You’ve probably seen Alison Sweeney light up your TV screen, whether as Sami Brady on Days of Our Lives or in one of her many Hallmark Channel films. But the man standing quietly beside her for over 25 years? That’s David Sanov, and his story is genuinely worth knowing.
He’s not an actor. He’s not chasing followers on Instagram. David Sanov is a retired police officer and Highway Patrol officer from California, a licensed pilot, and by all accounts a man who built his life around service rather than celebrity. In a world obsessed with personal branding, that makes him genuinely interesting.
Who Is David Sanov?
David Sanov is a retired Police Officer and Highway Patrol officer from the United States, famous for being the husband of Alison Sweeney, an actress, reality show host, producer, director, and writer.
But reduce him to just “Alison Sweeney’s husband” and you miss the full picture. From a distinguished 27-year career with the California Highway Patrol to his volunteer work as a pilot, Sanov’s life reflects discipline and purpose. This is someone who spent nearly three decades serving the public, then found new ways to give back in retirement. That’s not a footnote. That’s the whole story.
Early Life and Education
David Sanov was born on October 4, 1972, in Los Angeles, California. He grew up active and sport-focused, playing basketball and soccer at Oakland High School, and later attended the University of California, Irvine, where he attained a graduate degree in 1994.
What makes his upbringing unusual is a detail most people overlook: Sanov and Sweeney share a unique history that began before fame. Their parents, both professional violinists, worked on film soundtracks. This created a connection between the families in their childhood. So while his background touched the edges of Hollywood, Sanov deliberately chose a completely different path.
A 27-Year Career With the California Highway Patrol
After graduating from UC Irvine, Sanov joined the police force, dedicating himself to ensuring highway safety and responding promptly to emergencies and accidents. He worked with the California Highway Patrol for twenty-seven years until his retirement in 2022.
That’s not a short stint or a career detour. That’s nearly three decades of showing up, often during people’s worst moments, on some of the busiest highways in the country. His responsibilities in this role included conducting traffic stops, verifying driver’s licenses, and issuing citations when required.
His law enforcement background didn’t stay entirely separate from his wife’s entertainment world either. In 2005, he appeared as a police officer on Days of Our Lives. Sanov has provided consultation for Sweeney’s Hallmark Channel projects, ensuring that police dialogue and procedural details are realistic. Small contributions, but ones that show a man comfortable enough in his own identity to dip a toe into his wife’s world without needing to make it his own.
The Love Story With Alison Sweeney
This one has a proper rom-com arc, and it’s real.
Alison Sweeney and David Sanov knew each other from childhood as their parents happened to work together. Alison revealed that she had had a crush on David since teenagehood, so she enlisted her mother’s help in getting his attention. The pair split paths due to their different careers. The two later met at a party in 1997 and dated for three years.
On July 8, 2000, Sweeney married David Sanov, after dating for nearly three years. The wedding was a private ceremony, in keeping with Sanov’s preference for keeping personal milestones out of the press.
As Alison noted when she celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in July 2025, she adored how they have so many memories together spanning many years. “Can you believe it? We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary tonight,” she wrote on Instagram. “Time flies when you’re having fun. We had a wonderful dinner sharing memories and telling each other that we look exactly the same.”
25 years in Hollywood adjacent life, and they’re still at dinner telling each other they haven’t aged. That’s the kind of marriage people write self-help books trying to recreate.
Family Life: Two Kids and a Move to Arizona
The couple have two children: a son born on February 25, 2005, and a daughter born on January 12, 2009. The family lived in Los Angeles. They have since moved to Arizona.
Their son, Benjamin Edward, was born on February 25, 2005. He is now a student at Baylor University, pursuing higher education and his own path. Their daughter, Megan Hope, was born on January 12, 2009. According to multiple reports from early 2026, Megan took her first step into acting in 2026, appearing alongside her mother in the Hallmark movie Romance at Hope Ranch.
The move to Scottsdale, Arizona reflects something genuinely intentional about how Sanov and Sweeney approach their life. Living outside of Hollywood allows the family to focus more on personal relationships and everyday experiences. The move represents another step in building a life defined by stability, family values, and personal success.
David Sanov the Pilot: A Life of Continued Service
Retirement from the CHP didn’t mean stepping back from service. David Sanov is a licensed pilot. Aviation is more than a hobby; it is a meaningful way for him to give back to the community. He has flown missions for Angel Flight West, an organisation that provides free air transportation for patients in need of medical treatment.
Sanov has also volunteered with Pilots N Paws, an organisation dedicated to rescuing and transporting animals to safe environments. Through this initiative, he has combined his passion for flying with humanitarian and animal welfare causes.
This is the part of David Sanov’s story that gets underreported. It’s easy to write someone off as “the famous woman’s quiet husband,” but the reality is a man who, after nearly three decades in law enforcement, chose to spend his free time flying medical patients to treatment and transporting rescue animals. That’s not a PR strategy. That’s character.
Net Worth
Estimates on David Sanov’s personal net worth vary across sources. His net worth is alleged to be $500,000 as of 2023, accumulated through nearly 27 years of work with the California Highway Patrol. Some sources cite higher figures, but these often appear to conflate his finances with Alison Sweeney’s, whose net worth is widely reported to be around $9 million from her entertainment career. The honest answer is that Sanov’s own wealth is modest by Hollywood standards, which is perhaps exactly the point.
Why David Sanov Stands Out
In a celebrity culture that rewards visibility above almost everything else, David Sanov is a genuine anomaly. Sanov’s identity is defined as much by what he does not seek attention, interviews, exposure as by his role as husband and father.
He doesn’t run social media accounts. He doesn’t give interviews. He shows up to events with his wife when it makes sense, and otherwise he gets on with his life: flying medical patients to hospitals, transporting rescue animals, and raising two kids in Arizona.
By maintaining a non-Hollywood career and private home life, he provides a counterweight to the instability often associated with entertainment work. His role is not to manage publicity but to make its absence possible.
That’s actually a sophisticated way to support a partner with a demanding public career. And it’s clearly worked, given that they’re celebrating 25 years and still claiming they haven’t aged.
Frequently Asked Questions About David Sanov
Who is David Sanov?
David Sanov is a retired California Highway Patrol officer and the husband of actress Alison Sweeney. He is also a licensed pilot and volunteer with Angel Flight West and Pilots N Paws.
When did David Sanov and Alison Sweeney get married?
They married on July 8, 2000, after dating for three years. In July 2025, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.
How old is David Sanov?
Born on October 4, 1972, David Sanov is 53 years old as of late 2025.
What does David Sanov do now?
He retired from the California Highway Patrol in 2022 after 27 years of service. He now volunteers as a pilot for medical transport and animal rescue organisations.
Do David Sanov and Alison Sweeney have children?
Yes, they have two children: son Benjamin Edward, born February 25, 2005, and daughter Megan Hope, born January 12, 2009.
Where do David Sanov and Alison Sweeney live?
The family relocated from Los Angeles to Scottsdale, Arizona, seeking a quieter lifestyle away from Hollywood.
David Sanov won’t be releasing a memoir or landing a reality TV deal anytime soon. That’s what makes him worth reading about. In a world where everyone is performing for an audience, he’s just living a life and from the outside, it looks like a pretty good one.
Read More About: David Lemanowicz
