The Real Story Behind Richard and Mildred Loving – the Interracial Couple Behind the Cannes Film Already Earning Oscar Buzz

ith a perfect last name amid imperfect circumstances, Richard and Mildred Loving made history when their fight for the state of Virginia to recognize their interracial marriage made it all the way to the Supreme Court in 1967.

Now, their love story is making headlines again, with a screen adaptation of their odyssey, simply titled Loving, garnering rave reviews at Cannes – and generating early Oscar buzz.

But just who were Richard and Mildred Loving (portrayed onscreen by Australian actor Joel Edgerton and Ethiopian-born Ruth Negga)? Read on to learn more:

1. They Were Arrested in Their Bedroom Five Weeks After Their Wedding

The Lovings were married on July 11, 1958, and were arrested five weeks later when the county sheriff and two deputies burst into their bedroom in the early morning hours, according to The New York Times.

The group reportedly acted on an anonymous tip, and when Mildred Loving told them she was his wife the sheriff reportedly responded, "That's no good here."

2. The Couple Initially Pled Guilty to Violating the Racial Integrity Act

Although the couple lawfully wed in Washington, D.C., their union was not recognized in Virginia, which was one of 24 states that banned interracial marriage. The couple initially pled guilty to violating the state's Racial Integrity Act, with a local judge reportedly telling them that if God had meant whites and blacks to mix, he would not have placed them on different continents.

3. Mildred Enlisted the Help of Robert F. Kennedy

The couple moved back to Washington, D.C., but in 1963 Mildred – inspired by the civil rights movement – wrote to U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and asked for help. He wrote her back and referred her to the American Civil Liberties Union, which took on her case.

4. The Supreme Court's Ruling Struck Down the Country's Last Segregation Laws

The case made its way to the Supreme Court in 1967, with the judges unanimously ruling in the couple's favor. Their decision wiped away the country's last remaining segregation laws. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the court's opinion, just as he did in 1954 when the court ruled in Brown vs. Board of Education that segregated schools were illegal.

5. The Couple Remained Married Until Richard's Death in 1975

Just eight years after the Supreme Court decision, Richard Loving died in a car accident. Mildred Loving died of pneumonia in 2008. A year before her death, she acknowledged the 40th anniversary of the ruling, and expressed her support for gays and lesbians to have the right to marry, per the Times.

Although the couple generally kept a low profile, they spoke to Life magazine in 1966, and explained their reason for moving forward with the lawsuit.

"We have thought about other people," Richard Loving said. "But we are not doing it just because somebody had to do it and we wanted to be the ones. We are doing it for us."

(Source: msn.com)