Hollywood has a funny way of scrubbing the "before" times. We see Sally Field now—the two-time Oscar winner, the voice of a generation, the woman who famously shouted about being liked—and we think of her life in terms of Burt Reynolds or her powerhouse career. But there was a guy named Steven Craig.
He wasn't a movie star. He wasn't a legendary director. He was her high school sweetheart.
Honestly, the story of Steven Craig and Sally Field is less about a celebrity marriage and more about the raw, sometimes painful reality of trying to grow up while the world is watching you through a lens. They married in 1968. Sally was just 22, still shaking off the "perky" image of Gidget and The Flying Nun. Steven was the familiar face from her teen years at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys. To the public, it looked like a classic "girl next door marries her beau" story.
The reality? It was complicated. Really complicated.
Why the Steven Craig Marriage Was Doomed From the Start
If you've read Sally’s 2018 memoir, In Pieces, you know she doesn't hold back. She describes her early years with Steven Craig not as a fairy tale, but as a period of intense internal struggle. Sally was carrying a massive amount of trauma from her childhood—specifically involving her stepfather, Jock Mahoney—and she’s been open about the fact that she didn't really know how to be a whole person yet.
They were kids. Basically.
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Steven was a contractor, a "civilian" in the parlance of Hollywood. While Sally was navigating the weird, often sexist world of 1960s television sets, Steven was just a young guy trying to figure out his own path.
The couple had two sons: Peter Craig and Eli Craig. You might recognize those names today. Peter is a massive screenwriter (he worked on Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman), and Eli is a director. But back in the early '70s, they were just two little boys caught in the middle of a marriage that was slowly coming apart at the seams.
The Breakup Nobody Saw Coming
By 1973, things were effectively over, though the divorce wasn't finalized until 1975. Why did it end? It wasn't some scandalous affair or a blow-up on a movie set. It was the weight of it all.
Sally has mentioned that she felt a crushing responsibility to provide. She was the one working 14-hour days, wearing the habit, and carrying the financial burden of the family. That creates a weird power dynamic, especially in that era. Imagine being in your early 20s, traumatized, famous, and the sole breadwinner for a husband and two kids. It’s a recipe for burnout.
People often forget that Steven Craig was there during the pivotal transition of her life. He saw her go from a TV sitcom actress to a woman fighting for respect in serious film. But as she found her voice, the marriage lost its rhythm.
Life After the Split: Where Did Steven Craig Go?
Unlike many celebrity ex-spouses, Steven didn't go on a press tour. He didn't write a "tell-all" book. He stayed out of the spotlight.
There’s a lot of confusion online because there’s another famous Steve Craig out there—the one who married Marie Osmond (twice). Don't get them mixed up. Sally's Steven stayed in the world of construction and private life.
The most interesting thing about their post-divorce relationship is the kids. Usually, when a Hollywood marriage tanks, it gets ugly. But by all accounts, Steven and Sally managed to raise two very successful, grounded men. You don't get a son who writes Top Gun or a son who directs cult classics like Tucker & Dale vs. Evil without some level of stability behind the scenes.
What This Relationship Teaches Us About Fame
We love to obsess over the Burt Reynolds era. It was flashy. It was "Smokey and the Bandit." It was high drama. But Steven Craig represents the foundation.
- The High School Trap: Marrying your first love feels safe, but when one person’s world expands (like, say, winning an Oscar), the other person can get left in the dust.
- The Provider Burden: Sally’s experience shows the toll that being a female breadwinner took on women in the 70s.
- Privacy as a Choice: Steven’s move away from the cameras is a masterclass in how to handle a "famous" divorce with dignity.
Sally has said that for a long time, she didn't feel like she had a "skin." She felt raw and exposed. Her marriage to Steven was her first attempt at building a protective layer, but you can't build a house on a foundation that's still shaking.
Moving Forward: Lessons from the Field-Craig Era
If you're looking for juicy gossip, you won't find much here. What you will find is a story about two people who tried to make it work while one of them was becoming an American icon.
The biggest takeaway? You can't fix yourself by marrying someone else. Sally had to go through that marriage—and the subsequent years of therapy and self-reflection—to become the powerhouse she is today.
If you're interested in the nuances of Sally Field's life, don't just look at the awards. Look at the early years. Look at the struggle of a young mother in 1970s Malibu trying to keep her head above water while her career was taking off and her marriage was sinking.
Next Steps for Deep Divers:
- Read "In Pieces" by Sally Field: This is the definitive source. She writes about Steven with a mix of regret and tenderness that AI could never replicate.
- Check out the Craig sons' work: Watch The Batman or Tucker & Dale vs. Evil to see the creative legacy of this brief, intense marriage.
- Research the 1970s Hollywood labor shift: Understanding how female stars were treated during this era gives a lot of context to why Sally felt so much pressure during her first marriage.
Ultimately, Steven Craig isn't just a footnote. He was the witness to Sally Field's first act. And as anyone in theater knows, you can't have a finale without the opening scene.