Who Is Mira Sorvino's Husband? All About Christopher Backus

The Dancing with the Stars contestant has been married to the actor for almost 20 years

Mira Sorvino and her husband Christopher Backus have been married for nearly two decades and have four children together.

Sorvino and Backus are very private when it comes to their family life. However, Backus occasionally shares glimpses of their relationship on Instagram, posting family photos and tributes to his wife.

In a 2009 interview with PEOPLE, Sorvino was asked what her hopes and dreams are for her family. "That we grow and learn from and love each other more with every day," the Romy and Michele's High School Reunion alum said.

Most recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dancing with the Stars contestant opened up about how it brought her loved ones closer. “One of the weirdly good things about quarantine was that we did start spending a ton of time together as a family,” she said in October 2021.

So who is Mira Sorvino’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Christopher Backus and his relationship with the actress.

He’s an actor

Like Sorvino, Backus works in the entertainment industry. He’s an actor who has appeared in several notable TV shows during his career. His first few acting jobs featured him in Will & Grace and The O.C. He went on to land roles in movies like All In, Yellow Rock and Among Friends.

Backus has also had small appearances in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Sons of Anarchy, Workaholics, Big Little Lies and Mindhunter. He’s well-known for portraying Jasper in 2014’s Deliverance Creek, a TV film produced by Nicholas Sparks.

Backus later starred in some films alongside Sorvino, like Indiscretion and Mothers and Daughters.

They got married in 2004

Sorvino and Backus quietly got married only about a year after they started dating. They tied the knot in a Santa Barbara courthouse on June 11, 2004.

They later had a second ceremony in Capri, Italy. In March 2022, Sorvino talked about the second destination wedding during an interview with The New York Times, saying they picked the spot after being invited to Capri’s film festival.

“I had already had this dream of having a wedding on, like, a rocky promontory overlooking the ocean. I thought maybe I could achieve that in America,” she said. “But I just fell in love with Capri. It was a way of inviting all of my ancestral ghosts to join us at the wedding.”

She added that they went back to the same spot for their 15-year anniversary to renew their vows with their kids there.

He has four kids with Sorvino

Following their nuptials, Sorvino and Backus welcomed their first child, a daughter named Mattea Angel Backus, on Nov. 3, 2004. The couple celebrated the arrival of their second child, a son named Johnny Christopher King Backus, on May 29, 2006. Their second son, Holden Backus, followed a few years later on June 22, 2009, while the couple's youngest daughter, Lucia Backus, rounded out the family with her arrival on May 3, 2012.

Sorvino struggled with pregnancy complications and a difficult delivery when giving birth to Holden, and has credited Backus as being extremely helpful throughout the whole ordeal.

“Because of my husband and my children, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world, and I just want to cherish every minute we have together,” Sorvino told PEOPLE in a 2009 interview.

Date nights are important to him

Both Sorvino and Backus are dedicated to keeping the spark alive in their relationship, even as they near their 20 year wedding anniversary. In a 2021 interview with PEOPLE, Sorvino said one of the most important ways they do this is by prioritizing quality time together.

“Date nights are absolutely essential when you have four children, because so much of your time is spent parenting,” she said. "You're next to each other, but you're relating to your kids, rather than to each other."

The Shining Vale star shared that they frequently enjoy evenings on their own. “We’ll go to a hotel somewhere,” she said. “This is our ritual.” Sorvino revealed that they usually head to spots in California, like Pasadena, downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills or Venice Beach to get dinner.

“So that we get to be a couple, not a couple with children, just for a moment. That’s really important,” she concluded.

He and Sorvino are working on a docuseries together

Sorvino is an advocate for sexual abuse victims, as she helped to spearhead the #MeToo campaign with her allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

In January 2021, Deadline reported that Backus would be working alongside Sorvino on her latest project: a docuseries meant to help the survivors of human trafficking. Sorvino and Backus are set to work with her sister, Amanda, an animal advocate.

The trio and a team of therapeutic experts will lend a hand on a family-run 200-acre ranch outside of Los Angeles. The show's concept aims to help a group of people get past their trauma using expert-led animal therapy.

He and Sorvino encourage each other's careers

In a 2014 Ask Me Anything on Reddit, Backus answered questions sent in by fans. One of the inquiries was about how he and Sorvino make their relationship work around their schedules.

“It's all about support, respect and love and then the rest of it you just figure out,” he explained. “Our profession has obvious benefits in that we don't work everyday so we get to be hands on parents and that's important to both of us.”

Backus then shared that it gets “intense” when they work because of the long days, but they’re supportive of each other and take turns staying with their kids. “We're lucky to have found each other and were extremely happy about that so everything else we just figure out a way,” he added.

He’s very supportive of his family 

One look at Backus’ Instagram page reveals his appreciation for his wife and kids. He posts images of Sorvino, and although he doesn’t share a lot about his kids, he sometimes uploads pictures of them too.

In May 2021, he posted a photo of Sorvino and their children playing in a backyard on Instagram, with the caption, “Happy Mother’s Day to the best mom and wife a man could ask for. She fills our lives with boundless love, affection, cuteness, adventures and bravery. So lucky are we to have you in our lives.”

The year prior, he dedicated a birthday tribute to her as well on Instagram, sharing a snap of them snuggling alongside the caption, “Every second of every day with you is a blessing from God. Happy birthday my love.”

In a 2009 interview with PEOPLE about her rough pregnancy with her third child, Sorvino praised Backus for always being there for them. “Chris was a true hero while I was in the hospital, taking care of every aspect of our lives and attending to all of the kids needs during a truly difficult time for all of us,” she said.

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