Kevin Costner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kevin Costner
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Costner in 2024
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Kevin Michael Costner
January 18, 1955 Lynwood, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | California State University, Fullerton (BA) |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
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Works
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Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Cindy Silva
(m. 1978; div. 1994)Christine Baumgartner
(m. 2004; div. 2024) |
| Children | 7 |
| Awards | Full list |
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Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has won many important awards for his work. These include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Costner became famous for starring in movies like The Untouchables (1987) and Field of Dreams (1989). He also directed and starred in the Western movie Dances with Wolves (1990). For this film, he won two Academy Awards: Best Picture and Best Director. He has continued to act, direct, and produce films and TV shows throughout his career.
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About Kevin Costner's Early Life and Education
Kevin Costner was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California. He grew up in different parts of California as his father's job moved them around. This meant he often had to make new friends.
As a child, Kevin enjoyed sports, especially football. He also took piano lessons, wrote poetry, and sang in the church choir. Watching the 1962 movie How the West Was Won made him love Western films.
He went to California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) and graduated in 1978. While in college, he became very interested in acting and dancing.
How Kevin Costner Started Acting
After college, Kevin met famous actor Richard Burton on an airplane. Kevin asked Burton for advice about becoming an actor. Burton encouraged him to follow his dream. This meeting inspired Kevin to become an actor.
With his wife's support, Kevin started taking acting lessons. He worked different jobs, like on fishing boats and as a truck driver. These jobs helped him pay for his acting classes and auditions.
Kevin Costner's Film and TV Career
Kevin Costner's acting career began in the early 1980s. He appeared in small roles before getting bigger parts.
Becoming a Star in the 1980s
Costner's first film was Sizzle Beach, U.S.A. (1981). He had a small role in the Ron Howard film Night Shift (1982). He also appeared in a commercial for the Apple Lisa computer.
His big break came with the Western movie Silverado (1985). This role helped him become well-known. He also starred in Fandango and American Flyers that same year.
In 1987, Costner became a true movie star. He played federal agent Eliot Ness in The Untouchables. He also starred in the thriller No Way Out. He then became even more popular with the baseball movies Bull Durham (1988) and Field of Dreams (1989).
Directing and Winning Awards in the 1990s
In 1990, Costner directed and starred in the epic Western Dances with Wolves. This film was a huge success. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won seven! Kevin Costner personally won two Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.
He then played Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). This movie was very popular at the box office. He also starred as District Attorney Jim Garrison in the political thriller JFK (1991).
In 1992, he starred with Whitney Houston in the romantic drama The Bodyguard. This film was a big hit. The next year, he starred in Clint Eastwood's drama A Perfect World (1993). He also played Wyatt Earp in the Western movie Wyatt Earp (1994).
Later Films and TV Shows
After the mid-1990s, some of Costner's films like Waterworld (1995) and The Postman (1997) were not as successful. However, he continued to make many movies.
His career improved with films like Thirteen Days (2000). He also directed and starred in the Western Open Range (2003), which was praised by critics. He gave a strong performance in The Upside of Anger (2005).
In 2012, Costner starred in the TV miniseries Hatfields & McCoys. He played Devil Anse Hatfield. This show was very popular and broke viewing records. Costner won an Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his role.
He appeared in movies like Man of Steel (2013), Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), and Hidden Figures (2016).
From 2018 to 2023, Costner starred in the TV series Yellowstone. He played rancher John Dutton. This was his first regular role in a TV series, and he won a Golden Globe award for it.
In 2019, he voiced Enzo the dog in The Art of Racing in the Rain. This was his first voice-over role.
Costner is currently working on a big Western movie project called Horizon: An American Saga. It will be split into several films.
Other Things Kevin Costner Does
Besides acting, Kevin Costner has many other interests and businesses.
Music Career
Kevin Costner is the singer in a country rock band called Kevin Costner & Modern West. He started the band with his wife's encouragement. They have toured around the world and released albums like Untold Truths (2008).
Their most recent album, Tales from Yellowstone, features songs written from the point of view of John Dutton, Costner's character from the TV show Yellowstone.
Love for Baseball
Kevin Costner loves baseball, and it shows in his movies! He has starred in several baseball-themed films, including Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and For Love of the Game. In many of these, he plays a baseball player.
He is a big fan of college baseball and often attends games. He even owned a part of a minor league baseball team called the Lake County Fielders. The team's name was a tribute to his movie Field of Dreams.
Business Ventures
Costner has also been involved in different businesses. In 1995, he started developing machines to separate oil from water. These machines became important during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
He also opened a visitor center in South Dakota called Tatanka: The Story of the Bison. It teaches people about bison and the history of America's westward expansion. The center features a large bronze sculpture of bison.
In 2020, Costner became a co-founder and narrator for an audio travel app called HearHere. The app tells stories about places as you drive by them.
Giving Back
Kevin Costner supports the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. He has recorded radio messages to help the museum.
He has also been involved with NASCAR. He was a ceremonial Grand Marshal for a race and narrated a NASCAR documentary.
Writing
In 2015, Costner co-wrote an adventure and graphic novel called The Explorer's Guild: A Passage to Shambhala.
Kevin Costner's Personal Life
Kevin Costner married Cindy Silva in 1978. They had two daughters and a son before divorcing in 1994. He later had another son with Bridget Rooney.
On September 25, 2004, Costner married Christine Baumgartner. They have two sons and a daughter. They divorced in 2024.
Political Views
Early in his life, Costner supported the Republican Party. He was a friend of former President Ronald Reagan. However, in the early 1990s, he changed his political views.
Since 1992, Costner has supported many Democratic politicians. He campaigned for Barack Obama in 2008 and later supported Joe Biden. He has also endorsed some Republican candidates.
Kevin Costner's Awards and Achievements
Kevin Costner has won many awards for his acting and directing.
- He won two Academy Awards for Dances with Wolves (1990): Best Picture and Best Director.
- He has received three Golden Globe Awards for Dances with Wolves, Hatfields & McCoys (2012), and Yellowstone (2023).
- He also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Images for kids
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Eliot Ness, played by Costner in The Untouchables (1987)
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Costner visiting Andrews Air Force Base in July 2003
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Costner at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival
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Costner played Devil Anse Hatfield in the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012)
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Costner on stage in July 2010
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Costner's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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Costner and Baumgartner at the César Awards in 2013
See also
In Spanish: Kevin Costner para niños
