Kevin Costner

Costner's father's heritage originates with German immigrants to North Carolina in the 1700s, and Costner also has English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh ancestry.

Costner was raised Baptist.

He was not academically inclined in school, but did play sports (especially football), take piano lessons, write poetry, and sing in the First Baptist Choir.

Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, filmmaker, and musician.

He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Costner was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California, and grew up in Compton, California.

His parents were William and Sharon Costner.

He is the youngest of three boys, the second of whom died at birth.

Sharon Rae Costner (née Tedrick) was a welfare worker, and William Costner was an electrician and a utilities executive.

He has said that watching the 1962 film How the West Was Won as a child inspired his love for Western films.

Costner has stated that he spent his teenage years in different parts of California as his father's career progressed.

He has described this time as a period when he "lost a lot of confidence", having to make new friends often.

Costner lived in Ventura, then in Visalia.

Costner attended Mt. Whitney High School where he was in the marching band.

Costner graduated from Villa Park High School in 1973.

He played baseball at Villa Park and was teammates with Dennis Burtt.

He earned a BA from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in 1978.

While at CSUF, he became a brother in the Delta Chi fraternity.

Costner became interested in acting and dancing while in his last year of college.

In 1978, while on an airplane returning from his honeymoon in Puerto Vallarta, Costner had a chance encounter with actor Richard Burton.

At that time, Costner was uncertain about whether he should become an actor, and he approached Burton to ask his advice.

Costner has said that Burton encouraged him to pursue acting.

Costner has also stated that he asked Burton whether it was possible to be an actor without experiencing turmoil in one's private life; according to Costner, Burton replied that he thought it was possible.

Costner credits Burton with inspiring him to become an actor.

Having agreed to undertake a job as a marketing executive, Costner began taking acting lessons five nights a week, with the support of his wife.

His marketing job lasted 30 days.

He took work which allowed him to develop his acting skills via tuition, including working on fishing boats, as a truck driver, and giving tours of stars' Hollywood homes to support the couple while he also attended auditions.

Filmed in the winter of 1978–79, the film was not released until 1981 and re-released in 1986.

Costner made his film debut in Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. (1981).

Costner played a minor role as "Frat Boy #1" in the Ron Howard film Night Shift (1982).

He appears at the climax of a frat-style, blow-out party in the New York City morgue, when the music is suddenly stopped by a frantic Henry Winkler.

Costner can be seen holding a beer and looking surprised at the sudden halt of celebration.

The release complications and lack of documentation led many to believe that Costner's debut was in The Touch (also known as Stacy's Knights), in 1983 with Eve Lilith and Andra Millian.

Costner's other notable films include Silverado (1985) No Way Out (1987), Tin Cup (1996), Message in a Bottle (1999), For Love of the Game (1999), Thirteen Days (2000), Mr. Brooks (2007), Swing Vote (2008), The Company Men (2010), 3 Days to Kill (2014), Draft Day (2014), Black or White (2014), McFarland, USA (2015), and The Highwaymen (2019).

He rose to prominence starring in such films as The Untouchables (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), JFK (1991), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), A Perfect World (1993), and Wyatt Earp (1994).

During this time, Costner directed and starred in the western epic Dances with Wolves (1990), for which he won two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director.

He then starred in and co-produced Waterworld (1995) and directed The Postman (1997) and Open Range (2003).

He has also played supporting parts in such films as The Upside of Anger (2005), Man of Steel (2013), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), Hidden Figures (2016), Molly's Game (2017), and Let Him Go (2020).

On television, Costner portrayed Devil Anse Hatfield in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012), winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

Since 2018, he has starred as John Dutton on the Paramount Network original drama series Yellowstone for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and a Golden Globe award.