Kevin Costner is an American film legend, and over the course of his career, he’s worn many hats. Kevin has been an actor, a director, a musician, but most often — a cowboy.
Below is a list of 15 facts about Kevin Costner that all true fans should know. Have a look below and learn how a kid from the streets of Compton, CA, grew up to become one of the most revered western film stars in history .
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Kevin was born and raised in South Central, Los Angeles.
When you think of celebrities who’ve hailed from the streets of Compton, CA, images of Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar, and Eazy-E tend to come to mind. Add to that the great Kevin Costner , who also hails from South Central.
He gave a poetic eulogy at Whitney Houston’s memorial
Whitney and Kevin forged an incredibly tight-knit bond while filming The Bodyguard . Kevin was asked to speak at Whitney’s memorial by the great Dionne Warwick and had everyone in attendance weeping.
Kevin is an avid baseball fan.
Kevin has starred in For the Love of the Game , as well as the iconic Bill Durham and Field of Dreams . He’s stated on numerous occasions that he’d love to make one final baseball film, revolving around the Chicago Cubs .
He was cast in ‘The Big Chill’ and subsequently had all of his scenes cut from the film.
During an interview with Yahoo Entertainment , Jeff Goldblum recalled that Costner’s work in The Big Chill was both poetic and formidable. Yet for some reason, the director chose not to include any of it in the final cut.
Kevin Costner is one of the last true American cowboys.
Kevin Costner is drawn to the role of the cowboy. Throughout the course of his career, he’s specialized in Western films — including Wyatt Earp, Open Range, Silverado, as well as my personal favorite — Dances With Wolves .
He starred in one of the biggest box-office flops in Hollywood history.
Kevin would be the first one to tell you that not every swing is going to be a home run. Back in the ’90s, he starred in the ill-fated film, Waterworld . The total production budget soared astronomically to over $175 million and only managed to make just over $20 million in its opening weekend.
Kevin appeared in one of the earliest commercials for Apple.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because Kevin has played a cowboy for the bulk of his career that he somehow isn’t technologically proficient. This is a man who knows his way around a computer.
Kevin is incredibly comfortable on horseback.
As I’ve mentioned several times over, Kevin has spent the bulk of his career portraying cowboys on the big and small screen. Any cowboy worth their salt at the very least has to know how to saddle and ride a horse.
He made a boatload of money appearing in ‘Yellowstone’.
When it came time to cast characters in Taylor Sheridan’s hit western drama, Yellowstone , Paramount knew that they wanted Kevin and were prepared to pay through the nose in order to get him. It’s estimated that he makes $1.2 million per episode.
Kevin is an Oscar-winning director.
Ironically enough, the only Oscar that Kevin has ever one wasn’t for acting. He took home the Oscar for “Best Director” back in 1990 for his directorial debut Dances With Wolves . Kevin was also nominated for “Best Actor” but lost out to Daniel Day-Lewis.
Kevin was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers.
Kevin was inducted into the ” Cowboy Hall of Fame ,” as it’s colloquially known, back in 2019. Also included in this historic bunch is Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, as well as “The Duke” himself — John Wayne.
Kevin starred in the first-ever Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
Long before Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams helped to make Nicholas Sparks a household name, Kevin Costner was starring in Sparks’ first-ever film adaptation — Message in a Bottle . The film has a dismal Tomatometer Score of just 32%, with a slightly higher audience rating of 66%.
As a kid, he got in serious trouble for bringing a highly inappropriate item to “show and tell.”
Kevin explained during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live how his kindergarten teacher had told the class to bring in the coolest thing they owned for “show and tell.” Understanding the assignment, Kevin decided to bring his father’s long-range rifle .
Kevin is in a band.
Kevin might have made a career as an actor but his first and true passion is country music. Kevin is an accomplished singer/songwriter and he plays in a band called Kevin Costner & The Modern West .
His most recent musical work is a concept album, titled “Tales From The Yellowstone.”
Kevin’s music is featured prominently in the show Yellowstone . The band’s most recent album, ” Tales From The Yellowstone ,” is a concept album wherein every song is written from the perspective of John Dutton.
