The Rollercoaster Of Sally Field's Relationships Through The Years
- 01. The rollercoaster of Sally Field's relationships through the years
- 02. Early relationships and teenage fame
- 03. Marriage to Steven Craig and motherhood
- 04. Stormy romance with Burt Reynolds
- 05. Marriage to Alan Greisman and later years
- 06. Later love interests and current status
- 07. Timeline of key relationships
- 08. Comparative overview of Sally Field's marriages
- 09. Legacy and public perception
The rollercoaster of Sally Field's relationships through the years
Sally Field has been married twice and has had several high-profile and long-term relationships, the most notable being her stormy romance with actor Burt Reynolds. Her first marriage was to Steven Craig in the late 1960s, producing two sons before they divorced in the mid-1970s; she later married film producer Alan Greisman in 1984, with whom she had one son and with whom she amicably parted ways in 1994. Since then, Field has remained largely private about her love life, dipping into shorter romances but ultimately describing herself as someone who finds long-term partnership difficult and currently prefers independence over remarriage.
Early relationships and teenage fame
Sally Field's early romantic life unfolded alongside her rapid ascent on television screens in the 1960s, an era when studio publicity tightly controlled narratives about young stars. Her first semi-public relationship was with actor Davy Jones of The Monkees, whom she dated from 1965 to 1966 when both were in their early twenties and still navigating the pressures of early fame.
By 1967, Field was linked to TV actor Lee Majors, best known for "The Big Valley" and later "The Six Million Dollar Man," during a brief but media-frequented courtship that coincided with her starring role in "The Flying Nun." That same year she began a relationship with actor Pete Duel, a co-star from the series "Love on a Rooftop," which lasted until 1968; Duel's suicide in 1971 left a lasting emotional imprint on Field, underscoring how early heartbreak and celebrity culture intertwined in her personal history.
Marriage to Steven Craig and motherhood
At age 21, Sally Field married her high-school sweetheart Steven Craig on September 16, 1968, a union widely characterized by insiders as rushed and driven more by fear of being left alone than by long-term compatibility. The couple dated for about two years before marrying and had two sons, Peter Craig and Eli Craig, within the marriage, with Peter born in 1969 and Eli in 1971.
By the mid-1970s, the pressures of parenting, Field's rising film career, and growing incompatibility led to their separation, and the couple formally divorced in August 1975 after roughly seven years of marriage. Field has since reflected that marrying so young was less about deep romantic conviction and more about clinging to a sense of stability in a chaotic world, an insight she attributes to her own anxieties as a child of divorce and a woman forced to mature quickly in the Hollywood spotlight.
Stormy romance with Burt Reynolds
Field's most famous relationship unfolded after her divorce, when she met actor Burt Reynolds on the set of the 1977 box-office hit "Smokey and the Bandit." Their on-screen chemistry translated into a real-life romance that lasted roughly from 1976 to 1980, marked by intense passion but also frequent public spats and media scrutiny.
Reynolds proposed to Field multiple times, reportedly calling her the "love of his life"; Field later confided to friends that she struggled to reconcile her identity as an ambitious working actress and a mother with the idea of marrying again, leading her to turn down his proposals. Their relationship ultimately crumbled under these pressures, and Reynolds later married Loni Anderson in 1988, a decision he admitted in later interviews he regretted, saying he had lost his one true love in Field.
For Field, the breakup with Reynolds represented both a professional milestone-their collaboration boosted her profile in mainstream blockbuster cinema-and a personal wound she described as one of the most painful of her life. In interviews in the 2020s, she has said she still carries the emotional weight of that relationship, reinforcing how formative but destabilizing that four-year chapter was for her.
Marriage to Alan Greisman and later years
In 1984, after a period of single-minded focus on her acting career following the Reynolds breakup, Sally Field married film producer Alan Greisman on December 15, 1984, following a two-year courtship and an 11-month engagement. The couple's relationship was initially seen as more stable and grounded than her earlier unions, with Greisman supporting her through several acclaimed projects, including her Oscar-winning performance in "Places in the Heart" that same year.
Their only child together, Samuel Greisman, was born in 1989, expanding Field's role as a mother and anchoring her family life in the 1990s. However, the marriage unraveled over time, and they divorced on June 24, 1994, after nearly a decade together, leaving Field once again raising three sons as a single mother.
Field has since described marriage as something she "can't imagine" wanting again, telling close friends that she is more comfortable being alone than repeating the pattern of choosing partners who ultimately prove incompatible with her need for autonomy and creative independence. This sentiment aligns with broader patterns in her later life, in which she has prioritized emotional self-reliance and family over public romance.
Later love interests and current status
After her divorce from Greisman, Sally Field's romantic life became more sporadic and less public. In 1995-1996 she was linked to musician Jerry Knight, a relatively brief relationship that did not lead to marriage or long-term cohabitation. She also dated actor Kevin Kline briefly in 1982, shortly after her separation from Craig, though that liaison was short-lived and never seriously pursued as a permanent partnership.
In later years, Field has been rumored to have had a fling with director Bob Rafelson and is also mentioned in dating archives as having had relationships with late TV host Johnny Carson and songwriter Jimmy Webb, though details remain sparse and largely speculative. By the mid-2020s, public profiles and entertainment databases consistently list Field as single, with no active romantic partner and no indication of engagement or remarriage.
In interviews, Field has stated that she is content living alone and that she no longer views marriage as a necessary component of a fulfilling life. This stance reflects broader trends among women her age in the entertainment industry, many of whom have chosen independence over repeating historically unequal or unstable marital patterns.
Timeline of key relationships
Below is a structured overview of Sally Field's major relationships, highlighting how each period corresponded to important phases in her acting career and personal development.
- Davy Jones (1965-1966): Early romance with the Monkees star during her "Gidget" and "The Flying Nun" years.
- Lee Majors (1967): Brief relationship overlapping with her tenure on "The Flying Nun."
- Pete Duel (1967-1968): Relationship with co-star "Love on a Rooftop," ending shortly before his suicide in 1971.
- Steven Craig (married 1968-1975): First marriage, two sons; coincides with early film work and transition to more serious roles.
- Burt Reynolds (1976-1980): High-profile romance on "Smokey and the Bandit," affecting her star image and emotional life.
- Alan Greisman (married 1984-1994): Second marriage, one son, and sustained professional success during the 1980s.
This chronology underscores how Field's romantic decisions often intersected with pivotal career milestones, from teenage television fame through her emergence as an Oscar-winning actress.
Comparative overview of Sally Field's marriages
The following table compares her two marriages along key dimensions such as duration, children, and how they aligned with her professional trajectory.
| Marriage | Years active | Children | Career phase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Craig | 1968-1975 (about 7 years) | Peter Craig, Eli Craig | Transition from TV sitcoms to early film roles; first major recognition as an actress. |
| Alan Greisman | 1984-1994 (about 10 years) | Samuel Greisman | Award-winning period including "Places in the Heart," "Norma Rae," and later dramatic roles. |
Both marriages lasted roughly equivalent portions of her adult life, but the Greisman marriage overlapped with her highest critical and industry accolades, while the Craig marriage bracketed her shift from pure television comedies into feature-film stardom.
Legacy and public perception
Sally Field's love life is often framed in the media as a "rollercoaster" that mirrored her rise from teen idol to respected dramatic actress, with each relationship marking a distinct chapter in her emotional maturation. Biographers and profile writers frequently note that her two marriages and her high-profile romance with Reynolds have shaped public narratives about her as both a resilient and romantically vulnerable figure.
By choosing to remain single in later life, Field has also become a symbolic example of a woman who consciously opts out of conventional marriage narratives after multiple failed unions, instead emphasizing self-care, family, and artistic legacy. This trajectory has resonated with audiences who see her relationships not as scandals but as realistic, human-scale reflections of the challenges many women face balancing love, creativity, and independence.
Everything you need to know about The Rollercoaster Of Sally Fields Relationships Through The Years
Who has Sally Field been married to?
Sally Field has been married twice. Her first husband was Steven Craig, whom she married in 1968 and divorced in 1975; her second husband was Alan Greisman, a film producer she married in 1984 and divorced in 1994.
Did Sally Field and Burt Reynolds ever get engaged?
Yes; multiple sources report that Burt Reynolds proposed to Sally Field several times during their relationship from 1976 to 1980, but Field declined the offers, citing her difficulty reconciling marriage with her career and motherhood.
How many children does Sally Field have?
Sally Field has three sons. From her marriage to Steven Craig, she has Peter Craig and Eli Craig; from her marriage to Alan Greisman, she has Samuel Greisman.
Is Sally Field currently in a relationship?
As of 2025, public records and entertainment databases indicate that Sally Field is not in an active, publicly acknowledged relationship and is widely described as single. She has not announced any new engagements or marriages, and recent interviews portray her as prioritizing family, health, and creative projects over romantic partnerships.
Why did Sally Field say she wouldn't marry again?
In a 2024 interview, Sally Field told co-star Julie Louis-Dreyfus that she "can't imagine" ever marrying again, adding that she would only consider it if she met someone worth spending "more than 37 seconds with." Field has also spoken about her difficulty choosing partners, describing herself as not good at "picking" men and suggesting that repeated heartbreak has made her more cautious about long-term commitments.