Beloved Actor Robert Redford’s Wife Hadn’t Seen Most of His Films Before They Met
The 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's' actor left behind his second wife when he passed away on Sept. 16, 2025.
Published Sept. 16 2025, 11:44 a.m. ET
Actor Robert Redford was one of Hollywood's most beloved leading men. During his memorable acting roles, he played the love interest of the greats, from Jane Fonda to Barbra Streisand to Mia Farrow. And, to bring it all home, remember that episode of Sex and the City where Carrie tells Big, "Your girl is lovely, Hubbell?" He's Hubbell!!
To say Robert was a hunk in his prime would be a severe understatement. And yet, he spent most of his career off the market. Here's what to know about the fallen star's wife and married life.
Who was Robert Redford's wife?
Robert's second wife was Sybylle Szaggars, whom he married in 2009. The pair met after The Legend of Bagger Vance actor's first marriage to Lola Van Wagenen, which lasted from 1958 until 1985. During their marriage, the couple welcomed four children: two sons named James and Scott Redford, and two daughters — Shauna and Amy Redford. James and Scott Redford died in 2020 and 1959, respectively.
Robert's second wife, Sybylle, sparked attention during their marriage due to their 20-year age gap. According to The Daily Mail, when the couple met in 1996, he was 60 and she was in her early 40s. She also admitted to being unfamiliar with her husband's work when they met and had only seen a few of his films.
"I knew of him. I had seen Jeremiah Johnson - one of my favorite films - and Barefoot in the Park," Sybylle recalled while speaking at the YoungArts Salon Series in 2014.
According to People, while some actors might be offended by someone they're romantically interested in not being familiar with their work, Robert said it was his wife's lack of knowledge about him that made him know she was the one for him.
"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," Robert explained to the outlet.
Sybylle added that, while she didn't initially follow her husband's work, she rushed to rent several of his notable films and watched 15 minutes of them in case he wanted to discuss his work over dinner. The crash course paid off, as Robert and Sybylle tied the knot in Germany in July 2009. The wedding was a private event for them, as they opted only to invite 30 family members to witness them exchanging vows.
What does Robert Redford's wife, Sybylle Szaggars do for a living?
During their 16-year marriage, Robert and Sybylle were a power couple in their own right. As he continued to land acting roles in his later years, while stepping into his role as an executive producer, his wife was working on making a difference through her art. Sybylle has worked as a multimedia environmental artist for nearly four decades. Her professional mission is to “create art that transcends words, languages, cultures, and politics.”
According to her website, she vowed to create "art to speak to a deeper universal consciousness that’s connected to and dependent on the earth and its environments." The multi-dimensional artist's work has been seen across the globe, and, in 2016, she was the recipient of the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies Program for the US Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname.
Robert and Sybylle didn't have any children together during their marriage.