Robert Redford’s wife at the time of his death was Sibylle Szaggars, a German-born multimedia artist and environmental advocate whom he married in 2009. Before that, Redford was married to historian and environmental activist Lola Van Wagenen from 1958 until their divorce in 1985. They had four children: Scott, Shauna, James, and Amy. Scott died in infancy in 1959, and James, a filmmaker and environmental advocate, died in 2020. Redford died at age 89 on September 16, 2025, leaving behind his wife Sibylle, daughters Shauna and Amy, and seven grandchildren.
Introduction
Robert Redford, the acclaimed American actor, director, producer, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival, died on September 16, 2025, at the age of 89. While audiences remember him for films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and All the President’s Men, his private life also included two marriages, four children, family tragedy, and a long relationship with the arts and environmental causes. His death was confirmed by his publicist, and his family’s request for privacy was widely respected in subsequent coverage. [Source: Los Angeles Times obituary, September 16, 2025.]
The woman who shared his later years was Sibylle Szaggars, a German-born artist who married Redford in 2009. Before their marriage, Redford spent more than two decades married to Lola Van Wagenen, a historian and environmental activist. The couple raised four children, although their family experienced profound losses when their first child, Scott, died as an infant and their son James died of cancer in 2020.
Understanding Robert Redford’s family means looking beyond his public image. His relationships and family experiences remained largely private, even as his career shaped American cinema and helped independent filmmakers find audiences.
What Happened? Robert Redford’s Wife and Family After His Death
Robert Redford died at his home in Sundance, Utah, on September 16, 2025. He was 89. His death marked the end of a career that extended across acting, directing, producing, and environmental advocacy.
At the time of his death, Redford was married to Sibylle Szaggars. The couple had married in Germany in 2009 after a long relationship. They did not have children together, but Szaggars became the stepmother of Redford’s four children from his first marriage.
Redford’s surviving family included Szaggars, his daughters Shauna Redford and Amy Redford, and seven grandchildren. His two sons, Scott and James, had died before him. Scott died in 1959 during infancy, while James, who was known professionally as James or Jamie Redford, died in October 2020 at age 58.
Redford’s death was widely reported by major news organizations, including the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times. Coverage highlighted both his achievements in film and his lasting influence on independent cinema through the Sundance Institute and Sundance Film Festival.
Who Was Sibylle Szaggars, Robert Redford’s Second Wife?
Sibylle Szaggars is a German-born multimedia artist whose work explores nature, the environment, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. She has worked across artistic forms and has been associated with environmental advocacy throughout her career.
Although she became more widely known internationally through her relationship with Redford, Szaggars had an artistic career of her own. Her work has included painting and projects that bring visual art into conversation with environmental themes.
How did Sibylle Szaggars and Robert Redford meet?
Redford and Szaggars reportedly met in the mid-1990s at Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. Their relationship developed over many years before they married in 2009.
The couple generally kept their personal life away from the spotlight. Redford had long preferred to separate his public work from his private world, and his relationship with Szaggars reflected that preference.
Their shared interest in the environment and creative expression was an important part of their connection. Redford was an outspoken advocate for conservation, while Szaggars developed art projects addressing environmental concerns.
When did Robert Redford marry Sibylle Szaggars?
Redford and Szaggars married in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2009. Contemporary reports from the Associated Press said a church representative confirmed that a pastor had presided over the ceremony at the Louis C. Jacob Hotel.
Their marriage lasted until Redford’s death in September 2025. They did not have children together.
What is Sibylle Szaggars known for?
Szaggars is known for her visual art and environmental work. One of her major projects is The Way of the Rain, an artistic initiative that combines creative performance and environmental themes to encourage awareness of the natural world.
The project reflects a subject that also mattered deeply to Redford: the relationship between culture, public awareness, and environmental responsibility. Their shared interests provided a connection beyond his celebrity and her role as his spouse.
Szaggars has maintained a relatively private public profile. Information about her work is available through coverage of her artistic projects and her connection to environmental initiatives, but details about her personal life should not be assumed when they have not been publicly confirmed.
Who Was Robert Redford’s First Wife, Lola Van Wagenen?
Before marrying Szaggars, Robert Redford was married to Lola Van Wagenen. They married in 1958 and divorced in 1985.
Van Wagenen is a historian and environmental activist who developed her own interests and work beyond her relationship with the actor. Their marriage began before Redford became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars, and they built a family while his acting career grew.
The couple had four children: Scott, Shauna, James, and Amy. Their family life included periods of private life away from Hollywood, including time in Utah, where Redford developed a strong personal and professional connection to the landscape.
Why did Robert Redford and Lola Van Wagenen divorce?
Redford and Van Wagenen divorced in 1985 after more than 25 years of marriage. Although the end of their marriage has been covered in biographies and obituaries, Redford generally guarded the details of his private life.
It is therefore important not to assign a single cause to their divorce without reliable evidence. Public reporting establishes the marriage and divorce dates, but not every personal factor that shaped their relationship.
Van Wagenen continued her own work as a historian and activist. Their four children remained an important part of Redford’s family story, even after the marriage ended.
Robert Redford’s Four Children
Robert Redford and Lola Van Wagenen had four children. Their lives took different paths, including art, filmmaking, and environmental advocacy. The family also endured the deaths of two sons.
1. Scott Anthony Redford
Scott Anthony Redford was Robert and Lola’s first child. He was born in 1959 and died of sudden infant death syndrome at approximately two and a half months old.
The loss came early in Redford’s adult life, around the time he was beginning to establish himself as a performer. Obituaries and biographical accounts have noted the tragedy as one of the defining personal losses in his life.
Scott did not live long enough to develop a public life of his own. His place in the family is remembered through accounts of Redford’s early years and the grief his parents experienced.
2. Shauna Redford
Shauna Redford is one of Robert Redford and Lola Van Wagenen’s two surviving daughters. She has worked as a painter and maintained a more private life than her famous father.
Shauna married writer Eric Schlosser in 1985. Schlosser is known for books including Fast Food Nation, which examined the fast-food industry and its wider social effects.
The couple have two children, Mica and Conor. Shauna has generally stayed out of the entertainment spotlight, and relatively little personal information about her day-to-day life is publicly available.
Her decision to maintain privacy is consistent with Redford’s longstanding preference to keep family matters separate from his public career.
3. James “Jamie” Redford
James Redford, often called Jamie, was a filmmaker, writer, and environmental advocate. He was one of Robert Redford and Lola Van Wagenen’s four children and built a career that connected storytelling with social and environmental issues.
Jamie co-founded The Redford Center with his father in 2005. The organization supports films and other storytelling projects focused on environmental challenges and solutions.
He also worked on documentary projects and used film to explore subjects including health, education, and environmental concerns. His work reflected a creative approach that overlapped with his father’s commitment to using media to encourage public engagement.
Jamie died on October 16, 2020, at age 58, from bile duct cancer. His death was a significant loss for the Redford family and the environmental storytelling community.
Jamie was married to Kyle Redford, and they had two children, Dylan and Lena. His legacy continues through his films and The Redford Center’s work.
4. Amy Redford
Amy Hart Redford is Robert Redford and Lola Van Wagenen’s younger daughter. She is an actor, director, and producer who has worked in film, television, and theatre.
Amy has developed a career in the arts in her own right, rather than relying solely on her father’s reputation. Her work behind the camera includes directing, and she has been associated with the independent film community that her father helped nurture.
She has also been involved with the Sundance Institute and projects connected to independent filmmaking. While the family connection is a notable part of her biography, Amy’s professional identity includes her own creative work.
Like her sister, Amy has kept many details of her private life out of public view.
How Robert Redford’s Family Experienced Loss
Two of the most painful events in Redford’s family life were the deaths of his sons Scott and James, decades apart.
Scott died in infancy in 1959. James died in 2020 following a battle with bile duct cancer. The circumstances were very different, but both losses were significant moments in the family’s history.
Redford rarely made his private life the centre of public attention. Still, biographical coverage has acknowledged how personal loss shaped his life alongside his professional achievements. It would be impossible to reduce his work or his relationships to those tragedies, but they form part of the documented story of his family.
His surviving daughters, Shauna and Amy, continued to pursue their own interests, while his grandchildren represented another generation of the family. At the time of Redford’s death, reports said he was survived by seven grandchildren.
Robert Redford’s Family and His Environmental Legacy
Redford’s family history is connected to a broader legacy in independent film and environmental advocacy. He founded the Sundance Institute in 1981, helping establish a platform for independent filmmakers, screenwriters, and other creative professionals.
His interest in environmental issues also influenced his personal and professional life. He supported conservation efforts and used his public position to encourage greater attention to climate and land-protection concerns.
These interests overlapped with the work of both his second wife, Sibylle Szaggars, and his son James. Szaggars has explored environmental themes through art, while James used documentary filmmaking and The Redford Center to support environmental storytelling.
The overlap does not mean that every family member shared identical views or worked on the same projects. Rather, it shows how creative expression and concern for the natural world became recurring themes in several parts of the Redford family’s public work.
What Officials and Organizations Said About Robert Redford
Redford’s death was confirmed by his publicist, and major news organizations published obituaries on September 16, 2025. The Los Angeles Times reported that he died at his home in Utah at age 89 and highlighted his work as an actor, director, and founder of the Sundance Institute.
The Associated Press also reported on his death and career. Coverage noted that he was survived by his wife, Sibylle Szaggars, his daughters Shauna and Amy, and seven grandchildren. His sons Scott and James had died before him.
The Sundance Institute’s history is central to Redford’s professional legacy. Established in 1981, it helped support independent film and later became closely associated with the Sundance Film Festival. The institution’s work continued beyond Redford’s death.
Public reporting has not established any new family announcement that changes the known details of his marriages or children. His family has generally kept personal matters private, and that privacy should be respected.
Why Robert Redford’s Marriage and Family Story Matters
Interest in Robert Redford’s wife and children reflects more than curiosity about a celebrity’s relationships. His life joined a highly visible film career with a private family world that he tried to protect.
His first marriage, to Lola Van Wagenen, began before his rise to international fame and lasted more than 25 years. Their children followed different paths, with some working in creative fields and others keeping a low profile. The deaths of Scott and James also form an important part of the family’s history.
His second marriage to Sibylle Szaggars connected him with an artist whose environmental interests aligned with themes that mattered to him. Their relationship lasted until his death in 2025.
For readers, the most useful distinction is between documented facts and assumptions. The marriage dates, children’s names, and major family losses are established in reliable reporting. More intimate explanations of the couple’s private decisions or family relationships should not be presented as fact without direct evidence.
What Happens Next for Sibylle Szaggars and the Redford Family?
Robert Redford’s death ended his marriage to Sibylle Szaggars, but it did not end the family’s connection to the arts or environmental work. Szaggars has her own artistic projects, and The Redford Center continues the environmental storytelling mission that James and Robert helped establish.
Redford’s daughters and grandchildren remain part of his family legacy, although they have not all chosen public careers. There is no reason to assume they will provide ongoing public updates about their private lives.
The confirmed record is clear: Redford was married twice, had four children with Lola Van Wagenen, married Sibylle Szaggars in 2009, and died in September 2025 at age 89. His personal story is one part of a much larger legacy in American cinema, independent filmmaking, and environmental advocacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who was Robert Redford’s wife when he died?
Robert Redford’s wife at the time of his death was Sibylle Szaggars, a German-born multimedia artist and environmental advocate. They married in 2009 and remained married until his death on September 16, 2025.
2. How many times was Robert Redford married?
Robert Redford was married twice. His first marriage was to Lola Van Wagenen from 1958 to 1985. He married Sibylle Szaggars in 2009.
3. Who was Robert Redford’s first wife?
His first wife was Lola Van Wagenen, a historian and environmental activist. They married in 1958, divorced in 1985, and had four children together.
4. Did Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars have children?
No. Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars did not have children together. Redford had four children from his first marriage to Lola Van Wagenen.
5. How many children did Robert Redford have?
Robert Redford had four children: Scott Anthony Redford, Shauna Redford, James “Jamie” Redford, and Amy Hart Redford. Scott died in infancy in 1959, and James died in 2020.
6. What happened to Robert Redford’s son James?
James Redford was a filmmaker and environmental advocate. He died on October 16, 2020, at age 58, from bile duct cancer. He co-founded The Redford Center with his father in 2005.
7. What does Sibylle Szaggars do?
Sibylle Szaggars is a multimedia artist whose work includes environmental themes. She is associated with The Way of the Rain, an artistic initiative that uses creative expression to raise awareness of environmental issues.
8. How many grandchildren did Robert Redford have?
Major news reports stated that Robert Redford was survived by seven grandchildren. His grandchildren include the children of his daughters and his late son James.