Bridget Rooney Koch | Bill Koch and Bridget Rooney Koch. | Source: Getty Images
Bridget Rooney Got Married after Giving Birth to Kevin Costner's Son
The aunt of Kate and Rooney Mara, Bridget Rooney, has a fascinating connection to Hollywood. In 1996, she had a love child with Kevin Costner following a short-lived dalliance.
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Bridget Rooney's family owns the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Palm Beach Kennel Club. The Rooneys have a long legacy in business, politics, and philanthropy.
The heiress married a Palm Beach billionaire art collector in the mid-2000s. She jokes that her husband "just added water" to start a school which she describes as his finest accomplishment.
Bridget Koch attends Rosarian Academy Family Fun Day at Rosarian Academy on January 28, 2018, in West Palm Beach, Florida. | Source: Getty Images
Bridget Rooney Koch Comes from a Famous Family
Bridget Mary Rooney was born into a prominent Irish-Catholic dynasty; her parents are Tim and June Rooney. Her grandfather Art Rooney Sr. is responsible for bringing the Pittsburgh Steelers, then the Pittsburgh Pirates, into the NFL in 1933.
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Art Sr. also purchased the Palm Beach Kennel Club in 1969, at which his son Pat Sr. served as president in the '80s before handing over the reins to Pat Jr., who was a former congressman.
Her uncle Dan Rooney, the current chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, professionalized the operation when he took over in the mid-'60s.
(L-R) Kate Mara and Rooney Mara attend the release party to celebrate Rain Phoenix's new album "RIVER", Jim Henson Studios on October 28, 2019, in Hollywood, California.| Source: Getty Images
Her nieces Rooney Mara and Kate Mara have made a splash in Hollywood with starring roles in films and TV, respectively.
When the pregnancy news broke, a source spilled to a gossip column that Bridget is "independent and independently wealthy..."
Bridget's silver screen ambitions are limited to a starring role in the 8-minute horror short film "Zombie or Not Zombie" in 2011.
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Bridget Koch, Maria Valim, Darlene Jordan and Desiree Luccio attend the 22nd Annual ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on October 19, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Bridget Rooney Gave Birth to the Son of a Hollywood Star
While working at a TV station in Aspen, Bridget had a brief romantic entanglement with Kevin Costner. For the 34-year-old Catholic, termination was never an option when she fell pregnant with the Hollywood womanizer's child, who was reportedly not keen on the baby. She said:
"I'm 110 percent sure who the father is. I'm just enjoying my pregnancy."
When the pregnancy news broke, a source spilled to a gossip column that Bridget is "independent and independently wealthy" and not after the star for his money, adding that the mom-to-be was "not someone you see at all these glitzy parties."
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Kevin Costner, Annie Costner, Lily Costner and Joe Costner on April 27, 1995. | Source: Getty Images
Bridget gave birth to Liam in November 1996. After a paternity test, Costner accepted responsibility for his son and reportedly set up a substantial trust fund.
The star had three children with his first wife, Cindy, before Liam was born, and later had another three kids with his wife, Christine. His eldest daughter Annie said her dad always seemed happier hanging out with them than with Hollywood types.
A friend of the heiress said that the "Dances with Wolves" star occasionally visited Liam after his mother relocated them to Palm Beach, "but not on a regular basis."
(L-R) Bridget Koch, Bill Koch, Judith Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani, James L. Nederlander and Margo Nederlander attend Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County Celebrate the 36th Annual Winter Ball at The Breakers on February 3, 2017, in Palm Beach, FL. | Source: Getty Images
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Bridget Rooney Found Love after Her Affair with Kevin Costner
While Liam was a toddler, Bridget moved her small family to Palm Springs. During her courtship with businessman William "Bill" Koch, she mastered tennis in a few months, a sport he had practiced for 20 years. To his ire, she was comfortably beating him by the end of the summer.
The couple has one child together, Kaitlin "K.K." Koch. Bridget became the stepmom to his children from three previous relationships: Wyatt, Charlotte, William, and Robin.
Bill had a two-decades-long feud with his brother Charles and twin David, claiming they short-changed him and the eldest brother Fred when selling shares in Koch Industries.
Bill Koch, Bridget Koch and guests attend After Party Dinner For First Look Studios KING OF CALIFORNIA at Home of Suzanne Ircha and Woody Johnson on August 19, 2007, in East Hampton, NY. | Source: Getty Images
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The litigious billionaire, who used his inherited millions to build his empire, has a clear plan for his children. He has put money in trusts and set up incentives for the kids to make their own living and will leave them each a house. Bill said:
"I'm always preaching to them to get along with one another. When I die… there will be nothing for them to fight about like my brothers and I did… I'm making sure there's no financial incentive for them to fight."
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Bridget and Bill founded an independent preparatory school, Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, in 2011, focusing on project-based learning. Two-thirds of the Oxbridge student body receives financial aid, funded mainly by the billionaire.
When they first moved into the businessman's mansion, Bridget was nervous about an ancient bust that stood outside Liam's room but relaxed when she saw how calm the billionaire was about his priceless collection. The son of Kevin Costner was a star athlete at school.
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