Age, Biography and Wiki
Sara Dylan was born on October 28, 1939, which makes her 85 years old as of 2024. Before marrying Bob Dylan in 1965, she was married to magazine photographer Hans Lownds and was known as Sara Lownds during that time. Her marriage to Bob Dylan resulted in four children together, and he adopted her daughter Maria from her previous marriage.
| Occupation | Stage Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 28 October 1939 |
| Age | 85 Years |
| Birth Place | Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited information available regarding Sara Dylan's height, weight, or other physical measurements. Her public life has been less documented compared to her husband's, and she has maintained a private profile over the years.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship status
Sara Dylan was married twice: first to Hans Lownds and then to Bob Dylan. Her marriage to Bob Dylan ended in divorce in 1977. Since then, there has been no notable public information about her dating life or relationship status.
Sara Dylan (born Shirley Marlin Noznisky; October 28, 1939) is an American former actress and model who was the first wife of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In 1959, Noznisky married magazine photographer Hans Lownds; during their marriage, she was known as Sara Lownds.
Sara Dylan played the role of Clara in the movie Renaldo and Clara, directed by Dylan, and the film was described by a Dylan biographer as "in part a tribute to his wife".
In 1959, Shirley moved to New York City and quickly married magazine photographer Hans Lownds; Shirley was his third wife. Lownds persuaded her to change her name to Sara because his first wife, also named Shirley, had left him and he did not want to be reminded of his previous marriage. Sara and Hans lived in a five-story house on 60th Street in Manhattan, between Second and Third Avenues. Sara had a modeling career and appeared in Harper's Bazaar as the 'lovely luscious Sara Lownds', then became pregnant. They had a daughter. Within a year of the birth, the marriage began to fail.
Sara started going out on her own, driving around town in an MG sports car Hans had given her, and gravitated to the youthful scene in Greenwich Village. Sometime in early 1964, she met Bob Dylan. Sara was still married to Hans when they met, and Dylan was still romantically linked to Joan Baez at the time. On why she left her husband, Hans' son from a previous marriage, Peter Lownds, stated: "Bob was the reason." Sara also had a friend, Sally Buehler, who went on to marry Dylan's manager Albert Grossman. Dylan and Sara were guests at the Grossmans' wedding in November 1964.
In 1973, the Dylans sold their Woodstock home and purchased a modest property on the Point Dume peninsula in Malibu, California. They commenced constructing a large home on this site, and the re-modelling of the house occupied the next two years. Sounes writes that during this period, tensions began to appear in their marriage. The Dylans still retained a house in Manhattan. In April 1974, Dylan began to take art classes with artist Norman Raeben in New York. Dylan would later say in an interview that the art lessons caused problems in his marriage: "I went home after that first day and my wife never did understand me ever since that day. That's when our marriage started breaking up. She never knew what I was talking about, what I was thinking about, and I couldn't possibly explain it."
Discussing his parents' marriage, Jakob Dylan said in 2005: "My father said it himself in an interview many years ago: 'Husband and wife failed, but mother and father didn't.' My ethics are high because my parents did a great job."
In "Sara" from the 1976 album Desire, Dylan calls her a "radiant jewel, mystical wife". Shelton writes that with this song, "Dylan seems to be making an unabashed confessional to his wife. A plea for forgiveness and understanding." Noting the autobiographical reference in the song to "drinkin' white rum in a Portugal bar" Shelton connects this line with a trip Dylan made to Portugal with Sara in 1965. In "Sara," Dylan seems to acknowledge his wife as the inspiration for "Sad Eyed Lady":
Jacques Levy, who co-wrote many songs on Desire, has recalled how Dylan and Sara were estranged when he recorded this song in July 1975. Sara happened to visit the studio that evening and Dylan "sang 'Sara' to his wife as she watched from the other side of the glass... It was extraordinary. You could have heard a pin drop. She was absolutely stunned by it," said Levy. According to Larry Sloman, Dylan turned to Sara just before beginning the song, and stated, "This one's for you."
The songs on Dylan's 1975 album Blood on the Tracks have been described by several of Dylan's biographers and critics as arising from the tension as his marriage to Sara collapsed. The album was recorded soon after the couple's initial separation. Dylan biographers Robert Shelton and Clinton Heylin have cautioned against interpreting the album as naked autobiography, arguing that Blood on the Tracks works on many levels—musical, spiritual, poetic—as well as a personal confession. Dylan himself denied at the time of the album's release that Blood on the Tracks was autobiographical, but Jakob Dylan has said, "When I'm listening to 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' I'm grooving along just like you. But when I'm listening to Blood On The Tracks, that's about my parents."
| Parents | |
| Husband | Hans Lownds (m. 1959; div. c. 1961/1962) Bob Dylan (m. November 1965-June 1977) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and salary
The exact net worth of Sara Dylan is not widely reported, but following her divorce from Bob Dylan in 1977, she received a significant settlement. While specific figures are not available, Mitchelson estimated that the settlement was worth about $36 million. As of 2025, there is no updated information on her current net worth.
Career, Business and Investments
Sara Dylan's career as an actress and model was overshadowed by her role as Bob Dylan's wife. She appeared in the film Renaldo and Clara, directed by Bob Dylan, which was partly a tribute to her. There is no detailed information on her business ventures or investments beyond her acting and modeling career.
Isaac set up a scrap metal business at South Claymont Street, Wilmington. He was shot dead by a drunken fellow East European immigrant on November 18, 1956. Shirley Noznisky had one older brother, Julius.
After Hans and Sara separated, Sara went to work as a secretary for the film production division of the Time Life company, where filmmakers Richard Leacock and D. A. Pennebaker were impressed with her resourcefulness. "She was supposed to be a secretary," said Pennebaker, "but she ran the place." Sara introduced Bob Dylan and Albert Grossman to Pennebaker, the director who would make the film Dont Look Back, about Dylan's UK tour in April 1965.
Social Network
Sara Dylan is not known to have a significant presence on social media platforms. She has maintained a private life, avoiding public attention and maintaining a low profile.
In September 1965, Dylan commenced his first "electric" tour of the United States, backed by the Hawks. During a break in the tour, Dylan married Lownds – now pregnant with Jesse Dylan—on November 22, 1965. According to Dylan biographer Howard Sounes, the wedding took place under an oak tree outside a judge's office on Long Island, and the only other participants were Albert Grossman and a maid of honor for Lownds. Robbie Robertson, who was playing lead guitar on the tour, has described in his memoir how he received a phone call that morning to accompany the couple to a courthouse on Long Island, and then to a reception hosted by Albert and Sally Grossman at the Algonquin Hotel. Some of Dylan's friends (including Ramblin' Jack Elliott) claim that, in conversation immediately after the event, Dylan denied that he was married. Journalist Nora Ephron first made the news public in the New York Post in February 1966 with the headline "Hush! Bob Dylan is wed."
In addition to Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks, and Desire, some critics have suggested Sara Dylan is the inspiration for other works. Both Clinton Heylin and Andy Gill have connected Sara to "Love Minus Zero/No Limit" recorded in January 1965. Gill writes that this song expresses admiration for Sara's "Zen-like equanimity: unlike most of the women he met, she wasn't out to impress him or interrogate him about his lyrics." Heylin also credits Sara Dylan as the inspiration for "She Belongs to Me" (from 1965's Bringing It All Back Home) and "Abandoned Love" (recorded during the Desire sessions, but not released until the Biograph box set in 1985). Anne Margaret Daniel has noted that "Abandoned Love" was at one time entitled "Sara Part II Abandoned Love."
Education
There is no specific information available about Sara Dylan's educational background. Her life has been more noted for her personal relationships and brief appearances in the entertainment industry.
In summary, Sara Dylan's life has been marked by her influential marriage to Bob Dylan and her role as a mother to his children. While her personal and professional life has been less documented compared to her husband's, she remains a figure of interest due to her association with one of the most iconic musicians of all time.
Author David Hajdu described her as "well read, a good conversationalist and better listener, resourceful, a quick study, and good hearted. She impressed some people as shy and quiet, others as supremely confident; either way, she appeared to do only what she felt needed to be done."
