EXCLUSIVE: 'Yellowstone' Star Worships St. Luke — Ranch Series Star Neal McDonough Hails '90s Heartthrob Luke Perry as His Guardian Angel
Neal McDonough says Luke Perry remains a guiding angel in his life and career journey.
July 3 2026, Published 6:30 a.m. ET
Popular actor Neal McDonough has revealed for the first time how the late Beverly Hills 90210 star Luke Perry saved him and his family when he was blacklisted by Hollywood, broke and homeless, Breaking Celebrity News can reveal.
Known for his roles in Captain America: The First Avenger and TV series like Tulsa King, 9-1-1: Lone Star and Yellowstone, the 60-year-old admits he was a heavy drinker who was fired from the TV pilot Scoundrels in 2010 for refusing to kiss a female costar because of his deep devotion and love for his longtime wife and manager, Ruvé Robertson, and strict Catholic beliefs.
Problems With Booze
Neal McDonough said he lost his home and career opportunities after refusing to kiss a female costar on screen.
McDonough, who claimed he always had a no-kissing clause as part of his contract, said he was replaced by David James Elliott, got a rep as a "religious nut bag" and was ostracized for nearly three years.
But he also admits that his boozing "became a bad problem."
"I was always a drinker. I'm Irish, from Boston, it's what we do," he said.
After getting canned for refusing to kiss a costar on screen, "no one would hire me because they thought I was this religious nut bag, which is that I love my wife so much. And no one could understand it."
Neal said he "lost the house, lost the cars, lost everything."
Luke Perry Opened His Home, Saving Costar's Family From Homelessness
Luke Perry offered Neal McDonough and his family a place to stay after learning of their financial struggles.
That's when Perry, his costar in the 1997 sci-fi miniseries Invasion, came to his rescue.
"Luke saw me one night ... he saw I was a mess," he recalled. "He said, 'What's going on with you? I hear things aren't going so great.' Then I opened up to him and he goes, 'Why don't you stay in my house? I don't live in it anymore. It's right there, right near your house in Hancock Park. Stay there for as long as you want.'"
The Riverdale heartthrob, who would later die at the age of 52 after suffering a massive stroke in 2019, gave Neal the keys and saved his family from homelessness.
Ultimatum Changed Everything
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Ruvé Robertson gave McDonough an ultimatum to choose between alcohol and his family as they rebuilt their lives.
Neal also credited Robertson, mom of their five kids and his co-executive producer of Jimmy – a biopic about movie icon Jimmy Stewart premiering Nov. 6, for forcing him to kick booze as they got back on their feet.
"She said, 'It's us or the bottle, you choose,' and I never looked back," he said. "If I didn't have someone like Ruvé in my life, I would not be sitting here."
