Ruth Post: Inside Ian McShane’s Second Wife’s Modeling Career, Two Children, Divorce and Quiet Life Away From Fame

Ruth Post is best known as the former wife of British actor Ian McShane, the star of Deadwood, Lovejoy, American Gods and the John Wick films. Ruth worked as a model and shared an important part of McShane’s early adult life, becoming the mother of his only two children, Kate and Morgan. After their marriage ended in the 1970s, however, Ruth largely disappeared from celebrity life and chose a much more private path.

That privacy is one reason people still search for her today. Ian McShane continued becoming more famous, but Ruth rarely gave interviews or built a public career around being his former wife.

Her story is therefore less about Hollywood fame and more about marriage, motherhood, modeling and what happened after a difficult celebrity divorce.

Quick Bio of Ruth Post

One detail needs care: different online databases give slightly different years for Ruth and Ian’s marriage and divorce.

Better-supported biographical accounts agree that Ruth was McShane’s second wife, that they married in the late 1960s, had two children, and separated after his relationship with actress Sylvia Kristel began during the 1970s.

Who Is Ruth Post?

Ruth Post is a former model who became publicly known after marrying Ian McShane.

At that time, McShane was still years away from many of the roles modern audiences associate with him.

He had already started acting professionally, but Lovejoy, Deadwood, American Gods and John Wick were still far in the future.

Ruth therefore knew Ian during a much earlier stage of his career.

Their relationship produced something that remained important even after the marriage ended: their two children.

Ruth Post Was a Model

Reliable profiles of Ian McShane consistently describe Ruth as a model.

Unfortunately, the details of her modeling career are much harder to find.

There is no widely available list of major fashion campaigns, magazine covers or agencies connected to her.

That is not surprising.

Ruth worked during an era long before every model had an online profile, Instagram page or searchable digital archive.

Many careers from the 1960s and 1970s simply were not recorded in the same detail that modern careers are.

What can safely be said is that modeling was her known profession before and during the period when she became associated with McShane.

Ruth Post’s Early Life

Very little strongly documented information exists about Ruth’s childhood.

Several smaller biography websites provide an exact birthday or age, but those claims are difficult to confirm through stronger sources.

Her parents, siblings and education are also not widely documented.

This creates an important distinction.

There is a lot of information about Ian McShane because he has spent more than six decades in entertainment.

Ruth did not.

She became famous because of a relationship with someone famous, then later returned to private life.

For that reason, an accurate biography should avoid inventing details simply to fill empty spaces.

How Did Ruth Post Meet Ian McShane?

Several secondary biographies claim Ruth and Ian met in Manchester through football legend George Best, who was a friend of McShane.

Those accounts also say Ruth and Ian maintained a long-distance relationship for around two years before marrying.

The story is believable given McShane’s well-documented friendships within Manchester football circles, but detailed first-person confirmation from Ruth herself is difficult to find.

What is much clearer is that the relationship became serious enough for them to marry while McShane was still a young actor.

It was his second marriage.

Ian McShane Had Already Been Married Once

Before Ruth, Ian McShane was married to actress Suzan Farmer.

They married in 1965 and divorced in 1968.

Ruth entered McShane’s life around the period when that first marriage ended.

McShane was still in his twenties and building an acting career.

That must have created an unusual life for a young couple.

Acting work meant irregular schedules, filming locations and periods spent away from home.

Those pressures would become more important once Ruth and Ian became parents.

When Did Ruth Post Marry Ian McShane?

One widely cited biographical account gives June 8, 1968 as the date Ian McShane married Ruth Post.

Other databases list 1970 as the start of their marriage.

Because of this disagreement, readers may see both dates online.

What is not disputed is that Ruth was McShane’s second wife and that their marriage lasted through much of the 1970s.

During those years, they welcomed two children.

Ruth Post and Ian McShane Had Two Children

Ruth and Ian became parents to a daughter, Kate McShane, and a son, Morgan McShane.

Kate was born in 1971.

Morgan followed several years later, in 1975, according to commonly cited family records.

These are Ian McShane’s only children.

He later married Gwen Humble, but they did not have children together.

That means Ruth remains permanently connected to McShane’s family history as the mother of both his daughter and son.

Who Is Kate McShane?

Kate is Ruth and Ian’s elder child.

The Independent reported that Kate later worked in fashion.

She also made Ian a grandfather.

McShane has spoken warmly about his grandchildren in later interviews, describing a much closer family relationship than he had managed during some difficult periods of his younger life.

Through Kate, Ruth and Ian became grandparents to three children.

Their names have been reported as Oscar, Biba and Raphael.

Who Is Morgan McShane?

Morgan is Ruth and Ian’s younger child.

The Independent described him as having worked as a social worker.

Unlike his famous father, Morgan did not build a major acting career.

That means both of Ruth’s children have generally lived much more privately than Ian.

In that way, they seem closer to their mother’s approach to public life.

Ruth Post and Ian McShane Moved to America

Ian McShane has said that he first came to live in the United States during the mid-1970s with Ruth, who was then his wife and the mother of Kate and Morgan.

That was another major change for their young family.

Moving countries is difficult enough.

Doing it while raising children and managing an acting career creates even more pressure.

The marriage ultimately did not survive the decade.

Problems Developed in Their Marriage

McShane has been unusually open in later years about mistakes he made when he was younger.

His career involved travel, long periods away from home and a lifestyle he later acknowledged did not make him an ideal parent.

Speaking years afterward, he admitted that being away working affected his relationship with his children.

That gives important context to Ruth’s experience.

She was raising two young children while married to an actor whose career often took him elsewhere.

Then another relationship entered the picture.

Sylvia Kristel and the End of the Marriage

Ian McShane met Dutch actress Sylvia Kristel while working on The Fifth Musketeer.

They began a relationship in 1977, and major biographical accounts state that the affair brought McShane’s marriage to Ruth to an end.

Kristel and McShane remained together for several years.

For Ruth, this meant the collapse of a marriage in which two young children were involved.

Morgan was still extremely young.

Kate was also a child.

The divorce did not only affect Ruth and Ian.

It changed the family structure around their children.

Ruth Post Spoke Critically About Ian Years Later

Many years after their separation, Ruth made headlines for comments about her former husband.

The Independent reported that in 1995 she criticized McShane strongly over his behavior as a father and his financial responsibilities.

McShane did not completely deny that he had failed in some areas.

Instead, he acknowledged that his working life and lifestyle were not suited to being the kind of parent he should have been.

That response is important.

It suggests the problems following the divorce were deeper than a simple celebrity breakup.

There were also hurt feelings involving parenting and family responsibilities.

Ian McShane Later Rebuilt His Relationship With His Children

The story did not end with permanent separation between Ian and his children.

Years later, McShane said his relationship with Kate and Morgan had improved considerably.

He explained that families can go through misunderstandings after parents split up, especially when children feel caught between adults.

By the time of that later interview, he said he had enjoyed a good relationship with his children for years.

He also became an involved grandfather.

So although Ruth and Ian themselves did not rebuild their former marriage, some of the damaged family connections around it eventually improved.

Ian McShane Married Gwen Humble

After his relationship with Sylvia Kristel ended, Ian McShane eventually married actress Gwen Humble.

They married on August 30, 1980.

Their marriage has lasted for decades.

Gwen and Ian have lived in California and frequently appear together publicly.

Ruth took almost the opposite path.

Instead of remaining connected to Hollywood publicity, she largely vanished from the celebrity world.

Ruth Post’s Life After Ian McShane

This is where Ruth’s biography becomes much quieter.

There is no strong public evidence showing that she became a major celebrity after her divorce.

She does not appear to have built a public television career.

She did not repeatedly discuss Ian in interviews.

She did not turn their marriage into a book or reality show.

And reliable information about whether Ruth remarried is scarce.

That does not mean nothing happened in her life.

It simply means she chose not to make those events public.

Did Ruth Post Remarry?

There is no widely verified public record establishing a later husband for Ruth Post.

Some online biography sites say she remained single.

Others simply leave her relationship status unknown.

The safest answer is that her later romantic life is private and not reliably confirmed.

This is better than guessing.

Being Ian McShane’s former wife does not automatically make every later relationship part of the public record.

Where Is Ruth Post Today?

Reliable recent reporting about Ruth’s present-day life is extremely limited.

She has spent decades outside the spotlight.

There is no well-known verified social media account offering regular updates about her.

She also rarely appears at Ian McShane’s modern premieres or award events.

For this reason, claims describing exactly where she currently lives or what she does every day should be treated carefully.

It is reasonable to say Ruth has maintained a private life.

Anything more specific needs stronger evidence.

Is Ruth Post Still Alive?

There is no credible widely reported announcement that Ian McShane’s former wife Ruth Post has died.

This question can become confusing because many other people share the name Ruth Post, and obituary databases contain entries for unrelated women with the same name.

That means finding an obituary for “Ruth Post” does not automatically mean it refers to Ian McShane’s ex-wife.

Identity should always be checked carefully.

As of 2026, strong public sources do not establish that McShane’s former wife has died.

What Is Ruth Post’s Age?

Some family-history databases list a Ruth Victoria Post connected with Ian McShane and give a birth date in July 1946.

However, this is not supported as clearly by mainstream biographical sources.

For that reason, an exact age should be presented cautiously rather than treated as completely settled.

The safest description is that Ruth was a young model when she married McShane during the late 1960s.

Ruth Post’s Net Worth

There is no reliable public estimate of Ruth Post’s personal net worth.

Celebrity biography websites sometimes publish numbers for people connected to famous actors without explaining where the figures came from.

Those estimates should not be confused with verified financial information.

Ruth worked as a model, but her later professional and financial life has remained private.

Ian McShane’s wealth is also separate from Ruth’s finances decades after their divorce.

So an exact Ruth Post net worth figure would be speculation.

Why People Still Search for Ruth Post

Ruth has been out of the spotlight for decades.

Why does her name still attract interest?

The answer is Ian McShane.

His career continued growing long after their divorce.

Older audiences know him as Lovejoy.

Fans of prestige television remember him as Al Swearengen in Deadwood.

Others know him as Mr. Wednesday from American Gods.

Movie audiences recognize him as Blackbeard from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Winston from the John Wick franchise.

As new generations discover McShane, they naturally become curious about his family.

That search leads back to Ruth.

Ruth Was Part of Ian McShane’s Life Before His Biggest Fame

This is one of the most important things to remember about their relationship.

Ruth did not meet Ian after Deadwood.

She did not meet the established John Wick star.

She knew him while his acting career was still developing.

They became parents before many of the performances that would later define his reputation.

That gives Ruth a unique place in his personal history.

She experienced the younger Ian McShane—the actor still trying to build a career rather than the internationally recognizable star audiences know today.

A Very Different Life From Ian McShane

After their divorce, Ruth and Ian’s public lives moved in completely different directions.

Ian became increasingly famous.

Ruth became increasingly private.

Ian gave interviews about his career and personal mistakes.

Ruth rarely spoke publicly.

Ian eventually established a long marriage with Gwen Humble.

Ruth’s later relationship history remained largely unknown.

These different paths explain why we know far more about one side of the former couple than the other.

Ruth Post’s Story Is Also About Privacy

Celebrity biography often creates pressure to fill every blank.

What is her exact age?

Where does she live?

How much money does she have?

Who is she dating?

What does she do every day?

Sometimes the truthful answer is simply: the public does not know.

Ruth Post is a good example.

She had a documented modeling career, married a famous actor, became the mother of his children and went through a difficult divorce.

Afterward, she largely reclaimed a private life.

That privacy should be respected rather than filled with unsupported claims.

Final Thoughts

Ruth Post remains an important person in Ian McShane’s family story even though she has spent decades outside celebrity culture.

She worked as a model and became McShane’s second wife while he was still building his career.

Together they had two children, Kate and Morgan.

Their marriage eventually broke down during the 1970s as McShane began a relationship with Sylvia Kristel. Ruth later spoke critically about how the breakup and McShane’s lifestyle affected his role as a father, while McShane himself eventually admitted that his career and lifestyle had made family relationships difficult.

Over time, Ian rebuilt a better relationship with his children.

Ruth, meanwhile, stayed almost completely away from the spotlight.

That may be the most defining fact about her later life.

She was once married to a man who became internationally famous, but she did not spend the rest of her life trying to remain famous because of him.

FAQs About Ruth Post

Who is Ruth Post?

Ruth Post is a former model best known as the second wife of British actor Ian McShane and the mother of his two children, Kate and Morgan.

Was Ruth Post a model?

Yes. Reliable profiles of Ian McShane describe Ruth as a model.

When did Ruth Post marry Ian McShane?

A commonly cited date is June 8, 1968, although some databases list 1970.

How many children does Ruth Post have?

Ruth and Ian McShane have two children together, daughter Kate and son Morgan.

Why did Ruth Post and Ian McShane divorce?

Biographical sources say McShane began a relationship with actress Sylvia Kristel in 1977 after meeting her while making The Fifth Musketeer, and that relationship ended his marriage to Ruth.

What does Ruth Post’s daughter Kate do?

The Independent reported that Kate worked in fashion. She is also the mother of Ian McShane’s three grandchildren.

What does Ruth Post’s son Morgan do?

Morgan McShane has been described as a social worker.

Did Ruth Post remarry?

There is no strongly verified public information confirming that Ruth remarried after Ian McShane.

Is Ruth Post still alive?

There is no credible widely reported announcement confirming the death of Ian McShane’s former wife. Online obituaries for other people named Ruth Post should not be confused with her.

What is Ruth Post’s net worth?

Ruth Post’s personal net worth has not been reliably disclosed. Exact figures published by small celebrity sites should be considered estimates rather than confirmed facts.

Where is Ruth Post now?

Ruth has maintained a very private life, and reliable recent information about her location and daily activities is limited.

For more detailed celebrity-family biographies, hidden life stories, and interesting profiles behind famous names, visit Topper Magazine.