For more than three decades, Kevin Costner has been one of the biggest names in Hollywood.

The 69-year-old, who starred in Stan's Yellowstone, is best known for his roles in Dances With Wolves, The Bodyguard, and The Postman.

Over the years, Costner has become a household name, but interest hasn't always centred on his acting prowess. The public has also focused on his family life, including his two long-term marriages, to first wife Cindy Costner and second wife Christine Baumgartner, which ended in 2024.

Celebrating his first Thanksgiving as a bachelor again in 2024, the star has just shared a touching image of himself and his seven beloved children for the holiday season.

It's clear that marriage woes aside, Costner is dedicated to being a dad to his kids, who range from 40 to 14.

Here, everything you need to know about Costner, from his illustrious career to his turbulent personal life.

Watch the trailer for season five of Yellowstone below. Post continues after video.

Kevin Costner nearly didn't become an actor.

Before Costner became a household name, he had doubts about pursuing acting altogether.

At 22, Costner was working in marketing, while occasionally taking acting classes.

Although he felt acting was his calling in life, it wasn't until he met Richard Burton on a plane that he decided to embrace his dream.

At the time, he was flying home from his honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta with his wife, Cindy Silva, who he met during his time at California State University.

After spotting Burton, who had purchased five seats all around him so no one would sit next to him, Costner decided to ask Burton for advice. It was a risky move. The actor, best known for his marriage to Elizabeth Taylor, was "famously volatile".

"I was burning up inside because I was grappling with the idea of acting, so seeing Richard I thought was a sign. My wife didn’t even know that I was burning with this idea of what I was gonna be in my life," Costner told WENN.

After finishing reading his book, Burton agreed to speak with Costner.

"[Burton had] a gentleness with me. I was really unsure what I wanted to do with my life, and I saw him there, and I intruded on his," Costner told Yahoo Entertainment.

"I had done some community theatre, but I was really thinking I could make this a living and I desperately wanted to talk to him. The conversation never really expanded other than there was a gentleness and a kindness, and looking at me saying, 'I think you should try this.'"

Kevin Costner in 1985. Image: Getty.

Later on, while Costner and his wife were waiting to travel home from the airport, a limousine pulled up. The window rolled down, and Burton told him: "Good luck."

From that moment onwards, Costner put more of his time and energy into acting. He started taking acting classes five nights a week and worked a number of jobs — including as a driver giving tours of Hollywood celebrity homes — while attending auditions.

A few years after meeting Burton, Costner landed his film debut in the film Sizzle Beach, USA, which was filmed in 1978 and released in 1981.

However, he didn't get his big break until 1987, when he starred as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables.

Kevin Costner in Dances With Wolves. Image: Getty.

In the years that followed, Costner appeared in baseball-themed films Bull Durham and Field of Dreams, as well as The Bodyguard, JFK, The Postman, Waterworld, and Dances With Wolves, which he starred in and directed.

While the public loved him for his dedication on screen, his heart-throb status meant they also couldn't help but be curious about his love life. Here's what we know about it.

Kevin Costner's relationship timeline.

Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva.

For most of his career, Costner was married to Cindy Silva, who he met at college. The couple married in an intimate ceremony in 1975, after dating for two years.

"She was beautiful, she was sweet, she was smarter than me," Costner told People in 1989, reflecting on the early days of their relationship. "She represented everything about women that I like."

Cindy Costner and Kevin Costner in 1991. Image: Getty.

Kevin Costner and his kids Annie, Lily and Joe in 1996. Image: Getty.

During their 16-year marriage, the couple had three children together — Annie, 37, Lily, 35, and Joe, 33.

However, while Costner was working on Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1990, rumours of infidelity began circulating.

The couple later announced their divorce in 1994, sharing they had "amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs." The pair's separation later made it to Forbes' list of the most expensive celebrity divorces at US$80 million.

Shortly after their separation, Costner had a short-lived relationship with businesswoman Bridget Rooney.

While Rooney later gave birth to the couple's son, Liam, the actor was unconvinced that he was Liam's father. Costner later grew closer to his son following a paternity test.

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner.

Following his relationship with Rooney, Costner dated political activist Birgit Cunningham and was linked to supermodel Elle Macpherson, before meeting his now-wife, Christine Baumgartner, a model-turned-designer.

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner. Image: Getty.

Grace Costner, Kevin Costner, Hayes Costner, Christine Baumgartner, and Cayden Costner in 2019. Image: Getty.

Costner and Baumgartner initially dated for two years, before separating as Costner didn't want any more children.

"She said, 'I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,'" the actor told Parade. "And I did."

"Fear kept me from marrying Christine," Costner later added, speaking to Closer Weekly.

"[She] wanted a child, but I was afraid I couldn’t be an effective father," he added.

"I 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. Sometimes you learn the thing you’re most afraid of will save your life."

After getting back together, Costner and Baumgartner married at the actor's Aspen ranch in 2004.

Speaking to Parade, Costner shared what makes their marriage work.

"Maybe it’s the ability to say you’re sorry. I know that sounds so simple. If you’re willing to tell somebody that you love them, are you also willing to say you’re sorry? You need to, even when you think you’re in the right," he said.

The couple later welcomed three children together – Cayden, 17, Hayes, 15, and Grace, 14.

Costner and Baumgartner are now separated, having officially finalised their divorce in February 2024.

Baumgartner reportedly filed for divorce in May 2023, following 18 years of marriage.

"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," a rep for Costner told People at the time. "We ask that his, Christine's, and their children's privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time."

The pair agreed to retain joint custody of their three children and settled their divorce back in September, per People.

A rep for the star told the outlet the couple "have come to an amicable and mutually agreed upon resolution of all issues pertaining to their divorce proceedings".

However it wasn't the cleanest divorce, with Baumgartner refusing to leave the family home and a lot of money on the table. Read how that went down here.

Related: 'Life's taken a bite out of me.' Kevin Costner is 'bruised' after $400 million divorce saga.

Kevin Costner in Yellowstone. Image: Stan.

Kevin Costner's children.

Through the 2000s and beyond, Costner's career has remained steady, with the actor starring in films such as The Guardian, Mr. Brooks, Man of Steel, Hidden Figures, and Criminal.

And more recently, Costner has starred as John Dutton in the popular Stan series, Yellowstone.

However, Costner, who has seven children in total, has long maintained that his kids are his highest priority in life.

In his eyes, his family has always trumped his career.

"All the years, all the tears saying goodbye at airports as I headed off to do yet another movie. Their brave faces trying to comprehend the time that I would be away and when I would come home. Hugs that never wanted to end," Costner shared when accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards in 2015.

"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."

The actor made a heartwarming post reflecting on his first Thanksgiving after divorce, alongside his children. The actor took to Instagram to share new photos of him with six of his seven kids.

"Hoping you guys had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the people you love most. At the top of my 'grateful for' list are the many really, really special memories I've gotten to make with my kids this year. Here's to a holiday season dedicated to making more," he wrote on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kevin Costner (@kevincostner)

In the first image, a smiling Costner stands on the beach in the middle of his kids, Lily, 38; Joe, 36; Grace, 14; Hayes, 15; Annie, 40 and Cayden, 17. Liam, 28, was missing from the family photo.

In a black and white photo, Cayden smiles with his dad as they appear to laugh together while sitting on a bed.

Costner also shared a clip with some of his children at the premiere of his Western drama Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1, and a final black and white photo of him with a smiling Annie, Lily, Grace, Cayden and Hayes at a recent event.

Speaking to People at the LA premiere of Horizon, Costner said he was proud to have his children support the film.

"It's pretty gratifying to understand my children are somewhere watching over me, which they always do — you can imagine that feeling," he said.

This article was first published in November 2022 and has been updated.

Feature Image: Getty.

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