Kevin Costner Is Now a Proud Dad of 7 Yet Did Not Accept 1 Son until the Mom Demanded A DNA Test

Kevin Costner became a father of three while married to his first wife but fathered the fourth one after divorce. He initially shunned his fourth child until the mother took matters into her own hands.

Kevin Costner is an actor known for his iconic career, but in recent years, he's found himself new fans with his role in "Yellowstone." The star plays a character who fights to protect his family and home in the series.

Kevin's character, John Dutton, is quite fierce with his loyalty and would do whatever it takes to ensure his family's safety. The star also tried his best to be an excellent father to his real-life children.

However, the road in his personal life with his children hasn't been an easy one. The actor has had severe ups and downs in his romantic relationships with his partners and his children.

The Dutton family patriarch has been married twice and welcomed six children from those relationships in real life. His seventh child was welcomed between his two marriages and through a brief relationship.

KEVIN'S MARRIAGE TO HIS FIRST WIFE

Kevin fell in love with Cindy Silva in 1975 when they met at a party at the Delta Chi fraternity house. He didn't think she would be interested in him and thought it "remarkable that she would like me."

He took her to see "Funny Girl" for their first actual date and then brought her home to meet his parents. In 1989, he told People magazine that Silva had "presence," was "beautiful," "sweet," "smarter, " and everything that he liked about women.

Two and a half years after the pair started dating, they married. Things started changing in their relationship when Kevin started becoming a big celebrity who was always working and never home.

The couple went through divorce negotiations because their relationship wasn't working anymore, with Silva doing her own thing and Kevin doing his. Eventually, Silva announced publicly that they were divorcing after 16 years together.

She revealed that the separation was an amicable one and that they'd resolved any issues with the custody of their children and financial matters. According to reports, Silva received an $80 million settlement for the 1994 divorce.

The former couple would also share custody of Annie, Lilly, and Joe Costner. Annie was welcomed in April 1984 and worked in Hollywood as a producer, film director, and actress. The "El Cartel Cubano" producer has been married to Danny Cox since 2016.

Lily was born in August 1986 and followed in her father and older sister's footsteps by becoming an actress and has appeared in "The Baby-Sitters Club," "Black or White," and "The Postman."

She wasn't married in June 2022 and worked as a singer and songwriter. The lastborn in the family was Joe, welcomed in January 1988, before joining the family business by becoming an actor.

In 1997, he starred alongside Lily in "The Postman" and had also appeared in "Tin Cup." He was credited for his work in the sound department for the short film "Oasis," and in May 2012, his father discussed what Joe and his siblings were doing.

At the time of the Parade interview, Kevin revealed Joe had just gotten out of college and got his first job as a sound engineer at a music studio. The star shared how proud he was of all three adult children.

When Annie went away to Chile for college, he said they changed her last name to avoid any connections to her father. She called her parents one day and told them how she'd spent her life not wanting to lean on the family name, adding:

"But the minute it was taken away from me, it really bothered me. I miss our name.”

COSTNER'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MOTHER OF HIS FOURTH CHILD

Kevin had a relationship with Bridget Rooney after his marriage to Silva concluded. Reports said the actor and the socialite niece of Pittsburgh Steelers owner, Dan Rooney, dated for several months.

The pair never made any known public appearances during that time. After their relationship ended, Bridget gave birth to a son named Liam and revealed that the famous actor was the child's father.

Kevin initially denied fathering the child in November 1996 until Bridget demanded he take a paternity test. The DNA test matched Liam with the star, and that same year, Kevin acknowledged fatherhood.

The actor's fourth child generally prefers staying out of the spotlight, and not much was known about him. However, it wasn't too long before Kevin found love again and married.

MARRYING AND HAVING CHILDREN WITH HIS SECOND WIFE

The legendary actor and Christine Baumgartner tied the knot in 2004 after meeting in 1998. Kevin's children were allegedly finding it challenging to accept Baumgartner into the fold, and it took time for them to warm up to her.

Having four children under his belt, the star wasn't keen on having more. However, before they married, Baumgartner told him it was either they had children together, or he had to move on and stop wasting their time!

One of the reasons Kevin didn't want to father more children was because he feared he wouldn't "be an effective father." He also had a lot of regret about the divorce and its toll on his life, making him reluctant to marry Baumgartner.

However, after dating for four years, the star realized he didn't want to lose the woman who wanted to be with him until death, all because he was afraid of having children. They ended up with three more children: Cayden, Hayes, and Grace.

Cayden was welcomed in May 2007, while his younger brother, Hayes, was born in February 2009. The actor's lastborn child was daughter, Grace, who was added to the family in June 2010.

The trio were still relatively young in 2022 and hadn't shown what talents they held, but they'd accompanied their parents to some events over the years. Being a father of three young children at such a late age was something Kevin gladly spoke about.

KEVIN, ON BEING A HANDS-ON FATHER

In October 2015, Kevin revealed that he and his wife drove their children to school when he was around. The actor shared how they'd help the trio get their school bags on before going off.

He [Kevin Costner] comforted them [his children] by noting how the youngest wouldn't have what the older ones had with him.

He joked how great his wife was with setting the children up with what to eat because he would've gone with chocolate! Speaking to Mom about his blended family, Kevin noted how his children all interacted together.

However, he noticed that there were questions from one group asking if he loved the other one the same. Kevin described it as something natural that happened, and that's when he spoke to them about how big love was.

He said it was possible to love someone else without having less love for the other. The star explained how love was able to hang on to as many people who needed it in a circle and confessed:

"It almost seemed impossible to love the first [child] any more than you loved them. And then suddenly the second one comes, and you think there’s so much room for love. There’s so much room."

Kevin shared that he addressed any jealousy by reminding his older children that they would have twice the time on Earth with him compared to the younger ones. He comforted them by noting how the youngest wouldn't have what the older ones had with him.

​​In his Parade interview, Kevin admitted that he wanted to live forever but wasn't afraid of dying. He was scared of not being there to raise his youngest trio and prayed to be around long enough for that.