Steven Craig is best known to the public as the first husband of Academy Award-winning actress Sally Field. Unlike his former wife, Craig never pursued fame, and for more than five decades he has remained a private figure — even as his two sons, Peter Craig and Eli Craig, built major careers in Hollywood. This article breaks down everything publicly known about Steven Craig: his early life, his marriage to Sally Field, his role as a father, and where he stands today.

Quick Facts — Steven Craig Bio at a Glance

Detail	Information
Full Name	Steven Craig
Known For	First husband of actress Sally Field
Spouse	Sally Field (married 1968; divorced 1975)
Marriage Duration	About seven years
Children	Two sons — Peter Craig and Eli Craig
First Son	Peter Craig, born November 10, 1969
Second Son	Eli Craig, born May 25, 1972
Current Status	Private citizen, out of the public eye

Early Life and Background

Details about Steven Craig’s childhood have never been widely documented in the press, which is consistent with the low public profile he has maintained throughout his life. What is known comes largely from interviews given by his sons over the years, who have occasionally referenced their father’s background when discussing their own upbringing.

Growing Up Without His Father

According to accounts shared by his family, Craig experienced an absent father figure during his own childhood. This is a detail that reportedly shaped how he approached his relationship with Peter and Eli later on — he is described as having been an involved, hands-on parent despite not having had that model himself.

Reconnecting With His Biological Father as an Adult

Some accounts suggest Craig made an effort as an adult to reconnect with his own father, though the outcome of that reunion isn’t something either party discussed publicly. Because Craig has never given interviews about his personal history, this detail — like much of his early biography — should be treated as unconfirmed rather than established fact.

A Private Man From the Start

What’s consistent across every account of Steven Craig, from his teenage years through today, is a preference for privacy. Even at the height of Sally Field’s fame in the 1970s and 1980s, Craig avoided press attention, interviews, and public appearances tied to his ex-wife’s career.

How Steven Craig Met Sally Field

Steven Craig and Sally Field’s relationship began well before either of them had any connection to Hollywood stardom.

Their High School Romance

The two met as teenagers and became high school sweethearts in the Los Angeles area, where Field grew up. At the time, Field was just beginning her acting career — she landed her first major role, the title character in the TV series Gidget, in 1965, when she was still a teenager herself.

Life Before Hollywood Fame

Craig and Field’s relationship developed during a period when neither of them had any indication of the level of fame she would eventually reach. Their bond formed around a shared, ordinary teenage life rather than industry connections — a detail that stands in contrast to how most of Sally Field’s later relationships, including her romance with Burt Reynolds, played out under public scrutiny.

Steven Craig and Sally Field’s Marriage

Their 1968 Wedding

Steven Craig and Sally Field married in 1968. Field was 21 years old at the time, and the couple’s relationship had already spanned several years by that point, having begun in their teens.

Life as a Young Married Couple

The marriage produced two sons: Peter Craig, born November 10, 1969, and Eli Craig, born May 25, 1972. Field has spoken publicly about how young she was when she became a mother, noting in a 2024 interview on the Wiser Than Me podcast with Julia Louis-Dreyfus that she was just 23 when she had her first child.

Balancing Family Life and Sally’s Rising Career

During their marriage, Field’s acting career accelerated significantly. She starred in The Flying Nun from 1967 to 1970 and later took on the series The Girl with Something Extra in 1973. As her professional profile grew, the couple’s day-to-day lives moved in increasingly different directions — a dynamic that is widely cited as a contributing factor to their eventual split.

Steven Craig’s Children: Peter Craig and Eli Craig

Peter Craig — Birth and Early Life

Peter Craig, born in 1969, is Steven Craig’s eldest son. He would go on to attend the Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, studying under acclaimed authors Tobias Wolff and Marilynne Robinson — training that laid the groundwork for his later writing career.

Eli Craig — Birth and Early Life

Eli Craig, born in 1972, is Steven Craig’s younger son. Like his brother, Eli developed an interest in storytelling and filmmaking from an early age, eventually pursuing both acting and directing.

Steven Craig’s Role as a Father

Despite the divorce, Craig remained a presence in his sons’ lives. Peter Craig has spoken in interviews about specific formative experiences with his father, describing him as someone who pushed his sons toward discipline and real-world responsibility rather than a conventional, comfortable upbringing.

Why Steven Craig and Sally Field Divorced

Steven Craig and Sally Field divorced in 1975, ending a marriage of roughly seven years. Some reports note the couple separated as early as 1973, with the divorce becoming official two years later. Field was around 29 at the time.

The specific reasons behind the split have never been detailed publicly by either party. What’s clear is that their lives were heading in very different directions: Field’s acting career was entering its most productive period — she would go on to win two Academy Awards, for Norma Rae (1979) and Places in the Heart (1984) — while Craig stepped further away from any connection to the entertainment industry.

Steven Craig’s Life After Divorce

Stepping Away From Hollywood

After 1975, Steven Craig largely disappeared from public reporting. He gave no interviews, made no public statements about his ex-wife’s career, and has not appeared at industry events connected to his sons’ work.

An Alternative Lifestyle

Some accounts describe Craig as having embraced a more unconventional, back-to-basics lifestyle after the divorce, in keeping with countercultural values of the era. These reports are not independently confirmed, and Craig has never addressed them directly, but they are consistent with the broader picture of a man who chose to opt out of the entertainment world entirely.

Why He Avoided the Spotlight

Unlike many people connected to a famous former spouse, Craig never appeared to leverage the relationship for attention, book deals, or media appearances — a pattern that has held steady for close to fifty years.

Steven Craig’s Parenting Style and Influence

Peter Craig has been the most candid family member about his father’s parenting approach. In interviews, he’s described a period during his teenage years when he struggled and left high school. Rather than shielding him from consequences, Steven Craig reportedly arranged for Peter to take on a demanding construction job in Oregon.

Peter has credited this experience with instilling the discipline and work ethic that later helped him build a serious writing career — a sharp contrast to the entertainment-industry access he also had through his mother.

Peter Craig and Eli Craig’s Hollywood Success

Peter Craig’s Career

Peter Craig became a novelist and one of Hollywood’s more sought-after screenwriters. His novels include The Martini Shot, Hot Plastic, and Blood Father. As a screenwriter, his credits include major studio films such as The Town (2010), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay installments, Bad Boys for Life (2020), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022) — one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

Eli Craig’s Career

Eli Craig is a director, screenwriter, and actor best known for co-writing and directing Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2010), a horror-comedy that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the audience award at SXSW, going on to become a cult favorite.

Two Parents, Two Kinds of Influence

Both sons have effectively drawn on contrasting influences — their mother’s decades of professional acting experience and industry connections, and their father’s emphasis on discipline, independence, and grounded life experience.

Where Is Steven Craig Now?

There is no widely confirmed, current public information about Steven Craig’s location, career, or personal life today. He has not remarried publicly, given interviews, or made any statements about his sons’ success. His decision to remain entirely private has held consistent for decades, making him one of the more genuinely low-profile figures connected to a major Hollywood family.

Steven Craig’s Legacy

Steven Craig’s story isn’t really about Hollywood at all — it’s about a man who chose to define success on his own terms. While Sally Field became one of the most decorated actresses of her generation, Craig’s lasting legacy is visible in his sons: Peter Craig’s screenwriting credits on some of the biggest films of the last two decades, and Eli Craig’s respected work as a filmmaker. Both men have spoken about their father’s influence in shaping their work ethic, even though he never sought credit for it.

Steven Craig FAQs

Who is Steven Craig?

Steven Craig is best known as the first husband of actress Sally Field. They were married from 1968 to 1975 and had two sons, Peter and Eli Craig.

When did Steven Craig and Sally Field marry?

They married in 1968, when Field was 21, and divorced in 1975.

How many children does Steven Craig have?

Two sons: Peter Craig, born in 1969, and Eli Craig, born in 1972.

What do Steven Craig’s sons do for a living?

Peter Craig is a novelist and screenwriter known for Top Gun: Maverick, Bad Boys for Life, and The Hunger Games film series. Eli Craig is a director, writer, and actor best known for Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.

Did Steven Craig live in a commune?

Some reports describe him embracing an alternative lifestyle after his divorce, but this has never been independently confirmed or discussed by Craig himself.

Is Steven Craig still alive today?

There’s no widely confirmed public information about his current status, location, or personal life. He has stayed out of the public record for decades.

Why is Steven Craig famous?

Primarily through his marriage to Sally Field and as the father of two accomplished Hollywood professionals, Peter and Eli Craig.