Kevin Costner agreed to become a father again in his 50s because he was afraid of being dumped by his much younger wife, Christine Baumgartner.
Kevin Costner agreed to be a dad again at 52 because he was afraid of losing his much-younger wife, Christine Baumgartner.
Baumgartner has recently filed for divorce, seeking custody of their three children.
The dad of seven was reportedly caught off-guard by his wife’s decision to split. His first divorce cost him $80 million.
Before becoming an actor, Kevin Michael Costner came from humble beginnings. Born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California, his father worked as a ditch digger and electric line servicer while his mother was a welfare worker.
Costner’s family moved from place to place when he was a child due to his father’s job. This always made him the new kid at school, making him a daydreamer.
As a teenager, he volunteered at their Baptist church choir as a singer and enjoyed writing and poetry. He was also an active sportsman, joining the basketball, football, and baseball teams in school.
By 1973, he enrolled at the California State University in Fullerton, where he took acting lessons five nights each week. He graduated college with a business degree in 1978 and in the same year, married his college sweetheart, Cindy Costner.
Costner didn’t go straight to acting after college. He first took a marketing position in Orange County until he met Richard Burton on a flight.
They began talking, and Burton advised Costner to pursue acting if that was truly what he wanted to do. Costner took his chances by quitting his job and moving to Hollywood shortly after their interaction.
His efforts eventually did not go to waste. He landed role after role, with his best work being in “The Bodyguard,” “The Postman,” “Dances with Wolves,” and “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.” He recently also starred in the hit series, “Yellowstone,” which began airing in 2018 and is now on its 5th season.
Costner and his first wife Cindy stayed married from 1978 to 1994. Together they share 3 children. He had a child from another relationship years later and married his second wife, Christine Baumgartner in 2004.
