Meet Sally Field's Three Sons

Motherhood brought about a stunning transformation for Sally Field. The "Forrest Gump" star became a parent for the first time when Field welcomed her son, Peter Craig, with her then-husband Steven Craig. Speaking on the "Wiser Than Me" podcast, the actor confessed that having her first child at 23 was a life-saver in many ways. Field further reflected on her thoughts following Peter's birth: "There was something in me that felt so fiercely about him that I felt, 'If I can take care of him, I can take care of myself. And goddammit, I'm going to take care of him. I don't care if I go down.' So it started to connect with a fierceness in me that I didn't recognize." Two years later, Field and Steven became parents for the second time with the arrival of Eli Craig. 

In a 2023 chat with People, the "Smokey and the Bandit" star shared how having two young children in her 20s motivated Field to work harder. Likewise, her responsibilities limited the actor's career choices because Field couldn't go around chasing pipe dreams that risked financial insecurity. Nonetheless, she persevered and did her best for her boys. Over a decade later, Field welcomed her third child, Sam Greisman, with her now ex-husband, Alan Greisman. During a 2012 Human Rights Campaign speech, the actor revealed that her proudest achievements in life weren't all the coveted awards she'd earned through her celebrated career but the fact that her sons all grew up to be amazing human beings. 

Steven Craig and Sally Field welcomed their first son, Peter Craig, in 1969. While speaking to Entertainment Weekly, in 1998, Peter disclosed that he quickly realized that his parents were different from other people's folks in his early years. At the time of the interview, Peter's first novel "The Martini Shot" had already hit the shelves. The up-and-coming author detailed how he used writing as a means to process his life experiences, explaining, "Being the son of a famous person is a curious and difficult thing, and I think [writing] might just be the best way to handle that." Peter went on to pen several successful novels and even started dabbling in screenwriting beginning in 2010. Peter's first job was a co-writing credit for the Ben Affleck-directed flick "The Town." 

He went on to lend his screenwriting talents to "The Batman" and "The Unforgivable," among others, while Peter's co-writing credit on "Top Gun: Maverick" earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition to his demonstrable talents, Peter never fails to make Field proud of his achievements as a father. As the "Flying Nun" star gushed to Oprah Winfrey in 2008, "My oldest son is this miraculously loving parent to his two little girls. When I watch him with them, I think, 'Boy, I would have liked to have had comfort like that,'" (via Oprah.com). According to his LA Times profile, Peter's two daughters come from his decade-long marriage to Amy Scattergood, which sadly ended in 2003. Peter retained full custody after their divorce. 

In 1972, Sally Field and Steven Craig welcomed their second child, another son named Eli Craig. During her 2008 chat with Oprah Winfrey, the iconic actor revealed how he likely viewed her parenting skills, admitting, "Eli would say that I've been a good and loving mom, but that I haven't done a lot of things well. It's true; when he was grown, he told me that I didn't discipline him enough." However, she didn't feel like that was fair criticism because he was a handful in his younger years. Likewise, watching Eli with his own son opened the "In Pieces" author's eyes to how she must have parented him. Like his mom and older brother, Eli also shares a love of movies. After entering the world of cinema in 2004 with his short "The Tao of Pong," he made his feature film debut in 2010 with the beloved horror comedy "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil," which Eli directed and co-wrote. 

In 2011, he recalled to Entertainment Weekly that the first handful of people who viewed a rough cut of his film had a lukewarm reaction to it because they didn't really understand his sense of humor. Their responses left Eli unsure about his future work prospects, but when he showed the cut to his mom, she encouraged her middle son by telling him it was hilarious. Interestingly, when Eli was interviewed by Watch Mojo about "Tucker & Dale," he disclosed that several parts of the cult hit were inspired by his own experiences as an Outward Bound worker, who always had to reassure kids that they weren't being stalked by a serial killer in the forest. 

Sally Field and her now ex-husband, Alan Greisman's, only son, Samuel Greisman, was born in 1987. In the actor's Human Rights Campaign speech, she contemplated how her youngest child desperately wanted to fit in with his elder brothers and engage in more stereotypically masculine activities. However, Sam was different, and his mom innately understood what made him special. Though she wanted to help Sam figure out his identity, the older kids urged her to let him come to the conclusion in his own time. And he did, at the age of 20, when Sam came out as gay to his mom. In a 2018 discussion with The Leader, Sam acknowledged feeling incredibly anxious about coming out to his family despite knowing that they would continue to love and support him all the same. 

In fact, his concern stemmed from Field's unyielding desire to make him feel accepted. Sam pointed out how his mom tried to make him feel more secure in his awkward teen years by inviting Sam to watch "Brokeback Mountain" with her. While he understood that the "Steel Magnolias" star was just being supportive, Sam naturally ended up feeling slightly embarrassed. Furthermore, Field also tried to play matchmaker with her son and Adam Rippon. Like the rest of his family, Sam also dabbled in filmmaking by writing and producing some short films. However, his contributions didn't end there, as Sam also helped influence one of his mom's biggest TV roles, on hit show "Brothers & Sisters."