Kevin Costner Biography
With a career spanning over four decades, Kevin Costner has established himself as one of Hollywood's most versatile and accomplished actors.
From his breakout role in the 1985 film Silverado to his iconic performances in Dances with Wolves and The Bodyguard, Costner's presence on the silver screen has captivated audiences worldwide. Despite facing his fair share of ups and downs throughout his career, he has consistently proven his talent and ability to portray a wide range of characters with depth and authenticity.
Early Life/Education
Kevin Costner, whose full name is Kevin Michael Costner, was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California, and is a renowned American film actor and director. He has gained widespread recognition for his role as a strong-willed individual who also possesses a soft side.
Despite his early acting aspirations, Costner attended California State University, Fullerton, to earn a business degree before making the brave choice to pursue his dream in Hollywood.
Career
Despite facing initial challenges, Kevin Costner eventually found success in the film industry. After being denied his big break by Lawrence Kasdan, he proved himself in the western Silverado (1985). Costner then made his film debut in 1987 and went on to play memorable roles such as Eliot Ness in The Untouchables and a naval officer entangled in a murder mystery in No Way Out.
His talent shone through in baseball films like Bull Durham and Field of Dreams (1989), solidifying his status as a beloved leading man. In fact, Costner's achievements were so impressive that he even established his own production company in 1989, called 1989.
In 1990, Costner produced, directed, and starred in another hit, Dances with Wolves, about an American Civil War soldier who assimilates into a Sioux community. The film won the Academy Award for best picture, and Costner also won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for best director.
After his successful portrayal of the title character in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Kevin Costner went on to showcase his acting range by taking on the role of the determined district attorney Jim Garrison in Oliver Stone's JFK and starring alongside Whitney Houston in the romantic film The Bodyguard.
Throughout the 1990s, he also added impressive credits to his name, including Clint Eastwood's thought-provoking drama A Perfect World, the thrilling post-apocalyptic film Waterworld, and The Postman, which he not only acted in but also directed.
In addition, Costner made a mark in the sports genre with movies like Tin Cup, where he played a washed-up golfer trying to make a comeback, and For Love of the Game, in which he portrayed a veteran baseball player facing the end of his career.
These films showcased Costner's versatility as an actor, as he seamlessly transitioned between intense dramas and light-hearted sports comedies.
Early in the 21st century, Costner directed and starred in his third movie, the western Open Range.
He then went on to other movies like Thirteen Days, which was a dramatization of the Cuban missile crisis; The Upside of Anger; Swing Vote; and the action movie The Guardian. Then, Costner was cast as the head of the Hatfield family in the 2012 TV miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, for which he won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe.
In the Superman movie Man of Steel, which came out in 2013, he played Clark Kent's adoptive father. In 2014, Costner played a veteran CIA agent in the thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, a spy with a family in 3 Days to Kill, the general manager of an NFL team in Draft Day, and a single man trying to raise his biracial granddaughter in Black or White.
The next year, he was a big deal in McFarland, USA, where he was a high school cross-country running coach.
In the thriller Criminal, Kevin Costner played a psychopathic death row inmate who gets a dead CIA agent's mind transferred to his brain. This was a change from his usual role (2016).
In the same year, he was in the award-winning movie Hidden Figures, which was about three real African American women who worked at NASA in the early days of the American space program. Costner played Molly Bloom's estranged father in the 2017 biopic Molly's Game. Molly Bloom became famous when she was arrested for her part in an illegal high-stakes poker ring that Hollywood stars liked to play in.
Then, in Yellowstone, Costner went back to TV to play the head of a Montana ranching family (2018–). It was a huge hit, and he won a Golden Globe Award for it in 2023.
In the 2019 Netflix movie The Highwaymen, Kevin Costner played an ex-Texas Ranger who was looking for Bonnie and Clyde. In The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019), he gave his voice to a thoughtful Golden Retriever who tells the story of his life with a race car driver. In the 2020 drama Let Him Go, he played a former sheriff who wants to save his grandson from an abusive stepfather.
As for a roundup, you may be wondering which of Kevin Costner’s films were his biggest? Which made the most at the box office? Well you’re in luck, we have that here for you! Of course, he made appearances in some heavy hitting DC comics movies, his biggest money makers in which he had a starring role are:
| Movie | Year | Box Office Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Dances with Wolves | 1990 | $424 million |
| The Bodyguard | 1992 | $411 million |
| Robin Hood | 1991 | $391 million |
| Waterworld | 1995 | $264 million |
| Hidden Figures | 2016 | $231 million |
Business Ventures
Kevin Costner owns the production company 1989.
Costner debuted Tatanka: The Story of the Bison in June 2004 on U.S. Route 85, one mile south of Deadwood, South Dakota. He hoped it would be a place where people could learn about the history of the westward growth of the United States. He has also put money into Deadwood's Midnight Star Casino.
Personal Life
Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner shocked everyone when they announced they were getting a divorce in May 2023, even though they had been married for 18 years.
Costner was also married to Cindy Silvia from 1978 to 1994. This was another highly publicized divorce for the accomplished actor.
At a young age, Kevin Costner became a father and now has a total of seven children from three different relationships.
His first marriage gave him three children: Annie (born in 1984), Lily (born in 1986), and Joe (born in 1988). Later, he had a son named Liam Timothy (born in 1996) with Bridget Rooney during a brief relationship.
Costner also has three children with Baumgartner: Cayden (born in 2007), Hayes (born in 2009), and Grace (born in 2010). Interestingly, his three oldest children, Annie, Lily, and Joe, have also pursued acting careers.
As of December 2023, Kevin Costner announced he has been dating the musician, Jewel.
Net Worth
Kevin Costner has a net worth of $250 million. This is from his acting career primarily; producing adds to that. For example, according to Forbes, Costner made a whopping $50 million for his directorial debut, Dances With Wolves, and it has been reported that he made $1.3 million per episode on Yellowstone.
Activism
Kevin Costner is very supportive of many charities including but not limited to: The Wounded Warrior Project, The World Wildlife Preservation, Orange Dog, Down Syndrome, and Foundation for Service Dog Support.
Controversy
The primary reason that Costner is at the center of this controversy is that he has been having ongoing difficulties with Yellowstone's co-creator, Taylor Sheridan.
Throughout the entirety of the production of the fifth season, the tensions between the two were strongly hinted at. Since the beginning of the very first season, there has been conflict between the two.
