Lola Van Wagenen is often introduced through her marriage to the late actor and filmmaker Robert Redford. That connection is certainly an important part of her personal history, but it tells only a fraction of her story. Over the decades, Van Wagenen built a career of her own as a historian, activist, producer, and public educator, with much of her work centered on American history, women’s issues, environmental education, and making historical knowledge accessible to a wider audience.
Born in Provo, Utah, on December 19, 1938, Van Wagenen eventually returned to formal education as an adult. She earned degrees from Vermont College and New York University before completing a Ph.D. in American history. She also co-founded Consumer Action Now in 1970 and later co-founded Clio Visualizing History, an organization created to bring American history to the public through documentaries, websites, and other forms of new media.
Her personal life has included a long marriage to Robert Redford, four children, the heartbreaking loss of an infant son, and a later marriage to George Carleton Burrill. Yet the most distinctive part of the Lola Van Wagenen biography may be the professional path she created for herself after entering adulthood in the public eye.
Quick Bio Information
| Biography Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Lola Jean Van Wagenen |
| Known As | Lola Van Wagenen |
| Born | December 19, 1938 |
| Birthplace | Provo, Utah, USA |
| Profession | Historian, Activist, Producer |
| Academic Field | American History |
| First Husband | Robert Redford |
| Marriage | August 9, 1958 |
| Divorce | Commonly reported as 1985 |
| Children | Four |
| Son Who Died In Infancy | Scott Anthony Redford |
| Second Husband | George Carleton Burrill |
| Second Marriage | July 17, 2002 |
| Consumer Organization | Consumer Action Now |
| Consumer Organization Founded | 1970 |
| Historical Organization | Clio Visualizing History |
| Bachelor’s Degree | Vermont College |
| Master’s Degree | New York University |
| Doctorate | Ph.D. in American History, New York University |
| Notable Book | Sister-Wives and Suffragists |
| Residence | Vermont, according to IMDb |
Who Is Lola Van Wagenen?
Lola Van Wagenen, whose birth name is Lola Jean Van Wagenen, was born on December 19, 1938, in Provo, Utah. She is known professionally as a historian, activist, producer, and public educator. IMDb also credits her with production work, including The State of Marriage.
Her public profile initially grew because of her marriage to Robert Redford, whom she married before he became an international movie star. But Van Wagenen’s interests gradually developed in a different direction. She became involved in consumer and environmental education, returned to university, pursued historical research, and eventually helped establish organizations dedicated to public history.
That evolution is important. While Robert Redford remained a major part of her family story, Lola Van Wagenen developed a professional identity rooted in education and public service.
Lola Van Wagenen’s Early Life And Family Background
Van Wagenen grew up in Provo, Utah. The biographical material supplied for this article identifies her parents as Frank Alton Van Wagenen and Phyllis Barker and describes her as having been raised in a Mormon family. Her brother, Sterling Van Wagenen, also became involved in the film world and was associated with the Sundance Institute for many years.
Publicly available sources don’t provide a great deal of detail about her childhood, and it’s better not to fill those gaps with assumptions. What is well documented is the direction her life eventually took.
Education became increasingly important to Van Wagenen as she grew older. Rather than following a traditional academic path immediately after high school, she returned to higher education as an adult. That decision ultimately led to graduate study, historical research, and a doctorate.
Her later career shows that this wasn’t simply a return to school for personal enrichment. Education became the foundation for the public-history work that would define much of her professional life.
Lola Van Wagenen And Robert Redford: How Their Story Began
Van Wagenen met Robert Redford in Los Angeles in 1957, when both were still young and Redford was years away from becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars. They married in Las Vegas on August 9, 1958.
Their marriage began before Redford had become a major movie star. In the years that followed, his career expanded rapidly, eventually bringing him international recognition as an actor, director, producer, and champion of independent cinema.
For Van Wagenen, those years also marked the beginning of a very different journey. While her husband’s career increasingly placed him in the public spotlight, she developed interests in family life, activism, education, and history.
Their marriage therefore belongs in any complete account of Lola Van Wagenen, but it shouldn’t overshadow the work she went on to do independently.
Inside Lola Van Wagenen’s Marriage To Robert Redford
Van Wagenen and Redford had four children together. Their family experienced profound happiness as well as devastating loss. Their first child, Scott Anthony Redford, died from sudden infant death syndrome in 1959, when he was only a few months old.
The end of their marriage is a little more complicated than the simple 1958–1985 timeline often repeated online. IMDb lists their divorce as taking place on November 12, 1985, and Biography.com gives the marriage as lasting from 1958 to 1985.
However, other historical accounts note that Redford and Van Wagenen did not publicly announce a formal separation or divorce. Reporting in the 1980s and early 1990s left some uncertainty about when the divorce was officially finalized.
For that reason, the most responsible wording is that their marriage began in 1958 and ended in the mid-1980s, with 1985 commonly cited as the divorce year. There is no reliable reason to speculate about the private circumstances behind their separation.
How Many Children Did Lola Van Wagenen Have?
Lola Van Wagenen and Robert Redford had four children: Scott Anthony Redford, Shauna Jean Redford, David James Redford, and Amy Hart Redford. Scott died in infancy. Their surviving children later established careers and lives of their own.
Shauna became an artist and married journalist and author Eric Schlosser. James, who was also known as Jamie, became a filmmaker and environmental advocate before his death in 2020. Amy developed a career as an actress, director, and producer.
The family therefore developed strong connections to film, art, journalism, and environmental causes. Several of those interests echoed themes that had also shaped the careers of Lola and Robert.
Lola Van Wagenen’s Children And Family
Van Wagenen’s family eventually grew into the next generation. IMDb identifies Anna Michaela Schlosser and Conor James Schlosser as children of Shauna and Eric Schlosser. It also lists Dylan Larson Redford and Lena Redford as children of James Redford and Kyle Smith, and Eden Hart August as a daughter of Amy Redford and Matt August.
The family story is notable for its creative and public-facing careers. Shauna’s work as an artist, James’s documentary filmmaking, and Amy’s work in film all gave the family strong connections to storytelling and the arts.
At the same time, it’s important not to reduce Lola’s identity to her children’s accomplishments. Her own work in history and education developed alongside her family life and eventually became one of the clearest parts of her public legacy.
Lola Van Wagenen’s Career As A Historian
One of the defining chapters of Lola Van Wagenen’s life began when she returned to higher education in 1980. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Vermont College in 1982, followed by a master’s degree in Liberal Studies/Public History from New York University in 1984. In 1994, she completed her Ph.D. in American history at NYU.
Her doctoral research examined the relationship between polygamy and the women’s suffrage movement. The work was later published in 2003 as Sister-Wives and Suffragists: Polygamy and the Politics of Woman Suffrage 1870–1896.
That academic journey is one of the strongest reasons her biography deserves to be considered on its own terms. Van Wagenen didn’t simply become interested in history after years in the public eye. She pursued formal training, completed advanced research, and turned that scholarship into published work.
Her academic background also prepared her for the next phase of her career: finding new ways to bring historical research to people outside traditional university settings.
Clio Visualizing History And Public Education
After completing her doctorate, Van Wagenen co-founded Clio Visualizing History with historian Jeanne Houck. The organization grew from her long-standing interest in public education and her desire to combine academic history with accessible media.
Clio eventually became a nonprofit organization focused on American history education through documentary films, websites, online exhibits, and other forms of new media. Van Wagenen’s role involved producing online exhibits, selecting projects, and working directly with authors and advisers.
One notable project was Click! The Ongoing Feminist Revolution, which explored the development of the modern women’s movement through photographs, documentary material, timelines, and historical resources.
The work reflects a consistent theme throughout Van Wagenen’s career: she has repeatedly looked for ways to make complicated subjects understandable and engaging for people outside academic circles.
Lola Van Wagenen’s Documentary And Television Work
Van Wagenen’s interest in public history naturally extended into documentary filmmaking. Clio’s official biography credits her as executive producer of Miss America: A Documentary Film, which aired as part of PBS’s American Experience in 2002 and 2004. She also served as executive producer of The State of Marriage, released in 2015.
Her documentary work is closely connected to her broader educational mission. Rather than treating film simply as entertainment, Van Wagenen has used documentary and digital media to present historical subjects to wider audiences.
Clio also developed Catching the Shadow: Women at Photography in the 19th Century, a project that received scripting funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and eventually contributed to Clio’s online photography exhibits.
Taken together, these projects show how her career moved comfortably between academic research, historical interpretation, filmmaking, and digital education.
Lola Van Wagenen As A Consumer Activist
Van Wagenen’s work in public education began long before she earned her doctorate. In 1970, she co-founded Consumer Action Now, a nonprofit educational organization in New York City. According to Clio’s official biography, the group developed consumer-environmental education programs designed to demonstrate the connection between buying habits and environmental issues.
She spent more than a decade working on environmental and women’s issues. Her efforts were recognized with an Honorary Doctorate of Science from Pratt Institute.
Van Wagenen also served with several organizations concerned with women, children, history, and the environment. Her roles have included serving as a commissioner for the United Nations International Year of the Child, a board member of the U.S. Committee for UNICEF, a board member of the National Audubon Society, and a trustee of the Vermont Historical Society. She also serves on the board of Shelburne Farms.
This part of her career adds important context to her later work. Whether she was addressing environmental responsibility or teaching American history, public education remained a recurring thread.
Lola Van Wagenen’s Second Marriage To George Carleton Burrill
After her marriage to Robert Redford ended, Van Wagenen began another chapter in her personal life. IMDb records that she married George Carleton Burrill on July 17, 2002, and lists the marriage as continuing.
Burrill has lived a considerably more private life than Redford, although he has his own professional background. The couple married in Shelburne, Vermont, and have generally kept their relationship away from the celebrity spotlight.
Van Wagenen’s second marriage is therefore best understood as part of her later personal life rather than as another celebrity relationship. Much of what is publicly documented about her after 2002 concerns her work, education, civic involvement, and historical projects.
Where Does Lola Van Wagenen Live Now?
IMDb lists Vermont as Van Wagenen’s residence. Her long-standing professional connection to Vermont also makes the state an important part of her later life. Clio Visualizing History has been based in Shelburne, Vermont, where its historical projects have continued to develop.
Beyond that, reliable public information about her day-to-day private life is limited. That’s worth acknowledging rather than filling the gaps with speculation.
For readers interested in Lola Van Wagenen today, her documented professional legacy offers a much more meaningful picture than unverified details about her private routine.
Lola Van Wagenen’s Life Beyond Robert Redford
Robert Redford’s death on September 16, 2025, at age 89 renewed public interest in the people who were part of his personal history, including his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen. Redford’s career made him an enduring figure in American cinema, but Van Wagenen’s own work developed on a different track.
She returned to college as an adult, earned advanced degrees, conducted historical research, published a book, co-founded a consumer-education organization, produced documentaries, and helped build Clio Visualizing History into a platform for public history.
That record makes it misleading to describe her primarily as Robert Redford’s former wife. The marriage is an important part of her biography, especially because they shared four children and experienced major family tragedies together. But her academic and professional accomplishments stand independently.
In many ways, that’s what makes Lola Van Wagenen’s story especially interesting. She entered public life through a famous marriage but built a lasting identity through education, activism, and historical work.
What Is Lola Van Wagenen Known For?
Lola Van Wagenen is known for several different aspects of her life. Her marriage to Robert Redford brought her public attention, but her professional record extends well beyond Hollywood.
She is a historian, activist, producer, and public educator. She co-founded Consumer Action Now in 1970, pursued graduate education at New York University, earned a Ph.D. in American history, and co-founded Clio Visualizing History.
Her work has also included documentary production, online historical exhibits, women’s history, environmental education, and public-interest organizations. In 2012, NYU’s Graduate School of Arts and Science recognized her with its Distinguished Alumni/Alumnae Achievement Award.
Her legacy is therefore best understood as a combination of family history and professional achievement. Robert Redford remains an important chapter, but he isn’t the whole story.
Final Thoughts
Lola Van Wagenen’s life is much more than a footnote in Robert Redford’s biography. Her marriage to the celebrated actor placed her close to Hollywood during a transformative period in his career, and together they raised a family while enduring the devastating loss of their infant son. But Van Wagenen’s own path eventually took her somewhere quite different.
She returned to college as an adult, pursued advanced historical study, earned a Ph.D., published scholarly research, and helped establish organizations dedicated to public education. From Consumer Action Now to Clio Visualizing History, her work repeatedly focused on connecting knowledge with the wider public.
Her documentary and digital-history projects further extended that mission. They show a professional who wasn’t content to keep historical research inside classrooms or academic journals. Instead, she looked for ways to bring it to audiences through film, photography, websites, and interactive exhibits.
As of 2026, the most complete way to understand Lola Van Wagenen is to see both sides of her story. She was Robert Redford’s first wife and the mother of his four children, but she was also a historian, activist, producer, scholar, and public educator who spent decades creating a legacy of her own.
FAQs About Lola Van Wagenen
Who Is Lola Van Wagenen?
Lola Van Wagenen is an American historian, activist, producer, and public educator born in Provo, Utah, in 1938. She became widely known through her marriage to Robert Redford, but she later established a substantial professional career in history, education, documentary filmmaking, and public-interest work.
When Was Lola Van Wagenen Born?
Lola Van Wagenen was born on December 19, 1938, in Provo, Utah. Her birth name is Lola Jean Van Wagenen. That birth date is listed by IMDb and other biographical sources.
Was Lola Van Wagenen Married To Robert Redford?
Yes. Lola Van Wagenen married Robert Redford in Las Vegas on August 9, 1958. They had four children together. Their marriage is commonly reported as having ended in 1985, although historical accounts have noted uncertainty about the exact timing of the formal divorce.
How Many Children Did Lola Van Wagenen Have?
Lola Van Wagenen and Robert Redford had four children: Scott Anthony, Shauna Jean, David James, and Amy Hart. Scott died in infancy from sudden infant death syndrome. David James, known as Jamie, later became a filmmaker and died in 2020.
Who Is Lola Van Wagenen’s Husband?
Lola Van Wagenen married George Carleton Burrill on July 17, 2002. IMDb lists their marriage as continuing. Unlike her relationship with Robert Redford, her later marriage has remained largely outside celebrity media coverage.
What Did Lola Van Wagenen Study?
Van Wagenen earned a bachelor’s degree from Vermont College in 1982, a master’s degree in Liberal Studies/Public History from New York University in 1984, and a Ph.D. in American history from NYU in 1994. Her doctoral research examined polygamy and the politics of women’s suffrage.
What Is Clio Visualizing History?
Clio Visualizing History is a public-history organization that develops educational projects about American history through documentary films, websites, online exhibits, and other forms of digital media. Van Wagenen co-founded Clio and has played a central role in its educational and production work.
What Is Lola Van Wagenen’s Legacy?
Lola Van Wagenen’s legacy extends well beyond her marriage to Robert Redford. Her work in public history, consumer and environmental education, documentary production, women’s history, and digital storytelling has helped connect historical research with wider audiences. Her career is a strong example of how someone associated with Hollywood can build an independent professional identity centered on education and public service.
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