Kevin Costner has been in show business since the 1980s, wearing many hats — including actor, producer, director and musician.
Costner became a household name in 1987, when he starred in both The Untouchables and No Way Out. A man of the silver screen throughout much of his career, Costner transitioned to television in 2012, portraying Devil Anse Hatfield in the History Channel’s Hatfield & McCoys miniseries. The role earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
The California native cemented his TV star status in 2018 when he began starring as John Dutton III in the Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, earning a Golden Globe for Best Television Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in 2023.
Aside from his career, the Let Him Go producer is also a family man, having welcomed seven children over the years. He shares daughters Annie and Lily, born in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and son Joe, born in 1988, with ex-wife Cindy Silva. After the pair’s divorce in 1994, Costner had a brief relationship with Bridget Rooney, with whom he welcomed son Liam in 1996.
Costner went on to marry Christine Baumgartner in 2004. The couple share sons Cayden and Hayes, born in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and daughter Grace, born in 2010. Nearly 19 years after tying the knot, Baumgartner filed for divorce from the actor, Us Weekly confirmed in May 2023.
Scroll through for a look at Costner’s life over the years:
1978
The Open Range director married his first wife, Silva, after meeting her in college.
1984
Costner and Silva became parents for the first time, welcoming their daughter Annie.
1986
The then-couple’s daughter Lily was born.
1987
Costner became a bona fide star with the release of his films The Untouchables and No Way Out.
1988
The Hidden Figures actor welcomed his third child with Silva, son Joe.
1989
Costner starred in the sports fantasy drama Field of Dreams, which received three Oscar nominations including Best Picture.
During a July 2008 appearance on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, the Highwayman producer was asked why the film has the power to make adult men cry.
“That movie I think is our generation’s It’s a Wonderful Life,” he explained. “And it doesn’t matter how often you watch that movie … it seems to get [to] people.”
1990
The Message in a Bottle actor made his directorial debut with Dances With Wolves, which he also starred in. Although the film earned him an Oscar for Best Directing, Costner faced his share of insecurity going into the project.
“I was nervous enough being a director on it,” he said during a February 2014 Role Call interview. The Bill Durham star revealed that it took a few days for him to relax into the position.
“I went, ‘This looks like a movie.’ I was desperately hoping that it would,” he said.
1994
Costner and Silva called it quits after 16 years of marriage.
The Golden Globe winner opened about how his divorce affected him during a May 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“My faith was shaken. No one wants their marriage to end, and it did. You are going to see the people you love most, your children, only half as much. That’s a huge loss,” he said at the time.
1996
The Rumor Has It star welcomed son Liam with Rooney, whom he briefly dated following his split from Silva.
1999
Costner began dating Baumgartner. The pair initially met in the 1980s while the Draft Day actor was still married to Silva.
2003
Costner and his now-wife briefly split due to different opinions about having children.
“Fear kept me from marrying Christine. [She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father,” the Thirteen Days actor told Closer Weekly in June 2018, noting that he later overcame his anxieties. “I woke up and thought, ‘Am I going to lose a beautiful woman who is willing to be with me to my very last breath because I am afraid to say yes to a child?’ That’s all it took. Sometimes you learn the thing you’re most afraid of will save your life.”
2004
Costner and Baumgartner tied the knot.
2007
The lovebirds welcomed their first child together, son Cayden.
2007
The Waterworld star began a worldwide tour with his country rock band, Kevin Costner & Modern West, which he founded with the encouragement of Baumgartner. The group’s music would later be featured on season 3 of Yellowstone in 2020.
2009
Costner and Baumgartner welcomed their son Hayes.
2012
Costner starred in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys.
2013
The Molly’s Game actor earned a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for his performance in Hatfields & McCoys.
2018
Costner began portraying patriarch John Dutton III in Yellowstone.
Rumors started swirling in February 2023 that Costner was ready to leave Yellowstone ahead of the second half of season 5. While the actor has not confirmed or denied the speculation, the network’s development president, Keith Cox, touched on the alleged drama during PaleyFest that April.
Cox told the crowd of attendees that he was “very confident” in Costner’s commitment to Yellowstone and hoped that filming would resume soon.
2020
The Wyatt Earp actor opened up about how the coronavirus pandemic had strengthened his bond with his wife.
“Our partnership has really come into focus about what we do for each other and how we deal with our family,” Costner told People in June. “Our house is like a river: You’ve just got to get into the flow of it. And whatever you thought it was going to be, maybe it still can, but it’s going to have to work with what the day brings.”
January 2023
Costner earned a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series — Drama for Yellowstone; however, he wasn’t able to accept the accolade in person.
“Yesterday, we had to pull the kids out of school, and in Santa Barbara, this is the second time in five years … the freeways flooded out,” the Field of Dreams star said in an Instagram video just minutes before the ceremony began. “We found ourselves on the wrong side of town and couldn’t get back last night. We couldn’t even get back to the house this morning in time, with the freeways closed.”
May 2023
Baumgartner filed for divorce from her husband after nearly 19 years of marriage, Us Weekly confirmed.
“It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action,” the actor’s rep said in a statement to TMZ. “We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”
2024
In February 2024, Costner and Baumgartner finalized their divorce after undergoing a messy legal battle. Four months later, the actor announced he was exiting Yellowstone after five seasons to focus on his other western project, Horizon: An American Saga.
“I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half of working on Horizon and doing all of the things that’s required, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love and I know you love,” Costner said in a video shared via X in June. “I just realized that I’m not going to be able to continue season 5B or into the future. It was something that really changed me. I loved it. And I know you loved it. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be returning. I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop, and I’ll see you at the movies.”
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