:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(776x244:778x246)/sunrise-coigney-bella-noche-ruffalo-mark-ruffalo-poor-things-121523-1-f31a897c1b00446c8760414605682ddc.jpg)
Walk onto any red carpet where Mark Ruffalo is a guest, and you’ll see it. He’s not just posing; he’s leaning in. Usually, he’s looking at the woman beside him like she just told him the world’s best secret. That woman is Sunrise Coigney.
They've been married since 2000. In Hollywood years, that’s basically an eternity. It’s like three lifetimes.
Most people know Mark as the guy who turns green and smashes things or the sensitive lead in every indie movie you’ve ever cried to. But the story of Mark Ruffalo with wife Sunrise is actually way more dramatic than most of his scripts. It’s a story about living in a literal dump, a secret brain tumor, and a massive career sacrifice that most people today would never make.
The Street Corner Meeting That Changed Everything
It wasn't some fancy industry party. Honestly, it was just a random street in Los Angeles back in 1998. Mark was a mess.
He was 31 and had survived hundreds of failed auditions. Like, 800 of them. He was tending bar at the Chateau Marmont, watching guys like Johnny Depp and Nicolas Cage walk in while he couldn't even afford a decent car. He didn't have a credit card. He didn't even have a driver’s license.
He was walking with a friend who actually liked Sunrise first. But the second Mark saw her, he just knew. He told Men’s Journal years later that he looked at her and thought, "I’m going to marry that girl."
Sunrise wasn't immediately sold. Who can blame her? The guy was living in a converted garage. When they met, she basically told him, "You’re a mess, dude." But she also saw something. She told him she knew he was a great actor before she’d even seen him perform. That kind of belief is rare.
When Sunrise Coigney Walked Away From the Spotlight
A lot of fans don't realize that Sunrise was an actress too. You might have seen her in 100 Centre Street or the thriller Campfire Stories. She even acted alongside Mark in the 2003 film In the Cut.
✨ Don't miss: Molly Jong-Fast Family: What Most People Get Wrong About the Literary Dynasty
But then, she stopped.
She made a choice that sounds almost radical in our current hustle culture. She decided to focus on their three kids: Keen, Bella Noche, and Odette. Sunrise once told WWD that a woman told her she’d always get a second chance at a career, but never a second chance with her children. She took that to heart.
It wasn't just about "staying home." It was about holding down the fort while Mark's career exploded. Being Mark Ruffalo with wife meant dealing with a husband who was suddenly the most famous person in the room. Mark has been really open about how "distorting" it is to be an actor's family. He’s away for months. He brings "crazy characters" home with him.
He calls her the "shambling enterprise's" savior. Basically, she’s the one who kept the wheels from falling off while he was off being an Avenger.
The Secret They Kept During the First Pregnancy
The most intense part of their marriage happened right at the beginning. In 2001, Sunrise was pregnant with their first son, Keen. Mark had a dream—a literal dream—that he had a brain tumor.
He went to the doctor. It wasn't just a dream. He actually had a vestibular schwannoma (a benign brain tumor) behind his left ear.
He didn't tell Sunrise.
He waited weeks because he didn't want to stress her out while she was about to give birth. He even recorded a video for his unborn son just in case he didn't make it through surgery. He eventually told her a week after Keen was born.
The surgery left him with partial facial paralysis and permanent deafness in his left ear. For an actor, facial paralysis is a career-ender. For a husband and new father, it’s a nightmare. Sunrise stayed. She helped him through the recovery, the fear, and the uncertainty of whether he’d ever work again.
Upstate Life and "Sunny's Pop"
By 2008, after Mark's brother Scott was tragically murdered, the couple decided they were done with Los Angeles. They moved to a farm in Callicoon, New York.
It was a total vibe shift.
They traded red carpets for greenery and "primal" living. Mark has talked about how they looked at each other and realized they finally had the space to get to know each other again.
Now that the kids are older, Sunrise has her own thing going. She owns a shop called Sunny’s Pop in Narrowsburg, NY. It’s full of treasures she finds while traveling—antiques, lighting, weirdly cool home goods. It’s a reflection of her bohemian, "anti-bourgeoisie" upbringing. She grew up between New Orleans and Paris, sometimes living in a van with her dad.
Why They Actually Last
The secret isn't just "love." It’s the fact that they’ve survived actual tragedy together. They dealt with:
- Total bankruptcy early on.
- A brain tumor diagnosis.
- The murder of Mark's brother.
- The "intensity" of raising three kids who all have dyslexia (and two with ADHD).
Mark isn't a "wife guy" for the cameras. He’s a guy who knows he almost lost everything multiple times and his wife was the one standing there when the dust settled.
If you’re looking for a takeaway from their 26-year run, it’s probably this: Relationship longevity isn't about avoiding the mess; it's about finding someone who is "game" for the garage years before the Marvel years ever happen.
What you can learn from their partnership:
- Support the "Unseen" Potential: Sunrise believed in Mark when he had 800 rejections. If you're waiting for someone to be "successful" before you commit, you might miss the real deal.
- Prioritize the Pivot: They moved to upstate New York because they needed to heal. Don't be afraid to change your entire environment if your family's mental health depends on it.
- Acknowledge the Sacrifice: Mark publicly credits Sunrise for the "boring" stuff like laundry and childcare. Recognition of the "invisible labor" is what keeps resentment from building.
- Keep Your Own Identity: Even after years of focusing on the kids, Sunrise pivoted back to her own passions with her retail business. It’s never too late for a "second act."
Whether they're in a quiet town in the Catskills or on the carpet at the Oscars, the dynamic between Mark Ruffalo and his wife remains the same. They’re partners in a very real, very un-Hollywood way.