Taking the good with the bad. Kevin Costner has garnered critical acclaim as both an actor and a director, but he’s faced his fair share of personal hardships.
During a July 1995 interview with the Seattle Times, the Postman star opened up about his 1994 divorce from Cindy Silva after 16 years of marriage. At the time, his film Waterworld — which he coproduced and starred in — had just hit theaters and failed to recoup its massive budget.
“This has been the hardest year of my life. I am no longer with Cindy, my partner since childhood,” Costner told the outlet at the time. “And I was working on this very tough picture. A series of events conspired to happen at the same time. I know it hurt some people that I had failed in my marriage. And the marriage was my own failure.”
The California native and Silva exchanged vows in 1978 and welcomed three children during their marriage: daughters Annie and Lily, born in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and son Joe, born in 1988. Costner reflected on the perils of divorce during a May 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“My faith was shaken,” he admitted. “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.”
After the split, the Field of Dreams actor moved on with Bridget Rooney. Although their relationship was brief, they welcomed a son, Liam, in 1996. Costner got married to Christine Baumgartner in 2004. The twosome went on to welcome three kids together: daughter Grace, born in 2010, and sons Cayden and Hayes, born in 2007 and 2014, respectively.
Baumgartner was by the Dragonfly star’s side for several of his career achievements, including his 2012 Emmy win for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Hatfields & McCoys) and his 2023 Golden Globe win for Best Actor — Television Series Drama (Yellowstone).
After nearly 19 years of marriage, however, the former model filed for divorce in May 2023, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Costner’s rep hinted in a statement to TMZ at the time that the director wasn’t happy with his estranged wife’s decision.
“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 statement read. “We ask that his, Christine’s, and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”
The Thirteen Days actor previously admitted that his fears of being a divorced father again almost kept him from marrying Baumgartner.
“Finally, there came a moment where maybe this doesn’t go forward,” he recalled to Extra in July 2020. “Because I thought to myself, I could be divorced again, but what I couldn’t be is divorced again with children. That crushed me. I had to kind of face life and go, ‘Are you gonna miss life, are you gonna miss love because you’re afraid?’ And the answer finally came back, ‘I’m not gonna lose her because I’m gonna be afraid.’”
Keep scrolling for a look at Costner’s ups and downs over the years: