 15, 1975, in Quincy, Illinois, according to IMDb.
She pursued acting and is known for appearances in Felicity and Centipede!.
She and Ryan McPartlin knew each other through the University of Illinois connection.
They married on October 26, 2002, five years before Chuck premiered.
They have two sons, Wyatt Duke and Dylan James McPartlin.
Danielle accompanied Ryan to numerous Hollywood events during his acting career.
More recently, the couple have worked together in a prepared healthy-meal business.
As of 2026, there is no credible report that their marriage has ended.
Where Is Danielle Kirlin Now?
Danielle appears to have found a life quite different from the one suggested by her earliest Hollywood credits.
She is no longer primarily known for acting.
She is a wife and mother whose marriage has lasted nearly 24 years.
She is also involved in business with Ryan.
Meanwhile, Ryan continues appearing in television movies and other acting projects, including work that has kept him familiar to Hallmark audiences.
Danielle’s story therefore did not end when she stopped appearing regularly on screen.
It simply moved in another direction.
Final Thoughts
Danielle Kirlin is often searched because people first know her as Ryan McPartlin’s wife.
That makes sense.
Ryan became a recognizable television face through Chuck, where Devon “Captain Awesome” Woodcomb became one of the show’s most memorable supporting characters.
But Danielle’s connection to Ryan began before Captain Awesome existed.
She had her own acting experience.
She appeared in Felicity and Centipede!.
She knew Ryan through their Illinois connection.
Then, on October 26, 2002, they married.
Five years later, Chuck premiered.
Ryan’s career became more visible.
Danielle stayed beside him.
They welcomed two sons, Wyatt and Dylan, and built a family while Ryan moved between television series, movies, and later a long list of romantic television films.
Danielle eventually left acting behind as a major career.
But she did not disappear.
Her life shifted toward family and entrepreneurship, including a healthy prepared-meal business she and Ryan have worked on together.
As of 2026, the couple are approaching their 24th wedding anniversary.
There are still many details Danielle has kept private.
Her extended family rarely appears in mainstream coverage.
She does not constantly discuss her marriage.
Her personal finances are unknown.
And there is no reason to fill those gaps with guesses.
What is documented already tells a clear story.
Danielle Kirlin had her own brief acting career, married Ryan before his most famous role, raised two sons with him, and eventually built a quieter life outside Hollywood’s constant attention.
More than two decades after their wedding, they remain partners in family and business.
That may be less dramatic than many celebrity stories.
But it is exactly what makes Danielle Kirlin’s story interesting.
For more carefully researched celebrity biographies and family stories, visit Charles Magazine.
FAQs About Danielle Kirlin
Who is Danielle Kirlin?
Danielle Kirlin is an American former actress and entrepreneur best known as the wife of actor Ryan McPartlin. Her acting credits include Felicity and Centipede!.
When was Danielle Kirlin born?
IMDb lists Danielle’s birth date as November 15, 1975, and her birthplace as Quincy, Illinois.
When did Danielle Kirlin marry Ryan McPartlin?
Danielle and Ryan married on October 26, 2002. They are approaching their 24th wedding anniversary in 2026.
How many children do Danielle and Ryan McPartlin have?
They have two sons, Wyatt Duke McPartlin and Dylan James McPartlin.
Was Danielle Kirlin an actress?
Yes. TV Guide identifies her profession as actress, while IMDb lists Felicity and Centipede! among her known work.
What does Danielle Kirlin do now?
Recent reporting says Danielle and Ryan are involved with a healthy prepared-meal delivery business. Her recent public life is more closely associated with family and business than acting.
Is Danielle Kirlin still married to Ryan McPartlin?
Yes. Current records continue to list their marriage as ongoing, and there is no credible report of separation or divorce.
What is Danielle Kirlin’s net worth?
Her individual net worth has not been reliably established by credible financial sources. Exact estimates found on celebrity websites should therefore be treated as speculation rather than confirmed fact.
