Inside Kevin Costner’s Marriage to Second Wife Christine Baumgartner

Kevin Costner has been married for 15 years to his second wife; model turned bag designer Christine Baumgartner. Here’s a glimpse into their love story.

With more than three decades in Hollywood, Kevin Costner has starred in several iconic box-office hits including “Bull Durham,” “Field of Dreams,” “The Bodyguard” and “Dances with Wolves,” for which he won two Academy Awards.

Although prolific, Costner’s career has had its ups and downs, as he did some unsuccessful films in the early ’00s.

“I have played two roles in my life, one I get paid to do, which is the movies, and the other one is being a father, for which I’ll be rewarded my whole life." - Kevin Costner

However, he has taken part in some critically acclaimed films in the past decade, including “The Upside of Anger,” “Hidden Figures,” “Molly's Game,” and “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”

But while he faced some professional hardships, Kevin’s personal life has been thriving since 2004, when he married his second wife and the mother of his three youngest kids: Christine Baumgartner.

Here’s their story.

Kevin’s first failed marriage

Before even getting his first acting job, Kevin Costner met fellow California State University student Cindy Silva, a biological-science major that was so beautiful she worked as Snow White in Disneyland.

Costner, who was studying business administration, didn’t think Cindy would be interested in him, but they hit it off after meeting at a fraternity party in 1975.

“[Cindy] has a presence,” Costner told People in 1989. “She was beautiful. She was sweet, and she was smarter than me…she represented everything about women that I like.”

On their first date, Costner took Silva to watch “Funny Girl” and later invited her home to meet his parents. He was so proud of going out with a beautiful girl that he wanted to show off with his family.

“We exchanged numbers, and I told her that I would – did she mind if I called her in two weeks. I did not realize that was like an insult to a woman,” Kevin about meeting Christine Baumgartner.

Cindy and Kevin tied the knot in 1978 and had three kids, Annie, 35, Lily, 33, and Joe, 31, throughout their sixteen-year-long marriage.

Silva was by Costner's side when he became a big Hollywood star. But his tight and busy schedule took a toll on their relationship, and they decided to divorce in 1994.

“We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs, and a full marital settlement has been reached,” they said in a joint statement at the time.

A fated meeting

Two years after ending things with Silva, Costner welcomed son Liam after a short-lived relationship with Bridget Rooney.

Then, in 1998, Costner crossed paths with a girl he had previously met at a golf course almost a decade earlier: Christine Baumgartner.

“We exchanged numbers, and I told her that I would – did she mind if I called her in two weeks. I did not realize that was like an insult to a woman,” Costner told People.

He did call her, and soon after they started dating, but Costner had his reserves about marriage and didn’t want to have more children either.

“I was like the classic single guy — who do I love this week, who next week?” he told Closer Weekly, although he admitted that “when I met Christine, I wasn’t prepared to be in love again. It took me a long time before I said, ‘I love you’ to her.”

The pair dated for four years before taking a short break in 2002. At the time, Christine gave Kevin an ultimatum about the not-having-kids decision.

“She said, ‘I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,’” Kevin recalled to Parade in 2012.

“She wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father,” he added.

But then one day, he 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.”

Happily ever after

Kevin and Christine married in September 2004 in a private ceremony at the actor’s 165-acre ranch outside Aspen, Colorado.

According to People, Kevin arrived at the ceremony in a horse-drawn carriage, while Christine chose a vintage green pickup truck for her big entrance.

The ceremony took place by a stream and the celebration that followed welcome guests under a big tent nearby.

Celebrities like Tim Allen, Don Johnson, and Costner’s “Dances with Wolves” co-star Mary McDonnell were present.

After marriage, come the kids

Despite his initial resistance to having more children, Kevin and Christine are now the proud parents of three: sons Cayden, 12, and Hayes, 10; and daughter Grace, 9.

For Costner, there’s nothing more important than his big, blended family. His elder kids adore their younger siblings and vice versa, something for which Costner feels gratitude.

“I have played two roles in my life, one I get paid to do, which is the movies, and the other one is being a father, for which I’ll be rewarded my whole life,” he said.

When he accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards in 2015, Costner said in his speech:

“My children have always been bigger than the movies. They've always been more important. It's because of them that I've been able to do what I love."

And talking about the secret to a happy marriage, the "Yellowstone" star has only one piece of advice: learn how to say sorry.