Danny Trejo is famous for playing hard men on screen, but his real life has had plenty of twists too. Public biographies often note that he has been married and divorced four times and has three children. What makes his story stand out is not just the number of marriages, but how he talks about family now, including staying close to a former partner for decades.
A relationship timeline that started long before the fame
Trejo’s personal life began making big turns well before he became a household name. In his early years, he married his first wife, Laura, and he has said his lifestyle at the time played a role in the marriage ending. This period matters because it frames the pattern you see across his later relationships: messy chapters, followed by a strong focus on showing up for his kids.
Marriage 1: Laura
Biographical profiles report that Trejo’s first marriage was to a woman named Laura. They married young and later divorced. He has linked the breakdown of that relationship to the instability of his life back then.
Marriage 2: Debbie Schipek
His second marriage was to cartoonist Debbie Schipek, commonly listed as lasting from 1971 to 1975. There is not much detailed reporting about their day-to-day life together in major outlets, but the dates and the fact of the marriage show up consistently in biographical summaries.
Marriage 3: Joanne Discuillo
Trejo’s third marriage is usually listed as being to Joanne Discuillo, often dated from 1975 to 1978. Like the previous marriage, it is mainly documented as part of his life timeline rather than a heavily covered public relationship.
Marriage 4: Debbie Shreve
Trejo later married Debbie Shreve in 1997. Some biographies report that they separated in 2005 and that he filed for divorce in 2009. Other entertainment coverage has reported a later divorce year, which shows how public timelines can vary depending on the source. The safest summary is that they were together for years, then separated, and the marriage eventually ended.
The ex he still calls family: Maeve Crommie
The “still family” story most often points to Maeve Crommie, who is described in biographies as a former long term partner and the mother of two of his children.
In interviews, Trejo has described stepping in to support the family even long after they split, including helping raise her two sons from a later relationship when she needed help. That is the core of why people say he still calls her family. For him, the label “ex” does not cancel the responsibility he feels toward the wider family his kids are connected to.
What Trejo’s relationship history shows now
If you look at the full picture, Trejo’s marriages are part of his past, but the bigger theme today is how he talks about loyalty and parenting. The public record and his own comments point to the same idea: relationships can end, but being present for your children and treating family like a long-term commitment is non-negotiable.
