Meet Kevin Costner's Seven Kids

To say that Kevin Costner has had a successful acting career is an understatement of his dominant 40-year-long run. The businessman-turned-actor was able to maintain relevancy ever since his first big break as Alex in "The Big Chill" in 1983. From there, Costner was able to score roles in other major projects such as "Bull Durham," "Field of Dreams," "Dances with Wolves," "The Bodyguard," and "Yellowstone" (via IMDb). His acting-slash-directorial endeavors led to him snagging several awards and nominations for his work as an actor, including Primetime Emmys, Oscars, and Golden Globes.

In addition to being known for his many talents, the 67-year-old actor is also known for having many children, spanning his current and past relationships. Being a loving father is undoubtedly his biggest priority — something that he is seemingly giddy about. "You've got to get down on the ground and play with them," he said to People. "And you teach them to be independent — and the sad part about that is they become that. I'm like any other parent: I'm trying to figure it out." 

Costner's children range in age from 12 to 38 years old, and they all live rather extraordinary lives. While some follow the footsteps of their multitalented father, others have strayed away from that route to tackle other interests. Allow us to introduce you to Kevin Costner's seven kids.

Kevin Costner got married to his college sweetheart, Cindy Silva, in 1978. The two welcomed their firstborn, Annie Clayton Costner, six years later. Annie saw her father's rise to stardom and became drawn to the world of acting at an early age. Kevin saw her ever-growing interest in his profession and worked alongside his 6-year-old daughter in "Dances with Wolves." Although there was a five-year gap between this and her next acting gig, Annie was fortunate enough to find early success as an actress. In 1995, she had a brief role in another of her father's movies, "Waterworld," and in August of that same year, we saw Annie play a character with the same name in "The Baby-Sitters Club" (via IMDb).

Her passion for films eventually led to her switching from actor to director-slash-producer. In 2014, Annie co-founded a production company called Sound Off Films, and she was able to find early work as a producer with her father's environmental company. According to the "Waterworld" actor himself, Annie produces short films about the "preservation of the oceans" (via YouTube). 

Despite her apparent interest in Mother Nature, Annie's portfolio contains a wide range of short documentaries outside of environmental issues — like "30 for 30: Bump and Spike" and Katy Perry Witness Tour: BTS. Other work of hers includes "The Discarded," "Racing Extinction," and "Purple Mountains," per Sound Off's website.

Unlike their father Kevin Costner, the eldest side of the family tends to keep their relationships out of the public eye. While we may never know the true nature of some of their personal relationships, we do know that they're old enough to start building their own families — something that Annie Costner has gotten a jump on over the last few years.

On July 16, 2016, Annie married Dr. Danny Cox at her father's private estate in California (via People). The outdoor ceremony saw Kevin, along with other family members, in attendance. Following their marriage, the two secretly welcomed two kids, Vincent Leo and Vida Valle Cox. Although information on Vincent is limited, it seems he is the older brother to Vida. Since she is the only one out of the seven siblings to have children, that makes Annie the first one to give her parents grandkids. 

Despite the family's rather private nature, Annie has documented some of her life on Instagram. From family trips to the beach to adorable Halloween ensembles, Annie is seemingly a happy mother of two — and we're sure her parents, Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva, are proud grandparents.

On August 4, 1986, Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva welcomed their second daughter, Lily Costner, into their family. By the time she was 9, it seemed like her father and older sister Annie's interest in acting had influenced her to try it for herself. Starring alongside her sister, Lily made her on-screen debut in 1995's "The Baby-Sitters Club." Two years later, she starred alongside her father in the anti-utopian adventure film "The Postman" (via IMDb).

Although it seemed like she would follow in her father's footsteps, Lily eventually veered off into music. As a singer himself, it was apparent that Kevin was enthralled by Lily's vocal capability. According to her father, Lily has the makings of a huge star if she chooses to go that route. "She's content with performing. She's not a person who is trying to angle how to go faster and go higher and go larger," he stated in an interview with HuffPost. "It's just not how she's built. She has an amazing talent. Does she want to give it to the world? I don't know." 

Kevin doesn't shy away from tapping Lily's talents when needed. In 2014, we got to see her express her vocal range in his film "Black or White." As for her music career, Kevin stated that although Lily has her own band, he occasionally gets her to sing with him (via YouTube).

While Lily Costner inherited their father's voice for singing, Joe Costner inherited their father's ear for music. Born on January 31, 1988, Joe, like his sister, followed a path into music. Despite his early acting roles in "Tin Cup" and "The Postman," Joe was highly talented in audio engineering — a talent that would lead him to attend the University of Colorado Boulder to earn a degree in music production (via HuffPost). "He's really gifted in music," Kevin Costner stated in an interview with the outlet. "He's settling in on what his journey will be ... and his mission."

Thanks to his passion for music production, Joe was able to find work as a sound mixer for the films "Oasis" and "Better Than Yourself" (via IMDb). In addition, Joe founded Spartan Recording, which aims to make recording music more of an accessible and unique experience. To build the music studio on wheels, Joe spent over a year revamping a trailer from 1951 (via Vintage King). Opting for a more vintage sound, he strayed away from digital gear and furnished the inside of the trailer with analog equipment one may see in a professional music studio. Aside from its classic aesthetic, it seems Joe crafted this studio with nostalgia in mind. "This is all meant to be fun," he said in an interview. "We're all privileged to work in this industry. It's an extremely fulfilling job. You just got to enjoy it."

Kevin Costner and Cindy Silva decided to end their 16-year marriage in 1994. According to People, this was a result of Kevin's ever-growing success in the acting industry. From the hectic schedule to the erotic acting scenes Cindy wasn't comfortable with to Kevin's alleged infidelity, it seemed the two were on different pages during what was presumed to be a meteoric rise for Kevin's career. According to close friends, their divorce was inevitable. Despite Cindy's persistent optimism about their situation, the two eventually decided to call it quits.

"After 16 years together, we are ending our marriage," they announced in a statement (via People). "We have amicably resolved all issues regarding our children and financial affairs and a full marital settlement has been reached."

During tough times like that, it's safe to assume that Annie, Lily, and Joe's relationship with their parents would be altered. However, since the divorce, it seems the kids were able to maintain a healthy relationship with both of their parents, per photos shared on Instagram. Although Joe remains silent on social media, both Annie and Lily took to Instagram to express their love for their mother on her birthday. Despite their parents' unfortunate split, it's refreshing to see the three eldest kids remain close to their mother.

After his public divorce from Cindy Silva, "The Bodyguard" actor found himself in a brief relationship with the niece of Dan Rooney (ex-owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers), Bridget Rooney. Their brief stint led to the birth of his middle child, Liam Costner. Although Kevin Costner seemingly values his role as a father, it is unclear whether or not he maintains a strong relationship with second-oldest son, since he doesn't talk about him as much as his other six kids. According to a People article from 2002, those close to Rooney suggested that their relationship was somewhat strained, and that Kevin didn't see Liam on a "regular basis" at the time.

Liam prefers to keep his life away from the public, and his father presumably adheres to that wish. As for why this may be the case, it could be to avoid misinformation — or any information at all — from inevitably spreading. After his birth, rumors began circulating as Bridget Rooney stated that Kevin demanded a paternity test. His refusal to admit that Liam was one of his children could have led to Liam shying away from public attention. 

Little is known about Liam, and it seems the now 26-year-old middle child would like to keep it that way for as long as possible. Despite Kevin pointing out the flaws in his fathering abilities — stating that he's "still figuring it out" (via People) — it may not be too late to mend his relationship with Liam.

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner began dating in 1998. While the two did get married in 2004, Kevin stated that the process of getting there was a grueling one. From the start of their relationship, Baumgartner had made it known that she wanted kids. Although it may not seem like that should have been an issue for the father of four, Kevin was admittedly reluctant to have any more children — that was, until Baumgartner gave him an ultimatum that almost ended their relationship (via Extra). Kevin eventually agreed, and the two welcomed Cayden Wyatt Costner in 2007.

Kevin was seemingly worried about his role in his soon-to-be son's life (via People). "My fundamental fear is that my new baby, someone else will raise him, meaning that my life will end prematurely," he stated. "I won't get to coach him in what I think it is to be a man. I'd like to be the person that tells him about life." 

Fortunately, this all came full circle, as Kevin stated in an interview with HuffPost: "At night, he wants stories about what I did ... stories of adventure that I've done. It's not like a regular bedtime story. It's like: 'What did you really do?'" Luckily, Kevin's fears were unfounded, as he was able to remain present in Cayden's life. According to Kevin, not only is his 15-year-old boy a gentle soul, but he's a good big brother as well.

Born on February 12, 2009, Hayes Logan Costner is Kevin Costner's fourth son. Early on, Kevin suggested that Hayes was on his way to being an athlete. In an attempt to lower the number of Little League games they were attending, Hayes found himself playing with kids older than him (via the "Today" show). Despite this, Kevin revealed that Hayes easily adapted to playing with an older age group — stating, "he can hack it."

While it is still too early to decipher what his passions are, the 13-year-old seems to have an interest in acting. As of November 23, 2022, Hayes began following in his father's — and older sister's — footsteps by acting in Kevin's new film, "Horizon." The "Yellowstone" actor told People that his initial intention for casting his son in the four-part series was to spend more time with him. 

"I'm like any other parent, I'm trying to figure out, like, 'This is really neat. You should come be with me,'" Kevin revealed. In addition to spending more quality time with his father, Hayes is seemingly exceeding expectations. Kevin stated, "He is very good. Hayes plays the namesake character that I actually play in the movie. He's 13 years old and the screenplay's been around longer than that" (via People).

Born on June 2, 2010, Grace is the youngest of Kevin Costner's seven kids. According to Kevin, Grace is his little "girly girl." While sports don't seem to be her thing, Kevin stated that she has other interests outside of athletics. "She's sewing and dancing," he told "Today." "But when she sees the ball bouncing in the backyard, I could see her gravitate out with the boys — but everything has to stop when she plays."

Despite her feminine nature, the 12-year-old girl is considered to be the "blunt" one of the group, with an observant nature. Kevin suggested that Grace is keenly aware of his change in appearance due to his job as an actor. "If I come home — and that haircut I actually had was pretty severe — and Gracie looks at me and then looks at Mom and says, 'Daddy's been fighting again, huh?'" (via "Today"). In addition, Kevin told Jimmy Kimmel a story about Grace pointing out his weight gain in his movie "Black or White." When Grace quietly sat down next to her father while he was watching the movie, a scene where Kevin got out of the pool caused Grace to exclaim, "Dad, you got a fat belly!" (via YouTube). 

Though we could blame her bluntness on her age, it seems Grace will be a force to be reckoned with when she's ready.

According to Kevin Costner, some of the biggest life lessons his older children Annie, Lily, and Joe learned from him came by "observing" (via HuffPost). As a father of seven, Kevin took on the responsibility of being a role model to his children. At best, he wants to be a trustworthy example of success to his kids, allowing them to follow their own paths using the values he instilled in them. For his eldest three, it seems that paid off, as each was able to follow their passions and lead fruitful lives.

For his youngest three, Kevin seems to be taking a more hands-on approach. Although he stated that their only job right now is to "play," that didn't stop the presumed history buff from wanting to educate Cayden, Hayes, and Grace about the world. During his zoom appearance on "Live With Kelly and Ryan" in 2020, Kevin shared that he had attempted to show his kids a Civil War documentary during quarantine. "I don't want my kids to be dummies," he stated. "I want them to understand as much as they can about this world." Despite his wife opposing the idea, Kevin forced them to watch. To his surprise, the kids weren't as interested in history as he would have liked. "They watched three hours and when I told them they didn't have to watch anymore, they just cried," he told Kelly and Ryan. "They were so happy."

With a family so diverse, it's only natural for jealousy to brew among his seven children — something that Kevin Costner was all too ready for. In 2014, the actor suggested that his kids had already shown some jealousy toward one another (via Closer Weekly). While he understands the nature of his relationship with his seven kids, they may not be aware of how his love spreads toward them. "It almost seemed impossible to love the first [child] any more than you loved them," he stated. "And then suddenly the second one comes, and you think there's so much room for love. There's so much room."

It is not a question of whether or not he loves one more than the other, as Kevin stated that he loves them equally. If jealousy were to brew, he'd remind his kids that the love he has for each of them may not be the "same," but that doesn't mean he doesn't love them any less than the others. Kevin stated, "I basically reminded [my older kids] that they were going to have twice as long with me on this planet. I said, 'Look, they're not going to have what you had,' and at that point, they all just embraced each other."