The Life and Career of a Hollywood Icon: A Deep Biography of Kevin Costner
This is your Kevin Costner Audio Biography.
Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California to William Costner, an electrician, and Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), a welfare worker. He was the youngest of three sons. As a child, Costner developed an interest in sports, especially baseball, but also took piano lessons and sang in the First Baptist Choir. Although he loved sports, he suffered from vertigo, which made some physical activities difficult.
Costner went to Villa Park High School in Orange County, where he started taking an interest in acting and performing, appearing in school plays. After graduation in 1973, he enrolled at California State University at Fullerton, initially studying business and marketing. During this time, he became a brother in the Delta Chi fraternity. Two and a half years into his degree, Costner became interested in acting and took up a job as a marketing executive while taking acting lessons five nights a week. He quit his marketing job after a year to pursue acting full time.
In 1978, Costner married his college sweetheart Cindy Silva, who worked as a Disneyland princess. In 1979, they moved to Hollywood together so Costner could pursue an acting career. They lived in a motel for a while, took jobs anywhere they could find them, and Cindy would sometimes wait tables for them to get by. Costner took work as a truck driver, marketing executive, and gave Hollywood tours.
Costner started landing small roles in films like Night Shift (1982) and Frances (1982) while also doing commercials. His first significant movie role came in 1983's The Big Chill, but his scenes ended up on the editing room floor. Later that year he had a small but memorable part in Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado, where his character’s death served to motivate the other characters. More substantial roles followed in smaller films like American Flyers (1985) and the 1987 film noir thriller No Way Out.
His big break came later in 1987 when he was cast in The Untouchables as federal agent Eliot Ness, opposite stars like Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. His charismatic performance earned him industry attention and his first serious film accolades. Following The Untouchables, Costner starred in a series of dramatic sports films like Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and Tin Cup (1996), showcasing his athletic talent and cementing his star power.
In 1990, Costner achieved new heights of critical and commercial success by directing, producing and starring in the epic western Dances with Wolves. The film was made for $22 million and grossed over $400 million worldwide. It also won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner. Suddenly elevated to Hollywood’s A-List, Costner was now able to get larger films green-lit himself as a star, producer and director. He formed his own production company, Tig Productions, giving him creative control over the films he made.
Costner followed up the success of Dances with Wolves by directing and starring in another epic film, The Postman (1997). Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the film received mixed reviews from critics but once again demonstrated Costner’s ambition in choosing big, conceptual stories to tell on film. His subsequent directorial efforts would prove less successful, like the golf comedy Tin Cup (1996) and later the prohibition-era drama The Upside of Anger (2005), marked by more modest productions.
As an actor throughout the 90s, Costner continued headlining major studio films like JFK (1991), Clint Eastwood’s A Perfect World (1993), the hit sequel The Bodyguard (1992) with Whitney Houston, and Wyatt Earp (1994). He also expanded the genres he worked in with star vehicles like the romantic drama Message in a Bottle (1999) and sci-fi future film Waterworld (1995). While not all his ‘90s films matched his earlier critical successes, Costner remained a major movie star who commanded strong international box office.
Entering the early 2000s, Costner's status as a leading box office draw became less consistent as new male stars like Tom Cruise took precedence. He experimented with more supporting roles in films like 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) and Dragonfly (2002). His 2003 Western Open Range was a modest hit and did better with critics, signaling something of a return to form. He earned praise for his work in 2005's drama The Upside of Anger, which he also directed.
In 2006, Costner stepped out of his usual dramatic roles to star in the comedy The Guardian, holding his own opposite comedic actor Ashton Kutcher. Over the next few years he appeared in small films like Mr. Brooks, Swing Vote, and The New Daughter, also directing and producing when possible. Costner was still choosy about committing fully to film projects, opting to focus more on his Country music band Kevin Costner & Modern West which he founded in 2007, while also dedicating time to other business and charity endeavors.
It wouldn’t be until 2012 that Costner would make his return to starring in bigger Hollywood productions, first with a major role in the hit miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012) and then the sports drama Draft Day (2014). He earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Hatfields & McCoys, winning his first non-specialty acting awards since Dances with Wolves.
Costner’s career resurgence only continued in the following years with more prominent roles in acclaimed films like the spy thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), the Disney sports drama McFarland USA (2015), and the 2016 Western thriller series Yellowstone, which became a surprise hit for the Paramount Network. Costner's layered performance as the conflicted, ruthless patriarch John Dutton demonstrated his undiminished talent for embodying the classic celluloid cowboy, while further cementing his status as an icon of American film.
In 2019, Costner returned to the director’s chair after nearly twenty years with Let Him Go starring Diane Lane and Lesley Manville. The film was praised by critics as a welcome directing comeback, Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The same year, Costner also co-created and produced the Paramount Network drama series Yellowstone spin-off 1883, a prequel following a family's wagon journey west in pioneer America.
Over his decades-long career Kevin Costner has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most prominent leading men of his era, as well as one of its most ambitious and competent filmmakers. His films have grossed over $4 billion dollars worldwide and his acting talent has garnered him acclaim in genres ranging from dramas, action films, Westerns and more. Behind the camera, he has pushed his creative limits to great success, incorporating epic scale with resonant emotional storytelling. And while not without his misfires, at his best Kevin Costner has shaped some of modern American cinema’s most iconic stories. With substantial recent hits in both film and television, Costner has proven the durability of his movie star power, as well as his place among the great Hollywood storytellers.
Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California to William Costner, an electrician, and Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), a welfare worker. He was the youngest of three sons. As a child, Costner developed an interest in sports, especially baseball, but also took piano lessons and sang in the First Baptist Choir. Although he loved sports, he suffered from vertigo, which made some physical activities difficult.
Costner went to Villa Park High School in Orange County, where he started taking an interest in acting and performing, appearing in school plays. After graduation in 1973, he enrolled at California State University at Fullerton, initially studying business and marketing. During this time, he became a brother in the Delta Chi fraternity. Two and a half years into his degree, Costner became interested in acting and took up a job as a marketing executive while taking acting lessons five nights a week. He quit his marketing job after a year to pursue acting full time.
In 1978, Costner married his college sweetheart Cindy Silva, who worked as a Disneyland princess. In 1979, they moved to Hollywood together so Costner could pursue an acting career. They lived in a motel for a while, took jobs anywhere they could find them, and Cindy would sometimes wait tables for them to get by. Costner took work as a truck driver, marketing executive, and gave Hollywood tours.
Costner started landing small roles in films like Night Shift (1982) and Frances (1982) while also doing commercials. His first significant movie role came in 1983's The Big Chill, but his scenes ended up on the editing room floor. Later that year he had a small but memorable part in Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado, where his character’s death served to motivate the other characters. More substantial roles followed in smaller films like American Flyers (1985) and the 1987 film noir thriller No Way Out.
His big break came later in 1987 when he was cast in The Untouchables as federal agent Eliot Ness, opposite stars like Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. His charismatic performance earned him industry attention and his first serious film accolades. Following The Untouchables, Costner starred in a series of dramatic sports films like Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and Tin Cup (1996), showcasing his athletic talent and cementing his star power.
In 1990, Costner achieved new heights of critical and commercial success by directing, producing and starring in the epic western Dances with Wolves. The film was made for $22 million and grossed over $400 million worldwide. It also won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner. Suddenly elevated to Hollywood’s A-List, Costner was now able to get larger films green-lit himself as a star, producer and director. He formed his own production company, Tig Productions, giving him creative control over the films he made.
Costner followed up the success of Dances with Wolves by directing and starring in another epic film, The Postman (1997). Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the film received mixed reviews from critics but once again demonstrated Costner’s ambition in choosing big, conceptual stories to tell on film. His subsequent directorial efforts would prove less successful, like the golf comedy Tin Cup (1996) and later the prohibition-era drama The Upside of Anger (2005), marked by more modest productions.
As an actor throughout the 90s, Costner continued headlining major studio films like JFK (1991), Clint Eastwood’s A Perfect World (1993), the hit sequel The Bodyguard (1992) with Whitney Houston, and Wyatt Earp (1994). He also expanded the genres he worked in with star vehicles like the romantic drama Message in a Bottle (1999) and sci-fi future film Waterworld (1995). While not all his ‘90s films matched his earlier critical successes, Costner remained a major movie star who commanded strong international box office.
Entering the early 2000s, Costner's status as a leading box office draw became less consistent as new male stars like Tom Cruise took precedence. He experimented with more supporting roles in films like 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001) and Dragonfly (2002). His 2003 Western Open Range was a modest hit and did better with critics, signaling something of a return to form. He earned praise for his work in 2005's drama The Upside of Anger, which he also directed.
In 2006, Costner stepped out of his usual dramatic roles to star in the comedy The Guardian, holding his own opposite comedic actor Ashton Kutcher. Over the next few years he appeared in small films like Mr. Brooks, Swing Vote, and The New Daughter, also directing and producing when possible. Costner was still choosy about committing fully to film projects, opting to focus more on his Country music band Kevin Costner & Modern West which he founded in 2007, while also dedicating time to other business and charity endeavors.
It wouldn’t be until 2012 that Costner would make his return to starring in bigger Hollywood productions, first with a major role in the hit miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012) and then the sports drama Draft Day (2014). He earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Hatfields & McCoys, winning his first non-specialty acting awards since Dances with Wolves.
Costner’s career resurgence only continued in the following years with more prominent roles in acclaimed films like the spy thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), the Disney sports drama McFarland USA (2015), and the 2016 Western thriller series Yellowstone, which became a surprise hit for the Paramount Network. Costner's layered performance as the conflicted, ruthless patriarch John Dutton demonstrated his undiminished talent for embodying the classic celluloid cowboy, while further cementing his status as an icon of American film.
In 2019, Costner returned to the director’s chair after nearly twenty years with Let Him Go starring Diane Lane and Lesley Manville. The film was praised by critics as a welcome directing comeback, Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The same year, Costner also co-created and produced the Paramount Network drama series Yellowstone spin-off 1883, a prequel following a family's wagon journey west in pioneer America.
Over his decades-long career Kevin Costner has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most prominent leading men of his era, as well as one of its most ambitious and competent filmmakers. His films have grossed over $4 billion dollars worldwide and his acting talent has garnered him acclaim in genres ranging from dramas, action films, Westerns and more. Behind the camera, he has pushed his creative limits to great success, incorporating epic scale with resonant emotional storytelling. And while not without his misfires, at his best Kevin Costner has shaped some of modern American cinema’s most iconic stories. With substantial recent hits in both film and television, Costner has proven the durability of his movie star power, as well as his place among the great Hollywood storytellers.
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