Who Is Tina Knowles-Lawson's Ex-Husband? All About Actor Richard Lawson

Tina Knowles-Lawson and Richard Lawson’s marriage is over.

Tina filed for divorce in July 2023, citing irreconcilable differences, and asked to revert to Celestine Knowles. The exes settled 13 months later.

The couple were friends for more than three decades before tying the knot in 2015.

“I thought you were one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met,” Richard wrote of Tina in an Instagram tribute celebrating their anniversary in April 2021. “What was so striking was that your beauty continued to be enhanced by your amazing heart, compassion, empathy, generosity and philanthropy … It took 32 years for my attraction to you to come full circle. It was worth the wait.”

Tina was previously married to Mathew Knowles, with whom she shares daughters Beyoncé and Solange, although the two separated in 2009 and divorced in 2011.

From his eight-year marriage to the fashion designer to their split, here’s everything you need to know about Richard Lawson and his relationship with Tina Knowles-Lawson.

He is an actor, producer and director

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Richard is an actor who has been working steadily in films and television since the ’70s. He appeared in numerous projects, including the 1982 original Poltergeist film and played Lucas Barnes in the long-running soap opera All My Children from 1992 to 1994.

Also appeared on Dynasty, The Cosby Show, Moesha, NYPD Blue and mixed, among other popular shows. In addition, Richard also worked as a producer.

He runs an acting studio

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In 2005, Richard founded Richard Lawson Studios, which he says is on the surface an acting school, but is also an “empowerment academy”.

“From the very beginning, I’ve been empowering people to identify their dreams and then providing them with the tools to help them achieve them,” reads the official website. “I empower actors to develop the skills and acquire the techniques needed to create the evidence needed to fulfill their dreams. I use acting techniques to empower everyone to recognize what they want and what they need to do to get it.”

He has two children

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Richard has two children from previous relationships.

He had a daughter, Bianca Lawson, in 1979 with his then-wife Denise Gordy. Bianca followed in her father’s footsteps as an actress, appearing in popular series such as Pretty Little Liars and Sugar queen.

Richard also has a son, Ricky, who was born in 1992. Ricky is a songwriter who worked on Beyoncé’s latest album renaissance.

He survived the plane crash

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In 1992, Richard was on USAira Flight 405 departing from LaGuardia Airport in New York en route to Cleveland, Ohio. The plane crashed during takeoff and 27 people died; Richard was one of the 24 survivors.

“An event of this magnitude has an indelible effect on your psyche and spirit. It certainly teaches you that there are no guarantees in life,” he wrote on his website. “You have to live every day as if it were your last.”

He added that the tragic event inspired him to write a “still unpublished novel” that he is adapting into a screenplay.

He and Tina were longtime friends

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Richard and Tina were in each other’s lives for more than 30 years before they said they tied the knot, as Richard’s late sister was one of Tina’s best friends.

After her split with Knowles, Tina initially did not know if she would remarry. “There was a time when I doubted whether I would ever find love again,” she told PEOPLE in 2015. “But I was determined to be happy.”

She added that it was only four months with Richard before she knew she wanted to marry him, saying: “This is someone I could really spend the rest of my life with.”

Their relationship took off when Richard helped her recover from surgery. “I wasn’t really comfortable with it because I thought, ‘This is not the way to start a relationship. It’s not very romantic,’ Tina told PEOPLE. “But he just proved to me that he was there, that he was really in my corner, and he took such good care of me, and he was so patient. That’s when I knew: This is something special.”

Blue Ivy encouraged them to get married

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It was Tina’s granddaughter, Blue Ivy, who first planted the seeds of marriage between the couple. “[In September] we went on a boat with Beyoncé and Jay-Z for her birthday, and when we came out dressed for dinner one night, Blue said, ‘Oh, you’re going to look beautiful. When are you getting married?’ “, the fashion designer told PEOPLE shortly after their wedding in 2015.

“Richard said, ‘Oh, Blue, soon. Do you approve?’ And she said yes – added Tina. “That was the first time we seriously talked about getting married.”

Before proposing to Tina, the actor reached out to Beyoncé and Solange. “I called her children and asked them for her hand in marriage,” he explained Black love podcast 2017 “I thought it was important, because I knew even without it, based on the fact that Tina lives for her children, that there was no way unless they were involved. I was lucky enough that they were totally on board and beyond excited about it.”

They got married in 2015

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The couple tied the knot on April 12, 2015, on a yacht in Newport Beach, California, surrounded by friends and family. Tina’s granddaughter, then-3-year-old Blue Ivy, was the flower girl, and Solange’s son, Daniel Julez Smith Jr., was the ring bearer. Other notable guests included former Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams; Richard’s children, Bianca and Ricky; and Samuel L. Jackson.

“Walking down the aisle and seeing all my friends and family and seeing my handsome man standing there, and knowing that at 61 you can still find love and have such a magical day, it was really beautiful,” Tina told PEOPLE in that time.

Tina added that none of her daughters performed at her wedding because she “didn’t want them to work”, preferring to “enjoy the day” without pressure.

He founded a theater center with Tina

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In 2017, Richard and Tina joined forces to launch WACO (Where Art Can Occur) Theater Center in Los Angeles. The organization is “dedicated to empowering Los Angeles artists, young people and the stories of the African diaspora.”

Richard serves as president of the center and Tina is vice president; both are co-artistic directors. Beyoncé, Solange and Rowland sit on the advisory board.

Tina filed for divorce in July 2023

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On July 26, 2023, Tina filed for divorce from Richard after eight years of marriage. According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Tina cited irreconcilable differences and listed their separation date as July 25.

She also asked the court to end the court’s ability to award spousal support to her or Richard and asked that her name be changed back to Celestine Knowles.

A divorce settlement was reached in August 2024. Tina agreed to give Richard a lump sum payment of $300,000 and their 2021 Cadillac Escalade.

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Source: HIS Education