Kevin Costner currently plays ranching patriarch John Dutton on “Yellowstone.” He also heads up a large family in real life that’s anchored by his long-time wife Christine Baumgartner. She’s frequently seen on his arm at movie premieres, now let’s get to know that woman behind everyone’s favorite “Yellowstone” cowboy.
The Marriage That Almost Wasn’t
Baumgartner was born in California and graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a business degree. Although she had a modeling career, many likely know her for her designer Cat Bag Couture handbags. The popular products even appeared in the hit series “Desperate Housewives.”
Costner started dating Baumgartner in the late 1990s. The actor already had three children with his first wife Cindy, who he divorced in 1994. He then had a fourth child, son Liam, with Bridget Rooney.
So, even after several years of dating, Costner and Baumgartner briefly broke up in 2002 because he didn’t want to have more kids.
“She said, ‘I’m going to wait for you, but not long. When you come to your senses, come back to me,’” Costner explained to Parade in 2012. “And I did.”
The two quickly reconciled and married at Costner’s ranch in Aspen, CO in 2004. The couple now has three children of their own, although he still worries about raising kids as an older dad.
“My fundamental fear is that my new baby, someone else will raise him, meaning that my life will end prematurely,” the “Yellowstone” star said in 2007 after the birth of son Cayden. “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.”
Despite numerous public appearances with Costner, Baumgartner keeps a low profile. Asked at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards what the best part of being married to Costner is, she replied coyly: “I can’t tell you the best part.”
The Costner Family’s Quarantine Life
Like Americans everywhere, Costner’s family has quarantined over the past year, which can be a challenge when you still have three kids living at home.
Talking with “Extra” from their home in Santa Barbara, Calif., in May 2020, Costner discussed lockdown, homeschooling and his love for Baumgartner.
Slowly but surely, life is returning to normal these days, and for Costner that means not just more episodes of “Yellowstone” to shoot but also getting back on the road with his band Kevin Costner and Modern West. His fans are ready to see him wherever he appears, especially with his lovely wife by his side.
