Who Is Robert Redford's Wife Sibylle Szaggars?

On September 16, 2025, Oscar-winning actor and director Robert Redford passed away at the age of 89. Although there were several tragic details about Redford's life, there was one silver lining to it all: The beloved star's lasting love with his longtime wife, Sibylle Szaggars. The "Out of Africa" actor's path crossed with Szaggars' at his Sundance Mountain Resort all the way back in 1996. Speaking to The National YoungArts Foundation in 2014, Szaggars recalled that although she recognized the iconic performer from one of her all-time favorite films, "Barefoot in the Park," as well as "Jeremiah Johnson," she wasn't all too familiar with his body of work more generally. So, she naturally felt nervous when Redford asked her and her friends out to dinner. But the group quelled Szaggars' anxieties by watching about eight of his films in the hours leading up to it.

Fortunately, when she headed over to the dinner, Szaggars quickly realized there was nothing to worry about because Redford had no interest in talking about his impressive achievements in film. In fact, the "Indecent Proposal" star admitted to The National YoungArts Foundation that he was rather glad of his date's lack of knowledge about his Hollywood career. As Redford reasoned, "We started from a more even playing field. I didn't have to worry about any agenda," (via YouTube). He later added, "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." Their love story only got better from that meet-cute. 

During a 2008 interview with German magazine Bunte, Robert Redford happily revealed that he had popped the question to Sibylle Szaggars. Of course, the news came as no surprise to fans who had watched Szaggars support her partner at countless events over the years. She walked down the aisle with him in 2009, and they remained married until the Oscar winner's passing in 2025. Although the happy couple kept their relationship firmly under wraps, Redford still couldn't help but gush about her during a 2011 interview with AARP. "She's a very special person," he enthused. "She's younger than I am, and European, which I like, so that's a whole new life." 

Notably, Szaggars had to come a long way from her German roots for her path to cross with a star like Redford's. During the couple's 2014 panel at The National YoungArts Foundation, Szaggars shared that although she had developed a deep passion for art from a young age and even designed wallpaper for her family home, her father deterred her against pursuing it as a career because he wanted her to have a job with a more stable source of income. 

Although she gave in and attended business school, she managed to find an outlet for her creativity by working under the financial department of Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber. However, Szaggars eventually realized that her work didn't provide her enough creative fulfilment, so she decided to take a year off and solely focus on painting. The artist even opted to move to the States so she could paint the beautiful American landscapes.

While speaking to BigLife magazine, Sibylle Szaggars opened up about one of her biggest inspirations, explaining, "From the beginning of my [career] as an artist, nature was the force that inspired me to be an activist from within my art, warning of the impending dangers of extinction, but also pointing out through color and beauty how incredible this earth is." Additionally, the successful artist shared that when she traveled around the globe with her family as a child, she couldn't help but notice how nearly all indigenous cultures had a deep emphasis on honoring the environment through special ceremonies, while modernism didn't give it a second thought. In addition to paying tribute to the Earth through her art, Szaggars also founded The Way of the Rain in 2015. 

According to the non-profit's website, it sought to encourage the "developing, producing and performing educational and artistic performances — themed and designed to promote public awareness to support the protection of our Earth." Notably, Robert Redford not only served as its vice president but also acted as a narrator for "The Way of the Rain — Hope for Earth," a multimedia effort that expressed the non-profit's message through music, dance, light, and spoken word poetry. Redford and Szaggars' environmental conservation efforts even earned them special recognition at the 2018 Smith Nature Symposium & Benefit. The couple did not welcome any children during their long-standing relationship. However, two of Redford's kids from his previous marriage were struck by tragedy.