Photo: John Sciulli/Getty

Jodie Foster has kept her relationship with photographer Alexandra Hedison very private.

Though Foster famously declared that she was “single” when she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2013 Golden Globes, she married Hedison in a private ceremony in April 2014 after dating for almost a year.

“They are very private when they’re around people they don’t know,” a source told PEOPLE about Foster and Hedison. “But when they’re together, it can be like they’re in their own world.”

So, who is the woman who captured the heart of the Silence of the Lambs star? Here’s everything you need to know about Alexandra Hedison and her relationship with Jodie Foster.

She is a photographer

Hedison’s work can be found in public and private collections around the world and in various galleries and museums. She told The New York Times in 2004 that photography makes her “so happy.”

She has designed homes

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In addition to expressing herself with photography, Hedison has also designed homes. She was featured on the short-lived 2006 reality TV series Designing Blind. A few weeks after Hedison and Foster married, a Hollywood Hills West, California, home designed by Hedison went up for sale for $2.75 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.

She is a former actress

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Hedison appeared alongside Debra Messing on the sci-fi series Prey and had a supporting role on Melrose Place and Lois & Clark in the late 1990s. She later starred on Showtime’s The L Word as Dylan Moreland in 2006 and 2009. In 2005, Hedison made her directorial debut with the short film In the Doghouse, which she also co-wrote with Moon Unit Zappa.

Ultimately, though, Hedison found acting unsatisfying. “I was supporting myself, but I was miserable,” she told the The New York Times. “Actors need to be front and center all the time. That’s not me.”

She is a filmmaker

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In January 2024, Hedison’s short film ALOK premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Foster, despite being on a major press tour for True Detective: Night Country, joined her wife for the special event.

“She flew in from New York at 4 in the morning to get to the festival, so that was amazing,” Hedison told PEOPLE. “She’s just so incredibly supportive and so happy for me. It’s just amazing she’s here.”

She grew up in Hollywood

Despite her aversion to the limelight, Hedison was born and raised in Los Angeles. Hedison is the daughter of David Hedison, an actor best known for his role as James Bond’s ally, Felix Leiter, in Live and Let Die (1973) and License to Kill (1989). Her mother, Bridget Hedison, was also involved in entertainment and worked as a production associate on Dynasty and other projects.

She dated Ellen DeGeneres

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Hedison and DeGeneres dated from 2000 to 2004. “I’d have to be Oprah to compete with her,” Hedison jokingly told The New York Times in 2004. “Hey, I admit that there are times that I can’t get a reservation at a hot restaurant unless I mention that it’s for me and Ellen,” she added. “But I have to do my photography because that’s my work, and it makes me so happy.”

Though DeGeneres and Hedison reportedly discussed plans to adopt a child in October 2004, they separated by the end of that year.

She married Foster in a top-secret wedding

Hedison and Foster tied the knot in April 2014 after dating for about a year. The wedding was a top-secret ceremony, and the couple never publicly announced their engagement.

She rarely makes red carpet appearances with Foster

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Hedison and Foster prefer to keep their marriage out of the public eye, but when Foster was awarded the prestigious Honorary Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021, Hedison walked the red carpet with Foster. The couple later kissed when Foster went to accept the honor.

She is incredibly supportive of Foster’s career

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In February 2021, the photographer sweetly congratulated her wife in an Instagram post when the Golden Globe nominations were announced.

“Every day I’m a proud wife but today you get a special shout out in the remote land of IG,” Hedison wrote. “I’ll have to show you my phone for you to see this but still…I’m shouting from the rooftops.”

A few weeks later, on Feb. 28, 2021, Foster won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a supporting role for The Mauritanian. She accepted the award from the comfort of her home, alongside Hedison and their puppy. The couple also shared a kiss on-screen before Foster gave her acceptance speech.

She loves celebrating Foster’s birthday

Hedison posts about Foster every year on the actress’ birthday in November.

“Loving you is easy as cake. Happy birthday, beautiful,” she captioned a photo of the Panic Room star on Instagram in 2023.

A year prior, the couple traveled to Iceland for Foster’s birthday. It was there that they witnessed the Northern Lights together.

“A night to be remembered. Happy birthday, my love. You are spectacular,” Hedison wrote alongside a photo of Foster under the dancing green lights.

She attended Foster’s hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theater

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In April 2024, Foster had her hands and feet immortalized in cement outside of the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles. The special event happened to fall on her and Hedison’s 10th wedding anniversary.

“I love you so much, and I’m so grateful for the life we have together,” Foster said to her wife from the podium.