Robert Redford and his wife Sibylle Szaggars' secret to 'wonderful' decades-long romance

16 September 2025, 15:20

The Sting star and his wife Sibylle were together from 1996 until his death in 2025.

Robert Redford and his wife Sibylle Szaggars enjoyed a marriage of 16 years and a romance of almost 30.

The couple first met in 1996, and married in 2009 after 13 years of courtship.

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A private pair, Robert and Sibylle still gave a few excellent insights into what made their partnership work during the rare occasions they opened up about their marriage.

How did Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars first meet?

Robert and Sibylle first met at Robert’s very own ski resort in Utah, named – like so many of the much-loved actor’s properties – after his Sundance Kid role.

Speaking at a YoungArts Foundation event in 2014, Sibylle admitted that when she first met Robert, she knew little about the global star.

As a result, when the All the President’s Men star invited her and some friends for dinner, the actress tried to quickly swot up on his movies, nervous that she would embarrass herself with her ignorance about the Oscar-winner while in his company.

But it was actually Sibylle's lack of knowledge about Robert's career that would be the key to the two striking up a long-lasting romance.

YoungArts Salon with Robert Redford + Sibylle Szaggars Redford

“I thought, ‘What if he wants to talk about his movies?’ I have no idea – that would be so embarrassing,” the environmental activist recalled of the pair’s first meeting.

But Sibylle’s general ignorance of Robert’s career was how the pair were able to connect that evening as equals from the very beginning.

"A wonderful beginning"

At the same YoungArts Foundation event, Robert explained: “It’s one of the things that attracted me to her. We started from a more even playing field, and I didn’t have to worry about any agenda...

“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 coloured by success or whatever,” he gushed.

When Robert and Sibylle eventually decided to tie the knot, Robert announced the pair’s engagement in an interview with German magazine Bunte in May 2008, People reports.

Reflecting the pair’s fondness for keeping their romance out of the limelight, his comment was brief, but reflected their deep bond.

“We are engaged and very happy with that. She is my fiancée and that says everything, doesn’t it?” he shared.

Married life

After marrying in 2009, the pair went on to appear at events such as the 2014 YoungArts Salon and several other film-related events over the years, but otherwise they remained out of the spotlight.

Sibylle and Robert did not have any children together, but she did become a proud step-mother to the actor and his first wife Lola Van Wagenen’s grown-up children, and a step-grandmother to their children.

Robert and Sibylle were together for almost 30 years, until his death in September 2025.