Costner was born on January 18, 1955,[2] inLynwood, California, and grew up inCompton, California.[3] His parents were William and Sharon Costner.[4] 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.[5][page needed][6] Costner's father's heritage originates with German immigrants toNorth Carolina in the 1700s,[7][better source needed] and Costner also has English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, andCherokee ancestry.[8][9] Costner was raisedBaptist.[10][11] 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.[5] He has said that watching the 1962 filmHow the West Was Won as a child inspired his love for Western films.[12]
Costner became interested in acting and dancing while in his last year of college.[7][better source needed] In 1978, while on an airplane returning from his honeymoon inPuerto Vallarta, Costner had a chance encounter with actorRichard 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.[17] 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.[18]
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 jobs that allowed him to develop his acting skills by paying his tuition, including working on fishing boats, as a truck driver, and giving tours of movie stars' Hollywood homes.[citation needed]
Costner appeared in a commercial for theApple Lisa andTable for Five in 1983, and, the same year, had a small role in thenuclear holocaust filmTestament. Later, he was cast inThe Big Chill and filmed several scenes that were planned as flashbacks, but they were removed from the final cut.[7] His role was that of Alex, the friend who committed suicide, the event that brings the rest of the cast together. Costner was a friend of directorLawrence Kasdan, who promised the actor a role in a future project.[7] That becameSilverado (1985) and a breakout role for Costner.[7] He also starred that year in the smaller filmsFandango andAmerican Flyers and appeared alongsideKiefer Sutherland in an hour-long special episode ofSteven Spielberg'sAmazing Stories.
Costner portrayedRobin Hood in the action-adventure filmRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) where he also served as a producer. Costner starred alongsideAlan Rickman,Morgan Freeman, andChristian Slater. The film received mixed reviews but was an immense box-office success. He then starred as District AttorneyJim Garrison in theOliver Stone-directed political epic thrillerJFK (1991). The film gained significant controversy for its historical inaccuracies but was also praised for its style, direction, and performances. Costner received a nomination for aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his role. CriticRoger Ebert praised his performance writing, "As Garrison, Costner gives a measured yet passionate performance. Like a man who has hold of an idea he cannot let go, he forges ahead, insisting that there is more to the assassination than meets the eye."[23]
He then starred oppositeWhitney Houston in the romantic dramaThe Bodyguard (1992) where he also served as a producer. The film was a pop-culture sensation and financial success. The next year he starred as a criminal on the run inClint Eastwood's dramaA Perfect World (1993). Film criticOwen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly wrote, "Costner seems about as pathological as a koala bear, and his gentle charisma reinforces the film's touchy-feely theme".[24][7] He took thetitle role in the western biopicWyatt Earp (1994), directed by Lawrence Kasdan, where he also served as a producer. That same year, he starred in the drama filmThe War. The film also co-starredElijah Wood. The film seemed to gain little attention.
The science fiction-post-apocalyptic epicsWaterworld (1995) andThe Postman (1997), the latter of which Costner also directed, were both commercial disappointments and both largely regarded by critics as artistic failures.[7] However, whileWaterworld achieved respectable box office and some positive reviews, results forThe Postman were far worse and it ended up winning fiveGolden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actor, and Worst Director for Costner.[25] Costner starred in the golf comedyTin Cup (1996) forRon Shelton, who had previously directed him inBull Durham.[7] He developed the filmAir Force One and was set to play the lead role of the President, but ultimately decided to concentrate on finishingThe Postman instead. He personally offered the project toHarrison Ford. In 1999, he starred inMessage in a Bottle withRobin Wright, based on thenovel of the same name byNicholas Sparks. The film drew mixed reviews and just about broke even at the box office.[26][27]
His career revived somewhat in 2000 withThirteen Days, in which he portrayedKenneth O'Donnell, a top adviser toJohn F. Kennedy. The westernOpen Range, which he directed and starred in, received critical acclaim in 2003, and was a surprise success commercially. He received some of his best reviews for his supporting role as retired professional baseball player Denny Davies inThe Upside of Anger, for which he received a nomination from theBroadcast Film Critics Association and won the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. After that, Costner starred inThe Guardian and inMr. Brooks, in which he portrayed aserial killer. In 2008, his Tig Productions company closed and was changed to Tree House Films.[28]
In 2008, Costner starred inSwing Vote. He starred opposite Jennifer Aniston in the 2005 movieRumour Has It. Costner was honored on September 6, 2006, when his handprints and footprints were set in concrete in front ofGrauman's Chinese Theatre alongside those of other celebrated actors and entertainers. In 2010, he appeared inThe Company Men alongsideBen Affleck,Tommy Lee Jones, andChris Cooper. It debuted at theSundance Film Festival, and received good reviews. It was released in cinemas worldwide in January 2011.
Costner announced that he would be returning to the director's chair for the first time in seven years, in 2011, withA Little War of Our Own. He was also about to team up again with director Kevin Reynolds inLearning Italian. No updates have been released about either film since their original production announcement. He also appears, as a special cameo, inFunny or Die's "Field of Dreams 2: NFL Lockout". Costner portrayedJonathan Kent in the rebootedSuperman filmMan of Steel, directed byZack Snyder.[29] Costner was going to have a role inQuentin Tarantino'sDjango Unchained,[30] but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts.
In 2014, Costner appeared in the spy filmJack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, as Thomas Harper, a mentor for the series' title character. The same year, he starred in the thriller3 Days to Kill, and the dramaDraft Day, and produced and starred inBlack or White.[34]Black or White premiered at the 2014Toronto International Film Festival and opened in the United States in 2015. In 2015, Costner played coach Jim White in the drama filmMcFarland, USA, about cross-country running. In 2016, he played the fictional character Al Harrison, aNASASpace Task Group supervisor, inHidden Figures, and in 2017, he starred withJessica Chastain inAaron Sorkin's directorial debut filmMolly's Game. From 2018 until mid-way through the show's fifth season, he has starred in and executive produced the television seriesYellowstone, marking the first regular TV series role of his career.[35] In 2019, Costner starred inThe Art of Racing in the Rain,[36] where he voiced Enzo the dog. It was his first voice-over film in his career.
In August 2022, Costner began production onHorizon: An American Saga, a Western epic that will be split into at least four films, each just under three hours in length.[37][38][39][40][41] Costner plans on the films being released over a series of months. Costner will both star in and direct the project and said the film was proposed as an event television series. Production on the first film was expected to last at least 220 days, but was completed by November 2022.[42] Production of the next films was underway by May 2023.[37][42][43][44] The first film,Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, was released in June 2024, earning mixed reviews, and was a box office flop.[45] The poor box-office returns ofChapter 1 was a factor in the indefinite delay ofChapter 2,[46] which too had received mixed reviews after its debut at the81st Venice International Film Festival.[47][48]Chapter 2 was originally set for an August 16, 2024 release date.[49]
A 2025 story from theHollywood Reporter has indicated that production onYellowstone was rife with power struggles and arguments, listing it among various other incidents that has marred Costner's reputation among colleagues in Hollywood.[50]
Costner is the singer inKevin Costner & Modern West, acountry rock band which he founded with the encouragement of his then wife, Christine. In October 2007, they began a worldwide tour, which included shows inIstanbul and Rome. The group also performed at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Daytona International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.
The band released a country album,Untold Truths, on November 11, 2008, onUniversal South Records. The album peaked at No. 61 on theBillboardTop Country Albums and No. 35 on theTop Heatseekers chart. Three singles ("Superman 14", "Long Hot Night", and "Backyard") have been released to radio, although none have charted. For the single "Superman 14" a live music video was made.
In 2009, they went on tour withopening actThe Alternate Routes. In August, at theBig Valley Jamboree in Camrose,Alberta, Costner and the band were scheduled next on stage when a severe thunderstorm struck, causing the stage and stands on the main stage to collapse. One person was reported dead and forty injured.[51] Later, an auction was held to raise money for the two young sons of the woman killed. A dinner with Costner was auctioned off for $41,000. Two guitars, one autographed by Costner, helped raise another $10,000 each.[52]
Costner has also appeared in the documentary filmCountry Roads by Marieke Schröder.[56]
The most recent album released by Kevin Costner and Modern West,Tales from Yellowstone, was written by Costner and his co-writers from the perspective of John Dutton, Costner's character on the hit TV seriesYellowstone. Songs from the album were featured on Season 3 of the show.[57]
Costner has a home inAustin, Texas, and sometimes appears atTexas Longhorns baseball practices and games. He was a close friend of former Longhorns baseball coachAugie Garrido from Garrido's days coaching atCal State Fullerton, Costner's alma mater. He cast Garrido to play the role of the Yankee manager inFor Love of the Game. He tries to attend everyCollege World Series game that theCSUF Titans team plays inOmaha, Nebraska. Costner walked on for a tryout, but did not make the team early in his time at the university.[citation needed]
In 1995, Costner bought a company that was developingoil separation machines based on a patent he purchased from theUS government. The machines developed by the company were of little commercial interest until theDeepwater Horizon oil spill, whenBP took six of the machines from a company in which Costner owned an interest, Ocean Therapy Solutions, for testing in late May 2010.[61] On June 16, 2010, BP entered into a lease with Ocean Therapy Solutions for 32 of the oil-water separation devices.[62]
Although Spyron Contoguris andStephen Baldwin had previously sold their interests in Ocean Therapy Solutions in mid-June to another investor in the company, they filed a lawsuit in Louisiana District Court claiming $10.64 million for securities fraud and misrepresentation. The suit claimed that Costner kept a meeting with BP secret from them, and the secret meeting resulted in an $18-million down payment on a $52 million purchase, and that after the down payment, but before any announcement, another investor used part of the down payment to buy out their shares, thus excluding them from their share of the profits from the total sale.[63][dead link] The suit claimed that, despite public statements by Costner, Ocean Therapy Solutions, BP, and others to the contrary, Baldwin and Contogouris were told that BP was still testing the machines and had not yet committed to lease the machines from Ocean Therapy Solutions and that the other investor in Ocean Therapy Solutions purchased their shares for $1.4 million to Baldwin and $500,000, to Contogouris.[64][full citation needed] In June 2012, a federal jury in Louisiana deliberated for less than two hours before rejecting Baldwin's and Contogouris' claims in the multimillion-dollar oil-clean-up case, and the court ordered Baldwin and Contogouris to reimburse Costner and the other defendants in the case for their costs.[citation needed]
On June 6, 2004, Costner openedTatanka: The Story of the Bison one mile south ofDeadwood, South Dakota, onU.S. Route 85, saying he hoped it would be an educational and emotional place for people to learn about America's westward expansion. Promoters stated in a news release that the $5-million attraction had a new, 3,800-square-foot interactive center featuring exhibits, retail, and food and beverage areas, offices, and a small theater. The visitor center features graphics and text about the bison and the relationship of thePlains Indians to the animals – historically hunting and now raising them for food and clothing, among other things. The centerpiece is a bronze sculpture depicting abuffalo jump byHill City artistPeggy Detmers, depicting 14 bronze bison in the act of running from their pursuers and three bronzeLakota riders on horseback. Three of the massive bison are posed in midair, cascading over the face of a cliff. Costner commissioned the work in 1994 from Detmers. The five-fourths-scale bronzes, each weighing between 2,500 and 8,000 pounds, were cast at Eagle Bronze Foundry inLander, Wyoming.[65][full citation needed]
Costner opened the Midnight Star Casino and Restaurant in Deadwood, S.D., in 1991.[66] He hired Francis and Carla Caneva to manage the establishment and gave each of them a 3.25 percent ownership and paid them salaries and bonuses. He terminated their employment in July 2004 and asked to agree to an amicable disassociation. When they declined, Costner dissolved the partnership and hired an accountant who determined its fair market value to be $3.1 million. The Canevas sued Costner to buy their shares based on twice that amount or sell the company on the open market. They won in the lower court but, on Costner's appeal, lost in the South Dakota Supreme Court.[67][68] Costner closed the establishment in 2017 and sold it in 2020.[66]
In 2020, Costner joined Woody Sears's new audio entertainment travel app, HearHere, as a co-founder, podcast narrator, and investor. Costner narrates some of the audio stories provided by the iPhone subscription app for travelers on road trips across the United States who want to hear about the people, places, and histories they are encountering on their travels.[69]
Costner was named ceremonialGrand Marshal of theNASCAR Cup Series'Auto Club 500 which took place on February 25, 2007, at theCalifornia Speedway.[71] In 2008, he worked with the NASCAR Media Group andCMT Films to help produce the NASCAR DocumentaryThe Ride of Their Lives which was released in December of that year.[72] Costner would be the narrator for that documentary. Also in 2009, he was named the spokesman for NASCAR Day which took place on May 15. The next day, May 16, he and his country music band would perform in the infield ofCharlotte Motor Speedway as well as participate as a judge in the 2nd annual Victory Challenge before the25th Running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.
Costner and Baumgartner at theCésar Awards in 2013
In 1975, while in college, Costner started dating fellow student Cindy Silva, and they married three years later. During their marriage, they had two daughters born in 1984 and 1986, and a son born in 1988. The couple divorced in 1994 after 16 years of marriage, due to Costner allegedly having an affair while on the set ofWaterworld. Cindy Silva received a settlement ofUS$80 million (equivalent to $153 million in 2024).[74]
Following his divorce, he had a brief relationship with Bridget Rooney, future wife of billionaireBill Koch; Costner and Rooney had a son together, born in 1996.[75] He then dated political activistBirgit Cunningham.[76] In 1996, he lived with supermodelElle Macpherson.[77]
On September 25, 2004, Costner married his girlfriend of four years, model, and handbag designer, Christine Baumgartner,[78] at his ranch inAspen, Colorado. They have two sons, born in 2007 and 2009, and a daughter born in 2010.[79][80][81] In May 2023, Baumgartner filed for divorce.[82] They finalized their divorce on February 20, 2024.[83]
Early in his life, Costner was aRepublican. He was both a supporter and friend ofRonald Reagan, frequently playing golf with the former president. He eventually switched his affiliation in the early 1990s. Since 1992, Costner has financially supported a variety ofDemocratic politicians, includingAl Gore andTom Daschle, but also made contributions to RepublicanPhil Gramm as late as 1995.[84]
In 2008, he said publicly that he had no ambition to run for political office, adding "I've lived quite a colorful life".[85] In the final days beforethat year's United States presidential election, Costner campaigned forBarack Obama, visiting various places inColorado, where he has a home. In his speech, Costner stated the need for young voters to get to the polls, early, and with enthusiasm. "We were going to change the world and we haven't", Costner said at aColorado State University rally. "My generation didn't get it done, and we need you to help us."[86]
In October 2014, Costner sent a tribute to British troops serving around the world, thanking them for their work.[87]
Costner, Kevin; Michael Blake; Jim Wilson (producer's notes); Diana Landau (1991).Dances with Wolves: The Illustrated Screenplay and Story Behind the Film. Newmarket Pictorial Moviebooks. Photographer: Ben Glass. New York: Newmarket Press.ISBN9781557040886.OCLC22450423.
Costner, Kevin; Jonathan Baird; Stephen Meyer (2015).The Explorers Guild: Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala. Illustrator: Rick Ross. New York: Atria Books.ISBN9781476727394.OCLC926879500.
^Corliss, Richard (June 26, 1989)."Pursuing The Dream".Time. Archived fromthe original on June 14, 2007. "The Costners, of Irish and German descent (with a hint of Cherokee blood) (...)"
^"2013 Golden Globe Awards".Golden Globes.com. Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived fromthe original on October 12, 2016. RetrievedFebruary 28, 2017.
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