Everything to know about the Yellowstone cast and their lives off the ranch

Kevin Costner (John Dutton)

Kevin Costner, who plays patriarch John Dutton, joined the show thinking that it would be a single 10-episode series, but Yellowstone's popularity has kept him on the ranch for five seasons (and also won him a Golden Globe in 2023).

Costner has been an A-list star since the late-'80s, headlining a string of hits including The Untouchables (1987), Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), The Bodyguard (1992), and Dances With Wolves (1990), the latter of which earned him Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director.

Yellowstone continues Costner's long-time interest in life in the West. "I don't think of it as a modern Western, I think of it as modern-day ranching," he told EW in 2019. "The themes out in the country will always be a draw to me. It's not 'Here he goes again.' That area of our country is still alive [and] contemporary."

For the past several years, Costner has been working on his own Western epic, Horizon: An American Saga. The story — which takes place around the time of the American Civil War — will be split into multiple films, with Chapter 1 released in June 2024, the second awaiting a new release date, and a third in production. A fourth film is currently in development.

Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts between Yellowstone and Horizon created friction, leading to Costner's premature exit from the series in 2023 ahead of season 5B (though his character's presence remains pivotal to the remaining six episodes, as shown in the trailer).

Costner has seven children from several relationships. From his first marriage to Cindy Silva, he has three children named Joe, Lily, and Annie. He also has a son, Liam, with Bridget Rooney. His second marriage to Baumgartner brought about three more children: sons Cayden Wyatt and Hayes Logan, and daughter Grace Avery.

Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton)

Luke Grimes, who plays John's youngest son Kayce, was previously known for his roles in the 2014 war drama American Sniper and in the Fifty Shades of Grey film trilogy (2015, 2017, 2018).

Grimes has been delighted by the way Yellowstone has developed. "Every season has felt incredibly different,” he told EW ahead of season 5. “I think that's the beauty of Taylor's writing. He knows how to make this show just take every twist and turn it possibly could, and to keep it so fresh."

In addition to his work on the series, Grimes costarred with Ellie Kemper in the Netflix rom-com Happiness for Beginners (2023).

Off-season, Grimes has also explored a musical career. His debut single, "No Horse to Ride," was featured on Yellowstone in the season 5 midseason finale. He released his self-titled debut album in March 2024 and is touring with his band to promote it.

Grimes married Brazilian model Bianca Rodrigues in 2018, and the couple have settled in Montana, where Yellowstone is filmed.

Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton)

Kelly Reilly is a fan favorite on the show, playing John's rough and tough daughter, Beth. She's outspoken, calculating, and willing to ruin someone's life to advance her own agenda — especially against her hated brother, Jamie.

In fact, showrunner Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that Paramount urged him to soften Beth's character, fearing that she would be seen as abrasive and unlikeable. "They were wrong," Sheridan said, "because Beth says the quiet part out loud every time. When someone's rude to you in a restaurant, or cuts you off in the parking lot, Beth says the thing you wish you'd said." 

Before Yellowstone, Reilly was known for the British crime drama Above Suspicion (2009–2012), as well as season 2 of the mystery anthology series True Detective. 

During a break between Yellowstone filming, Reilly appeared in A Haunting in Venice, Kenneth Branagh’s 2023 film adaptation of the Agatha Christie murder mystery. She also starred alongside Tom Hanks and Robin Wright in Robert Zemeckis' Here (2024).

Reilly has been married to financier Kyle Baugher since 2012.

Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton)

Jamie Dutton is the character everyone loves to hate — he's always trying to impress John, and always falling short.

Actor Wes Bentley loves the unpredictability of Yellowstone's wild plotlines. "I wait for that next script and within the same kind of anticipation or fans do for the next episode to be aired because, you know, Taylor surprises us so much,” he told EW in 2023. “And I'm so interested in everyone. I'm so invested in more than just Jamie. I'm invested in the whole thing now. We all talk about it on set, you know, all the possibilities. We do our own fanfiction."

Before joining the show, Bentley was well known for playing Ricky Fitts in American Beauty (1999) and Seneca Crane in The Hunger Games (2012), as well as his memorable turns in three seasons of American Horror Story (2014–2016) and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (2014).

Outside of Yellowstone, he recently performed voice work for Adult Swim's animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus.

Bentley was married to Jennifer Quanz from 2001 to 2009. In 2010, he married Jacqui Swedberg. They have two children: a son, Charles, and a daughter, Brooklyn.

Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler)

When Cole Hauser signed on to play John's loyal ranch hand, Rip, he had no idea that his violent trips to the "train station" would make him an unexpected sex symbol. As Rip's unconventional romance with Beth caught fire, viewers were willing to overlook the occasional gruesome killing. 

"I think it surprised Taylor too," Hauser told Town & Country in 2022. "It's definitely not something that was ever on the table, that we ever discussed. In fact, I think it was quite the opposite. [Taylor] was like, 'Oh man, people are gonna think you're f---ing nuts. I wrote this scene, the way you kill this guy or burn this guy,' you know what I mean? And for whatever reason it's kind of worked the opposite."

Before Yellowstone, Hauser appeared in classic coming-of-age movies like School Ties (1992), Dazed and Confused (1993), and Good Will Hunting (1997), as well as the action films 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), and Transcendence (2014). 

Hauser also starred in two movies released in 2023: the action-thriller The Ritual Killer with Morgan Freeman and the Western film Dead Man's Hand with Stephen Dorff and Jack Kilmer. 

Hauser and his wife, Cynthia Daniel, wed in 2006. The couple has three children: sons Ryland and Colt, and daughter Steely Rose.

Kelsey Asbille (Monica Dutton)

Kayce's wife, Monica, left her Native reservation for the Dutton family ranch. Since then, she's survived many tragedies, including a brain injury; the kidnapping of her son; and the loss of her newborn child in a car crash on her way to the hospital. 

Actress Kelsey Asbille previously worked with Taylor Sheridan on his film Wind River in 2017, which was her first Native American role. Asbille identifies as part Cherokee on her mother's side (though the tribe has disputed this claim). Still, she says her time on Yellowstone has brought her a new understanding of that side of her identity. 

"Yellowstone has always been more than just a job for me," she told Harpers Bazaar in 2022. "It is a way of exploring my own origins and confronting that part of myself. Navigating where I come from and where I belong, but also connecting me to a community that has had a profound impact on my life."

Prior to joining the series, Asbille was known for playing Gigi Silveri on One Tree Hill (2005–2009) and Tracy Stewart on Teen Wolf (2015–2016).

Asbille's prominent role on Yellowstone has led to more career opportunities, including a recurring part in season 4 of Fargo. She also plays the lead in the 2024 horror thriller film Don't Move, opposite Finn Wittrock.

The actress is currently in a relationship with director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte.

Brecken Merrill (Tate Dutton)

Brecken Merrill was 8 years old when he was cast as Kayce and Monica's son, Tate. Merrill had appeared in two episodes of This Is Us before landing this role, but he credits Yellowstone with awakening his desire to pursue acting as a career.

In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Merrill recalled shooting a scene with his character's grandfather, John, out on location in the bitter cold. "Kevin says, 'Do you really, like, wanna do this? Is this what you really wanna do?' I thought about it for the next month, and he kind of guided me to that area of, yeah, this is what I wanna do,” Merrill said. “This is my career. This is my passion. It's super cold. It's zero degrees, but I'm loving it." 

"People have seen that I've grown up and that I'm really taking acting seriously,” he continued. “I think Taylor is gonna recognize that, too, and he's going to write more grown-up scenes for me."

Merrill will star in the upcoming film We All Got Up to Dance, which takes place during the period of the Vietnam War.

Jefferson White (Jimmy Hurdstram)

Actor Jefferson White joined the show as Jimmy Hurdstram, an ex-con who somewhat unwillingly received the brand and joined the Dutton ranch. Since then, Jimmy's evolved into a bonafide cowboy and rodeo rider. 

Before Yellowstone, White had a recurring role in season 2 of the ABC drama How to Get Away With Murder. He also appeared on NBC's Elementary and the Netflix drama House of Cards.

White wasn't sure what to expect when he joined the show, telling Screen Rant in 2022, "I learned a long time ago, pretty early on, that trying to guess what [Sheridan] is going to do next is a futile exercise, because what he comes up with is so much richer, so much fuller, so much more interesting and curious than anything I could’ve guessed."

Jimmy moved to the Four Sixes ranch in season 4, and he's expected to appear on Sheridan's proposed spinoff series, 6666. 

In addition to Yellowstone, White appeared on the NBC procedural Chicago P.D. for four episodes in 2022 and 2023. He also appears in the Anne Hathaway-starring film Eileen (2023) and Alex Garland's Civil War (2024).

White has been hosting the official Yellowstone podcast since 2021. When the series launched, he told PEOPLE, "This isn't just your typical recap show, we are going to unpack the world of Yellowstone, everything from rodeo to ranching to reservation. This is about getting the full picture of the culture and the community that surround the show." 

White is married to actress and social worker Casey Wortmann, who appeared in a 2022 Yellowstone episode as Judge Wright's assistant.

Gil Birmingham (Thomas Rainwater)

Gil Birmingham plays casino owner and tribal Chief Thomas Rainwater, whose ambition to take Yellowstone and expand the Broken Rock Reservation brought him into conflict with the Duttons many times over the years. 

Birmingham was best known for playing Billy Black in the Twilight Saga films from 2008 to 2012. He also appeared in Taylor Sheridan's Hell or High Water (2016) and was a featured player in Sheridan's Wind River (2017), leading to his casting as Chief Rainwater. 

"Taylor kinda knew right from the beginning [that the show would be a hit]," Birmingham told Town & Country in 2021. "He said we're addressing the demographic that Hollywood has completely neglected. It's always from the west coast or the east coast. He said, no, we're going to start in the middle of the country and then we'll let the coasts figure it out."

Birmingham was also in the 2023 film The Marsh King's Daughter and is set to star in the upcoming sequel Wind River: The Next Chapter.

Forrie J. Smith (Lloyd Pierce)

Forrie J. Smith was working as an animal wrangler on the set of Taylor Sheridan's film Hell or High Water when the pair met. Smith says that the part of ranch hand Lloyd Pierce was written specifically for him, which is easy to believe; his performance seems so effortless as the gravelly-voiced, mustachioed cowboy. 

Smith had some acting experience before Yellowstone — he played Pony Deal in Tombstone (1993) and Jesse James on the Western series Legend, as well as a one-episode appearance on Better Call Saul in 2017. Since taking on the role of Lloyd, he's appeared in the films Dead Man's Hand (with fellow Yellowstone castmate Cole Hauser) and Ride (2024).

Smith is married to actress Cheryl Richardson. Their son, Forrest, appeared on Yellowstone as young Lloyd in season 5 episode 1.

Mo Brings Plenty (Mo)

Playing the right-hand to Broken Rock's Chief Thomas Rainwater, Mo Brings Plenty has seen his role on Yellowstone expand with each season. He was promoted to series regular in season 5, and he also became the show's Native affairs coordinator.

In his Native affairs role, Brings Plenty, who was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, works with Indigenous communities to ensure that the show includes fluent language speakers of the tribes represented on screen.

"I always go to the people who have been through the trials and tribulations to keep the language and traditions alive, because I feel that they deserve that recognition and type of respect,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2023. “As American Indian people, our language is fading fast. And once our language is faded and gone, then our existence is gone." 

Brings Plenty's acting credits also include Cowboys & Aliens (2011), House of Cards, miniseries The American West (2016), Jurassic World Dominion (2022), and Dead Man's Hand.

He is married to Sara Ann Haney-Brings Plenty, who's appeared in two episodes of Yellowstone.

Josh Lucas (Young John Dutton)

Josh Lucas is well-known for his roles in various films, including American Psycho (2000), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Hulk (2003), and J. Edgar (2011). He's also the voice of the Home Depot commercials. 

Lucas has been playing Kevin Costner's character in flashbacks since Yellowstone's first season, although he didn't get much screen time in the early years of the show.

He told Deadline in 2022 that Taylor Sheridan promised him the role would grow: "[Sheridan said] 'The fifth season is where you're gonna come in. I don’t know if we’re gonna do full flashback season or full flashback episodes, but that’s what I can tell you.' And I remember genuinely thinking, this guy's crazy… He didn't know where he was going. He just knew that the flashbacks would be quite substantial." 

The actor has also appeared in the films The Forever Purge (2021) and The Black Demon (2023), as well as on the Apple TV+ series Palm Royale.

Lucas split from his ex-wife, Jessica Ciencin Henriquez, in 2014. They have one son, Noah Rev. In June 2024, the actor got engaged to meteorologist Brianna Ruffalo after two years of dating.