Who was Joanna Cassidy married to? Suzanne Somers's widower Alan Hamel confirms romance with late wife’s co-star

Joanna Cassidy was last remembered starring in Blade Runner and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and is considered a veteran actress. Joanna married Dr. Kennard C. Kobrin, a psychiatrist, which marked the start of their relationship in 1964.

During that period, Joanna attended Syracuse University as an art student, where she worked as a model to pay her husband’s medical school bills. She relocated with her spouse to San Francisco after he began working in private practice of psychiatry, and gave birth to two children before their separation in 1974.

Sugarman Sinai Memorial Chapel published an obituary for Dr. Kennard Kobrin, marking his life and achievements. He passed away in February 2020 at 81 years old. He was noted as a U.S Army veteran who served the country, simultaneously practicing as a clinical psychiatrist in Fall River, Massachusetts, for over 50 years.

Joanna Cassidy, who never remarried after Kobrin, is now making headlines again for a new chapter in her personal life—her blossoming relationship with Alan Hamel, the widower of beloved actress Suzanne Somers. The surprising and heartwarming romance comes 20 months after Somers’ passing and has been confirmed by Hamel himself in an interview with Page Six, published June 25, 2025.

“I’m fortunate to have Joanna in my life,” Hamel shared. “Most men would love to have a Joanna in their life.”

Alan Hamel and Joanna Cassidy: Old friends, new beginnings

Alan Hamel, 88, revealed that his connection with Joanna Cassidy goes back over four decades.

“I have known Joanna Cassidy for over 45 years,” he told Page Six. “Joanna was a guest star on The Alan Hamel Show in Canada in the '70s. She was a great guest and it was a dynamic show, and we liked each other, not romantically, but mainly with respect. Both of us were married at the time.”

Joanna Cassidy later starred with Suzanne Somers in the 1985 miniseries Hollywood Wives, but her bond with Alan remained mostly casual—until now.

Interestingly, it was Hamel’s son, Stephen Hamel, who inadvertently helped spark the romance.

“My son met Joanna at a screening and after a long conversation suggested to Joanna that she and me would get along and should meet,” Alan recalled. “Stephen did not know we knew each other.”

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Their reconnection, fueled by mutual respect and shared history, has grown into something meaningful—something Suzanne herself had gently encouraged before her death.

“‘Don’t mope around,’” Alan remembers her saying. “‘Live your life. We will see one another after you cross over.’”

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