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Robert Redford and his second wife, Sibylle Szaggars, were married for 16 years before the Hollywood legend’s death at 89.

The couple met in the late 1990s after Redford’s divorce from his first wife, and married in 2009.


  Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars at the 74th annual Academy Awards in 2002. Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars at the 74th annual Academy Awards in 2002. Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Although the “Out of Africa” star called Szaggars, 68, a “very special person” during an interview with AARP in 2011, the couple largely kept their relationship private.

Here is everything to know about Redford’s widow following his passing.

They met in 1996 at Redford’s Sundance resort

The “Candidate” star and Szaggars, a German environmentalist and multimedia artist, connected 11 years after Redford’s 1985 divorce from his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen.

Redford reportedly invited his future wife and her friends to dinner after a day of skiing at his Utah resort, and Szaggars panicked because she “didn’t know any of his films” at the time.


  Szaggars and Redford in New York City in 2014. FilmMagic Szaggars and Redford in New York City in 2014. FilmMagic

“I thought, ‘What if he wants to talk about his movies?’ I have no idea — that would be so embarrassing,” Szaggars said during a panel for the YoungArts Salon in 2014.

“I probably would have mixed everything,” she added. “Of course, he did not talk about it, so I was rescued and saved.”

Redford, meanwhile, was happy that Szaggars didn’t know much about him before their first meeting. He said they “started from a more even playing field” and “didn’t have to worry about any agenda.”


  Szaggars and Redford in Monte Carlo in 2019. Daniele Venturelli/ Getty Images Getty Images for Fondation Prince Albert II Szaggars and Redford in Monte Carlo in 2019. Daniele Venturelli/ Getty Images Getty Images for Fondation Prince Albert II

“It was a wonderful beginning of a relationship, because it began as two human beings meeting each other and finding a connection as two human beings, rather than being colored by success,” the “Great Gatsby” star said.

Redford and Szaggars were engaged in 2008

The “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” star said he and Szaggars were getting married during an interview with the German magazine Bunte in May 2008.


  Redford and Szaggars at Cipriani 42nd Street in 2009. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Redford and Szaggars at Cipriani 42nd Street in 2009. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Although Redford did not say when he popped the question, he did refer to Szaggars as his fiancée for the first time during the chat with Bunte.

“We are engaged and very happy with that,” the “Sting” star said at the time. “She is my fiancée, and that says everything, doesn’t it?”

They married in 2009

Redford and his bride-to-be tied the knot at the Louis C. Jacob Hotel in Szaggars’s hometown of Hamburg, Germany, in July 2009.


  Redford and Szaggars at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. Getty Images Redford and Szaggars at the Venice Film Festival in 2012. Getty Images

Only 30 of the couple’s closest family and friends were in attendance, and Pastor Frank Engelbrecht of the city’s St. Catherine Church later told People that Redford and Szaggars insisted on a “very intimate ceremony.”

Redford opened up about Szaggars in 2011

Despite keeping their relationship largely private, the “Jeremiah Johnson” star spoke about his wife during his candid interview with AARP in 2011.


  Redford and Szaggars at the Cesar Film Awards in Paris in 2019. Getty Images Redford and Szaggars at the Cesar Film Awards in Paris in 2019. Getty Images

After calling her a “very special person,” Redford joked about some of the things he appreciated most about Szaggars.

“She’s younger than I am, and European, which I like, so that’s a whole new life,” he said.

They shared a passion for environmental activism

Besides being a Hollywood legend, Redford was an outspoken activist who dedicated the last years of his life to protecting the environment.

Szaggars, a famous environmentalist in Germany, founded the nonprofit the Way of the Rain in 2015. Redford served as vice president.


  Szaggars and Redford in Miami in 2012. WireImage Szaggars and Redford in Miami in 2012. WireImage

Dedicated to “developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances,” the Way of the Rain was “themed and designed to promote public awareness to support the protection of our Earth.”

“Exploring man’s relationship to nature has always been a part of my work,” Redford wrote in a blurb on the nonprofit’s website. “During times like these, art can foster a deeper understanding and connection to the Earth.”


  Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars in Monaco on October 29, 2021. Getty Images Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars in Monaco on October 29, 2021. Getty Images

The “Barefoot in the Park” actor and his wife attended the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation awards in 2021 to join and recognize their “deep commitment to preserving our planet.”

They did not have any children

Although the “Natural” actor and Szaggars did not welcome any kids of their own during their marriage, Szaggars did become a stepmom to the acting icon’s three children with Van Wagenen.


  Jamie, Lena, Robert and Amy Redford attend a movie premiere in New York City in 2017. Getty Images for HBO Jamie, Lena, Robert and Amy Redford attend a movie premiere in New York City in 2017. Getty Images for HBO

Redford and his first wife welcomed four kids during their nearly three decades together: Scott, Shauna, David and Amy.

Scott Anthony Redford

The “Indecent Proposal” star and Van Wagenen, who married in 1958, welcomed their first son in September 1959.

However, Scott passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome less than three months later.

Redford opened up about the “trauma” he experienced losing his son during an interview with Esquire in 2017.


  Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, in New York City in 1978. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, in New York City in 1978. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

“How does that show up in my work? I don’t know. I was only 21; my wife was 20. We were just starting our lives; I was just starting my career in New York,” he told the outlet at the time. “Of course, it was traumatic, and how that plays out over time, I don’t know. We had to deal with it. You have to move on.”

Shauna Redford

Redford and Van Wagenen welcomed their second child, daughter Shauna, in November 1960.


  Jamie, Lola, Amy and Robert Redford in June 1971. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Jamie, Lola, Amy and Robert Redford in June 1971. Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Although the 64-year-old largely keeps her personal life private, Redford mentioned Shauna in 2018 while discussing the Sundance Institute, the arts nonprofit he founded in 1981, following his retirement.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time bringing my children — Shauna and Amy and Jamie — into the picture, and now they’re there and they’re in a position to run the show,” he told the Salt Lake Tribune at the time.

“Basically, they’re inheriting what I started,” Redford added, “and they’re going to keep it going with my grandchildren.”

David James “Jamie” Redford

Redford and Van Wagenen’s third child, son Jamie, was born in May 1962.


  Redford with Lola, Jamie and Shauna in New York City in 1969. WireImage Redford with Lola, Jamie and Shauna in New York City in 1969. WireImage

During a chat with HollywoodChicago.com in 2016, Redford’s son discussed the advantages and disadvantages of having a famous father.

“There can be no argument that I’m in a unique situation, at the very least,” he told the outlet. “But I think the name, for every time it has proved to be helpful, it has also proved to be a challenge.”

Jamie died from bile-duct cancer in October 2020. He was 58 and left behind a wife, Kyle, and two kids.

Amy Hart Redford

Redford and his first wife welcomed their fourth child, daughter Amy, in October 1970.


  Amy, Jamie, Robert and Kyle Redford at of a movie premiere. FilmMagic Amy, Jamie, Robert and Kyle Redford at of a movie premiere. FilmMagic

She studied theater at San Francisco State University to become an actor, and later admitted Redford’s career helped “draw” her to the industry.

“As a kid, I witnessed the process of my dad making films and the extraordinary cast of characters that came together to make it happen,” Amy, 54, told IndieWire in 2008. “I found myself drawn to the nomadic and creative life that that implied.”

“I am able to talk to my dad in a way a lot of people can’t,” she added during a chat with the New York Times that same year. “He still drives me nuts, he’s still my dad, but I have to say, in light of what his universe was, he had his eye on the ball in terms of having kids, and part of that was being raised in Manhattan.”

Redford called his children his ‘greatest achievement’


  Robert, Amy and Jamie Redford during a screening of Jamie’s directorial debut. WireImage Robert, Amy and Jamie Redford during a screening of Jamie’s directorial debut. WireImage

The “Way We Were” actor said being a father was both his most rewarding challenge and his “greatest achievement.”

“The hardest thing in the world is when your children have problems,” he told People in 1998. “There have been so many hits on our family that no one knows about, and I don’t want them to, for my family’s sake.

“I’ve made some interesting movies, and I’ve been very satisfied with the work, but if someone wrapped it all up and said to me, ‘What’s your greatest achievement?’ I’d say, ‘The children.’ They’re the best thing in my life,” he concluded.

Besides Szaggars and his daughters, Shauna and Amy, Redford is survived by seven grandkids.

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