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Kevin Costner is a proud father of seven kids. Having been married twice, he welcomed three children from his first marriage but was reluctant to have more in his second union, leaving his spouse Christine Baumgartner to give him an ultimatum.

Renowned actor Kevin Costner grew up in a conservative, hardworking Baptist family in Southern California. He studied business at Cal State Fullerton and landed a job in marketing following graduation.

However, the now 68-year-old quit after a month to pursue his dream of becoming a Hollywood star. He once told Parade.com: “The dialogue in my head was ‘You’ve got to live your life for yourself.'”

Kevin Costner and wife Cindy Costner attend the "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" Westwood premiere on June 10, 1991 at the Mann Village and Bruin Theatres in Westwood, California | Source: Getty Images

Kevin Costner

With a career spanning over thirty years in showbiz business, Costner has appeared in over 40 films, including “Field of Dreams, “The Untouchables,” Bull Durham,” and Dances with Wolves.”

He previously scooped prestigious awards, including Oscars for directing and Best Picture. His other projects include a miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys" and “Superman” reboot, “Man of Steel.”

Romance with Cindy Silva

As a married man now and a dad, Costner first became a husband when he wedded actress Cindy Silva, 66. The former couple met in 1975, and Hollywood's leading man believed he had no chance with his future wife, who was a biological-science major:

“I always thought it was remarkable that she would like me. Though a lean and handsome 6’1.”

While he thought his chances were slim, Silva thought otherwise as she was smitten by him when she first met him at a party at the Delta Chi fraternity house.

“The Bodyguard” star’s college friend Craig Cessna once said this about their connection: “Once those two met, they had only eyes for each other.”

Costner himself confirmed the attraction he had toward Silva at the time and revealed to People in 1989: “Cindy has a presence,” and explained what made him fall for her:

"She was beautiful. She was sweet. She was smarter than me…represented everything about women that I like."

On their first date, he took Silva to go and see “Funny Girl” and later on went home to introduce her to his parents. Speaking of the night, Costner shared:

“I was proud that this girl would go out with me. I wanted to show my parents.”

American director Kevin Costner and his wife, Cindy Silva, arriving at a semiformal event circa 1992 | Source: Getty Images

Their Marriage & Infidelity

Two and a half years later, the pair walked down the aisle. John McInnes recalled that eventual day and shared Silva looked breath-taking as a bride and that Costner “was so enthralled with her.”

The newlyweds headed to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for their $150 honeymoon. In their early marital life, the duo struggled financially. Silva worked in marketing for Delta Airlines while Costner toiled as a stage manager.

Nonetheless, she always hoped that they would rise above their circumstances. However, when they eventually did, things became unfavorable for her.

When her spouse’s career took to new heights in the late ‘80s,” Silva became homebound with their kids. Meanwhile, Costner was busy setting sparks with actress Susan Sarandon in "Bull Durham," being intimate on a kitchen table.

Then when he went off to England for four months to shoot the movie “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” in 1990, she remained home still with their brood who were in school.

The British tabloids later published stories about an alleged affair between her husband and Sheri Stewart, then a receptionist at the London nightclub Stringfellow’s.

Costner labeled the allegations as bizarre, and even so, his family-man image got tainted instantly. Off-camera the movie star was known as a womanizer, and he once confessed to having an appreciation for females.

Some of the women he had been linked with over the years interpreted his behavior as innocently flirtatious and found it flattering. But his growing fame and relations to other women negatively impacted his marriage to Silva, and rumors of divorce started swirling.

American actress Cindy Costner and musician Kevin Costner attend the "Dances With Wolves" Los Angeles premiere at Cineplex Odeon Cinema on November 4, 1990 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

Those close to the couple revealed it had been a topic of discussion for several months before then and that it was evident their union was in shambles. “Waterworld” production member once disclosed after spotting them together:

“You could see their relationship wasn’t working out. They didn’t act like a family: she was doing her thing; he was doing this. They didn’t act close to one another, but they still talked.”

Divorce Announcement

The rift between the twosome turned into an official separation when they announced publicly in 1994 that they were parting ways following nearly twenty years of marriage:

"After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage. We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs, and a full marital settlement has been reached."

Silva walked away with $80 million from the divorce settlement, and she and the Academy Award winner shared custody of their now-adult children.

Producer Kevin Costner with wife designer Cindy Costner and their kids Anne, Lily and Joe | Source: Getty Images

Their Brood

The exes welcomed three kids, Annie, 38, Lily, 36, and son, Joe, 35. Their first child Annie was born in April 1984. Following dad's footsteps, she works in Hollywood as a film director, producer, and actress.

Per IMDb, Annie has produced "El Cartel Cubano" and has starred alongside her famous father in "Waterworld.” She is currently married to Danny Cox, and they wed in 2016.

Kevin Costner and his children from (L-R): Lily, Annie and Joe arrive for the premiere of New Line Cinema's film "Thirteen Days" on December 19, 2000 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

Costner and Silva welcomed their second daughter Lily in August 1986. Like him and her sister, she is a showbusiness star and has appeared in films like "The Postman" and "Black or White."

Silva and Costner's youngest child is Joe, whose arrival was in January 1988. Like the rest of his family, he is also an actor and has appeared alongside his big sister Lily in the 1997 movie “The Postman.” In addition, he has credit in the sound department for the short film “Oasis.”

His dad first revealed in May 2012 that he bagged his first job out of college as a sound engineer at a music studio and shared that he was proud of him.

At the time, Costner also divulged that his eldest child Annie once told him something that moved him, sharing when she went to college in Chile, they changed her last name because they believed it would be better for her not to have a connection to him while there. She later called him and said:

"I've spent my whole life not wanting to lean on my name. But the minute it was taken away from me, it bothered me. I miss our name."

Costner also has an illegitimate child named Liam, whom he welcomed from a brief post-divorce affair with Bridget Rooney in November 1996.

Marriage to Second Wife

The two-time Golden Globe award winner later remarried and wed former model Christine Baumgartner in September 2004. After tying the knot, he admitted his older children had difficulty accepting his new union.

He shared his daughters were more attached and wanted to do everything for him as they told Baumgartner what he liked and did not like:

“They wanted to do everything for me, and it took time before they let her into the family.”

Kevin Costner poses with his new wife Christine Baumgartner during their private wedding at his ranch in September 25, 2004 in Aspen, Colorado | Source: Getty Images

Costner was still married to Silva when he met the handbag designer in the '80s, but it was not until 1999 when romance brewed between them. They dated for four years before splitting in 2003.

The pair broke up because they could not agree on whether or not to have kids. Baumgartner was eager to be a mom, but Costner was content being a dad to four.

Still, the breakup did not last long. In addition, Costner revealed to Closer Weekly in June 2018 that fear kept him from marrying the now 48-year-old: “She wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father.”

Baumgartner gave him an ultimatum saying: “I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me.”

The “Yellowstone” star eventually came to his senses and realized that he would lose his future wife because of his fear, and that is what it took for him to mend their relationship. He once admitted:

"It took me a long time before I said 'I love you' to her."

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner posing. The couple announced their engagement June 26, 2003 | Source: Getty Images

After being married for eighteen years, Costner revealed in 2020 that their marriage is better than ever and has been strengthened during the pandemic:

“Our partnership has come into focus about what we do for each other and how we deal with our family.”

The “Draft Day’ star has a blended family after he and Baumgartner welcomed three kids, sons Cayden, 15, Hayes, 14, and daughter Grace, 12.

(L-R) Grace Avery Costner, Kevin Costner, Hayes Logan Costner, Christine Baumgartner, and Cayden Wyatt Costner attend the premiere of 20th Century Fox's "The Art of Racing in the Rain" at El Capitan Theatre on August 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images

Younger Brood & Fatherhood

Cayden was born in May 2007, while his little brother Hayes arrived in February 2009. The boys previously accompanied their dad on a few red-carpet outings.

Baumgartner and Costner welcomed their youngest child, Grace, in June 2010. The Emmy Award-winner admitted that his young brood has no clue what he does for a living, unlike his older children.

He is a hands-on father to his younger kids and revealed that he and his wife drive them to school in the mornings when he’s at their family home in California.

As a parent to little ones, he prefers spoiling them and baiting them with candy whenever he feels like he cannot get their attention, joking: “You don’t have to chase them very far when you talk about chocolate.”

When it bows down to fear, Costner shared he feared dying prematurely: “I want to live forever, and I know I won’t. I’m not afraid of dying. I’m only afraid of one thing: not being able to raise my kids. When I pray, that's what I pray for – that I will be the one who raises Grace, Hayes, and Cayden."

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