Kevin Costner Bio, Wiki
Kevin Costner (full name – Kevin Michael Costner) is an American Actor, TV Personality, Musician, Filmmaker, Author, and Businessman known for recently starring in the docu-series “Kevin Costner’s The West”. Also, he is knwown for appearing in the films “Horizon: An American Saga”, “Let Him Go”, “Molly’s Game”, “Hidden Figures”, “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”, “Man of Steel”, and “The Upside of Anger”.
Kevin Costner Age
Costner is 70 years old as of 2025. He was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California, United States. Therefore, he celebrates his birthday on January 18 every year.
Kevin Costner Height/Measurements
Costner stands at an approximate height of 6 feet 1 inch.
Kevin Costner Education
Costner first went to Mt. Whitney High School – there he was part of the marching band. He later transferred and graduated from Villa Park High School in the year 1973 – there he also played baseball alongside teammate Dennis Burtt. In the year 1978, he earned a bachelor’s degree from California State University in Fullerton – he joined the Delta Chi fraternity while studying there.
Kevin Costner Career
Early Life Career
During his final year of college, Costner grew interested in dancing and acting. In the year 1978 (while on a flight home from his honeymoon), he met Richard Burton (a famous actor). Unsure about acting, Costner asked Richard for advice – Richard encouraged him to follow his passion. Costner says that this moment helped him decide to become an actor.
After taking a job as a marketing executive, Costner began acting classes 5 nights a week. Costner left the marketing job after a month and took other work like driving trucks, giving Hollywood tours, and working on fishing boats. He says that these jobs helped him pay for his acting lessons and supported him and his wife while he went to auditions.
Acting Career
Costner gained fame through a mix of hit films like “Field of Dreams”, “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves”, “The Bodyguard”, and “Bull Durham”. Also, he took on major roles in “JFK” (1991), “A Perfect World”, and “The Untouchables”. In the year 1990, he directed and starred in “Dances With Wolves”. This won him 2 Oscars for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Picture’. He later starred in and co-produced “Waterworld” (in the year 1995) and “Wyatt Earp” (in the year 1994). Costner continued directing with “Open Range” (in the year 2003), “The Postman” (in the year 1997), and “Horizon: An American Saga” (in the year 2024).
Some of Costner’s other well-known films are “Mr. Brooks”, “Silverado”, “3 Days to Kill”, and “No Way Out”. Also, he has starred in “Tin Cup”, “Message in a Bottle”, and “The Company Men”. Other standout roles include “For Love of the Game”, “Swing Vote”, “Draft Day”, “Black or White”, “McFarland, USA”, “Thirteen Days”, and “The Highwaymen”.
Costner played ‘Devil Anse Hatfield’ in the 2012 miniseries “Hatfields & McCoys” – this is a role that earned him an Emmy for ‘Best Lead Actor’. From the year 2018 to the year 2023, Costner starred as rancher ‘John Dutton’ in the hit series “Yellowstone” on the Paramount Network. This was a performance that won him a Golden Globe.
Awards | Honors (In general)
Throughout his career, Costner has earned many awards. He won 2 Oscars for “Dances With Wolves” (1990) – he took home “Best Director” and “Best Picture”. Also, he received 3 Golden Globe Awards: for Yellowstone, “Hatfields & McCoys”, and “Dances With Wolves”. In addition, he earned an Emmy for “Hatfields & McCoys” and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Kevin Costner Singing Career | Country Music
Costner is the lead singer of the country rock band “Kevin Costner & Modern West” – it is a band that he started with support from his then-wife (Christine). The band began touring in the year 2007 with shows in places like Rome and Istanbul. Also, he played at NASCAR events in Charlotte and Daytona. Him and the band have released 3 song albums;
- “Untold Truths”
- “Turn It On”
- “Tales from Yellowstone”
Their debut album “Untold Truths” came out in the year 2008 and reached No. 61 on Billboard’s ‘Top Country Albums chart’. A live music video was made for “Superman 14”, although the singles did not chart. In the year 2009, Costner and the band toured with The Alternate Routes and faced tragedy at the Big Valley Jamboree in Alberta. This was when a storm caused the stage to collapse – 1 person and injuring many. Costner later helped raise funds for the victim’s family.
Their 2nd album “Turn It On” was released in Europe in the year 2010 – this was followed by a European tour. In the year 2012, they performed in Halifax to support a children’s hospital. The band’s latest album “Tales from Yellowstone” was written from the point of view of Costner’s character on the TV show “Yellowstone” – with some songs featured in Season 3.
Kevin Costner Businesses
As an entrepreneur, Costner has had several businesses over the years.
Oil Business | Lawsuit
In the year 1995, Costner bought a company working on oil-cleaning machines based on a United States government patent. These machines did not get much attention until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of the year 2010 – this was when BP tested 6 of them from Ocean Therapy Solutions (a company Costner was involved with). By June of the year 1995, BP agreed to lease 32 of the machines.
Later, Spyron Contogouris and Stephen Baldwin sued Costner – they claimed that he hid a deal with BP that led to a big payment. Also, they claimed that Costner allowed another investor to buy out their shares before the news became public – they said they missed out on profits. In the year 2012, a federal jury ruled against them and ordered them to pay Costner and the other defendants for legal costs.
App
In the year 2020, Costner became a narrator, co-founder, and investor in HearHere (a travel audio app created by Woody Sears). The iPhone app shares stories about U.S. history, places, and people for road trip travelers, and Costner voices some of the content.
Restaurant Business
In the year 1991, Costner lauched the “Midnight Star Casino and Restaurant” in Deadwood, South Dakota. He gave managers Carla Caneva and Francis Caneva small ownership shares and was giving them bonuses and salaries. After ending their jobs in the year 2004, he tried to settle things peacefully – Carla and Francis refused. Costner then dissolved the partnership and valued the business at $3.1M. Carla and Francis sued – they wanted to double that or a public sale. They won at first – but Costner later won on appeal. He closed the casino in the year 2017 and sold it in the year 2020.
Museum Business
Costner launched “Tatanka: The Story of the Bison” (a museum in Deadwood, South Dakota) on June 6, 2004. He said that he really hoped that it would teach visitors about U.S.’s westward expansion in a meaningful way.
The $5M center includes exhibits a café, a shop, and a small theater. It focuses on the history of bison and their connection to the Plains Indians. The main feature is a large bronze sculpture showing a buffalo jump – with 3 Lakota riders and 14 bison. Costner commissioned the piece in the year 1994 – and the massive bronze figures were made in Wyoming.
Kevin Costner Net Worth
In Costner’s career as an Actor, TV Personality, Musician, Filmmaker, Author, and Businessman, he has been able to accumulate a net worth of $250 Million.
Kevin Costner Parents and Siblings
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. Costner’s father’s heritage originates with German immigrants to North Carolina in the 1700s, and Costner also has English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Cherokee ancestry. Costner grew up as a 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. He has said that watching the 1962 film How the West Was Won as a child inspired his love for Western films.
Kevin Costner Spouses | Ex-Wives | Children
Costner has been in two unsuccessful marriages, and several unsuccessful dates. He married Christine Baumgartner (a famous handbag designer and model) on September 25, 2004 – this was after dating for 4 years. They had 3 kids together: 2 sons, Hayes Logan Costner (born 2009) and Cayden Wyatt Costner (born 2007), and a daughter (born 2010 – her name is unknown). Christine filed for divorce in May 2023 – it was finalized in February 2024.
Before that, Costner was married to Cindy Silva (his college sweetheart). They tied the knot in the year 1978 and had 3 children: 2 daughters, Lily Costner (born 1986) and Annie Costner (born 1984), and a son, Joe Costner (born 1988). Costner and Cindy divorced (due to alleged Costner cheating) in the year 1994 after 16 years of marriage – Cindy reportedly received an $80M settlement.
After the split from Cindy, Costner had a son, Liam Costner (born 1996) with Bridget Rooney, and he also briefly dated Birgit Cunningham and later lived with supermodel Elle Macpherson. Costner has a total of 7 kids.
Kevin Costner Illness
As of May 2025, it is reported that Costner recently shared on his social media platforms that he has been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus. Also, he revealed that he suffered from painful kidney stones while filming the film “Hidden Figures” – this led to him needing morphine and IV treatment. On top of that, he has been dealing with stress after the mixed reviews of his movie “Horizon: An American Saga” – his friends are worried the kidney stones might come back.
Kevin Costner Political Affiliation | Controversy
Costner was once a Republican and a close friend of Ronald Reagan – they used to often play golf together. However, in the early 1990s, he changed his political views. Since then, Costner has been in support of most Democratic politicians like Tom Daschle and Al Gore – although he also gave money to Republican Phil Gramm in the year 1995. In the year 2008, Costner said that he had no plans to go into politics himself – he said that he had already lived a “colorful life.” That same year, he campaigned for Obama in Colorado – he urged young people to vote and take action.
Costner has continued to be politically active over the years. In the year 2014, Costner sent a message of thanks to British soldiers. In the year 2019 (during the Democratic presidential race) he backed Pete Buttigieg and later supported Joe Biden. Also, he narrated a campaign ad for Democrat J.D. Scholten in Iowa. In the year 2022, Costner surprised some by supporting Republican Liz Cheney in her run for Congress in Wyoming.
Kevin Costner Voluteer Work
Costner is part of the National World War I Museum’s honorary board in Kansas City, Missouri. Costner recorded 2 radio messages for the museum in early 2011 – he played them on the Kansas City Royals Radio Network.
Kevin Costner Baseball
Costner has starred in several baseball-themed movies like “For Love of the Game”, “Field of Dreams”, “Bull Durham”, and others – he often plays a pro or former pro player. He owns a home in Austin, Texas, and is sometimes seen at Texas Longhorns baseball games. Costner was close friends with Augie Garrido (famous baseball coach) and even gave him a role in “For Love of the Game”. Also, Costner supports Cal State Fullerton (his old school) and often watches their College World Series games.
Costner was part-owner of the Lake County Fielders (a baseball team) – it was named as a nod to “Field of Dreams”. Costner walked the White Sox and Yankees onto the field at the special MLB at Field of Dreams game in Iowa on August 12, 2021, and he gave a brief speech.
Kevin Costner NASCAR
In the year 2007, Costner was named “ceremonial Grand Marshal” for the NASCAR Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. A year later, he narrated and helped produce the NASCAR documentary “The Ride of Their Lives”. In the year 2009, he became the ‘spokesman’ for NASCAR Day and performed with his country band at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Also, he served as a judge in the Victory Challenge before the NASCAR All-Star Race.
Kevin Costner “Kevin Costner’s The West”
Costner is the host of the documentary series “Kevin Costner’s The West”, that premiered its debut season on May 26, 2025, on the History Channel. The show looks into the many sides of the American frontier – it focuses on lawmen, pioneers, and the struggles over freedom and land.
Kevin Costner Books
As a author, Costner has written 2 books;
- 2015 – “The Explorers Guild: Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala” (a hybrid graphic and adventure novel)
- 1991 – “Dances with Wolves: The Illustrated Screenplay and Story Behind the Film”
Kevin Costner Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok
He is vocal on his social media accounts where he posts frequently. On his Twitter account, he has about 357.4K followers, about 2.3M followers on his Instagram account, and around 763.8K followers on his TikTok page.