‘Yellowstone’ Cast’s Pre-Show Roles: Where You’ve Seen the Stars Before

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‘Yellowstone’ Cast’s Prior Roles: Where You’ve Seen Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes and More of the Show’s Stars Before

Cowboy cool! Yellowstone has taken TV by storm since its 2018 debut on Paramount, but many of its stars are not new to the acting world.

The show’s leading man, Kevin Costner, who plays Montana ranch owner John Dutton, isn’t the only actor on the series with a lot of experience. Luke Grimes, who plays John’s youngest son Kayce Dutton, for example, got his real start on TV with a part on Brothers & Sisters in 2009.

The role of Kayce, however, is unlike any other for Grimes, who hails from the Midwest.

“When you’re a little boy and you want to be an actor, what are some things you want to play? A cowboy, a soldier,” Grimes told Entertainment Tonight in January 2022. “It’s kind of all of the dream roles wrapped into one. He’s just an emotionally complex guy but also a badass. It’s all good stuff.”

Costner, for his part, gushed over the writing behind Yellowstone, crediting the relatability to the reason the drama became one of the most-watched cable series in 2021.

“I think [cocreator] Taylor [Sheridan] has written dialogue that sometimes we wish would come out of our mouth. … There’s that great dialogue,” the Field of Dreams star told E! News at the SAG Awards in February 2022. “Then if you take that idea of that dialogue singing that way, and you put it against mountains and rivers and horses running, there’s an appeal that has caught people’s attention at least.”

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The cast, which was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series at the SAGs, didn’t win, but it was still a big accomplishment for the showrunners, and all involved.

“There’s no bigger compliment to an actor than being recognized by their peers,” Sheridan said in a statement ahead of the 2022 awards show, noting it was the first SAGs nod his team received after four seasons on the air. “Congratulations to our incredibly talented cast on this wonderful and well-deserved nomination.”

The Paramount show follows the dealings of the Dutton family, who own the largest ranch in Montana. The cast also includes Kelly Reilly as John Dutton’s daughter, Beth, and Wes Bentley as his other son, Jamie. Gil Birmingham, Danny Huston, Cole Hauser and Kelsey Asbille round out the ensemble.

Scroll down to see which Yellowstone stars had big careers before becoming a part of the series — and which actors are still relatively new.

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Kevin Costner

The two-time Oscar winner is the biggest name on the cowboy drama, playing patriarch John Dutton. Yellowstone marks Costner’s biggest TV role to date, but he’s had success going back to the early ‘80s. Some of his most memorable parts include portraying Crash Davis in Bull Durham, Ray Kinsella in Field of Dreams, Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard, Sonny Weaver Jr. in Draft Day, Al Harrison in Hidden Figures and Larry Bloom in Molly’s Game.

The California native won two Academy Awards in 1991 for Best Picture and Best Director on Dances With Wolves. He was also nominated for the Best Acting in a Leading Role category for the film.

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Luke Grimes

The Ohio native began acting in 2006 with a role in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. His fame grew after playing Marc Lee in American Sniper, portraying Elliot Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey films and starring in 2016’s The Magnificent Seven. His TV roles include Ryan Lafferty on Brothers & Sisters and James on True Blood. Grimes has been playing Kayce Dutton, John’s youngest son, since Yellowstone’s 2018 start.

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Kelly Reilly

Before playing John’s cutthroat businesswoman daughter, Beth Dutton, on the Paramount series, Reilly was best known for starring in Pride & Prejudice, Eden Lake and Citizen Gangster. She portrayed Mary Morstan/Mary Watson in two Sherlock Holmes movies before making a splash on TV with roles on Above Suspicion, Black Box, True Detective and Britannia.

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Wes Bentley

The Arkansas native started his career with a role in 1995’s short film Serendipity Lane. He has since appeared in American Beauty, Ghost Rider, The Hunger Games, We Are Your Friends and Pete’s Dragon. Bentley broke into television in 2014 playing Edward Mordrake on American Horror Story’s fourth season. He has since appeared in two more seasons of the thriller series, portraying a variety of characters, including John Lowe, Ambrose White and Dylan.

In addition to playing John’s adopted son, Jamie Dutton, on Yellowstone, Bentley has been starring on Blade Runner: Black Lotus as Niander Wallace Jr. since 2021.

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Cole Hauser

The actor currently plays John’s son-in-law and Beth Dutton’s husband, Rip Wheeler, but his career dates back to the ‘90s. The California native’s first movie role came in 1992 with Frame-Up II: The Cover-Up. He went on to appear in Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Olympus Has Fallen and The Last Champion.

His biggest TV roles included portraying Officer Randy Willitz on High Incident, Jimmy Godfrey on Chase, Charlie Siringo on The Lizzie Borden Chronicles and Ethan Jelly on Rogue.

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Kelsey Asbille

Playing Kayce’s wife, Monica Dutton, on Yellowstone is Asbille’s latest TV hit, having started her career playing Gigi on One Tree Hill from 2005 to 2009. The Columbia University alum later portrayed Mikayla Makoola on Pair of Kings, Tracy Stewart on Teen Wolf, Rebecca on Gaslight and Swanee Capps on Fargo.

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Jefferson White

White kicked off his acting career with a minor role on The Americans in 2014. That same year he played Cole on Manhattan. The Iowa native has since starred on How to Get Away With Murder, Blindspot, The Bite and appeared in God’s Country. He currently plays bad boy thief and Yellowstone Ranch worker Jimmy Hurdstram on the Paramount show.

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Forrie Smith

Smith appeared in several western films before taking on the part of Yellowstone Ranch’s oldest ranch hand, Lloyd Pierce. The Montana native played Harley in 1987’s Desperado, Pony Deal in 1993’s Tombstone and a cowboy in 1994’s Troublemakers. He also appeared in Seven Mummies and played another cowboy on an episode of Midnight, Texas, in 2018. Smith is also known for his stunt work, including Rambo III.

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Denim Richards

The actor made his acting debut on a 2007 episode of Lincoln Heights. His big break came in 2018 when he started playing ranch hand Colby Mayfield on Yellowstone. One year later, he portrayed Elijah Adrieux on Good Trouble and in 2021, he starred in Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher. Richards wrote and directed his first short film, The Zoo, in 2020.

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG Awards

Ian Bohen

In 1994, Bohen made his big screen debut as Young Wyatt in Wyatt Earp. He later appeared in Marigold, Dark Knight Rises, Wind River and Little Women. The California native, however, has found the most success with his TV roles, including Edwin Stillwell on Chicago P.D., Peter Hale on Teen Wolf and Lieutenant Mitch Anderson on Superman & Lois. He plays ranch hand and livestock agent, Ryan, on Yellowstone.

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Ryan Bingham

The New Mexico native’s first film role was playing Tony in 2009’s Crazy Heart. He has since starred in A Country Called Home and Hostiles, before landing the part of Walker, a former felon turned ranch hand, on the Paramount drama in 2018.

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Gil Birmingham

Birmingham has been acting since the early ‘80s, long before he took on the role of Thomas Rainwater, a wealthy casino owner and the chief of the Broken Rock Reservation, on Yellowstone. The Texas native starred on The Legend of Calamity Jane in 1997 before guest starring on House of Cards, Banshee and NCIS: Los Angeles. He also had recurring roles on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Animal Kingdom and Siren. Birmingham’s biggest film hits include playing Billy Black in the Twilight Saga and starring in The Lone Ranger, Hell or High Water and The Space Between Us.

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Will Patton

Patton’s Garrett Randall is the birth father of Jamie Dutton and the main antagonist from season 4 of the series. Like Costner, Patton’s career dates back to the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, with his first film role coming in 1979 as Schreiber in Minus Zero. The South Carolina native’s biggest films include Desperately Seeking Susan, Armageddon, Gone in 60 Seconds, Remember the Titans, The Punisher, Dog Days of Summer, American Honey, Halloween and Halloween Kills.

He also starred on Search for Tomorrow, The Agency, Falling Skies, Shots Fired and Swamp Thing before joining Yellowstone in season 3 in 2020.

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for SAG Awards

Jen Landon

Landon joined the cast of Yellowstone in season 3 as rowdy ranch hand Teeter. The actress, who is the daughter of the late Michael Landon, has been acting since she was a child, appearing on As the World Turns from 2005 to 2010. She played Heather Stevens on The Young and the Restless in 2012 before her brief stint as Hillary Nelson on Days of Our Lives. Jen’s biggest TV roles, however, include portraying Amy on Animal Kingdom from 2017 to 2018 and Sarah Allen on FBI: Most Wanted, beginning in 2021.

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Mo Brings Plenty

The Native American actor has been playing Thomas Rainwater’s right-hand man and driver, Mo, since Yellowstone’s premiere. The South Dakota native played Crazyhorse on one episode of The Wild West in 2007 before landing the role of Sitting Bull on The American West in 2016. While working on Yellowstone, the actor also filmed The Good Lord Bird miniseries in 2020, portraying Ottawa Jones.

Yellowstone’s first four seasons are streaming on Paramount+.