#1 ·
Whether people argue about his talent or not, you can't deny he’s got a massive name in Hollywood.
He walked away with 2 Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Dances with Wolves back in 1990.
He’s been at the top of Hollywood for over 35 years now, always hovering somewhere in the mix. You see him popping up in all those heavy-hitting, respected films.
Best movie? And what’s the best performance Costner has ever delivered?
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He’s one of those rare actors who actually had the discipline to never film a single sequel to his biggest hits or most iconic roles.
Unobtrusive and quiet by nature, yet easily one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood today, Kevin Costner spent his childhood constantly on the move due to the demands of his father's job. He showed flashes of talent and versatility early on, whether he was singing in a church choir, writing poetry, or sitting in creative writing workshops. During high school, he was a standout athlete, making waves on the football, basketball, and baseball fields. Eventually, he headed off to California State University, where he earned a degree in business management.
It’s rare to see someone pivot their entire life trajectory that aggressively. Clearly, his obsession with cinema and the pursuit of art won out, leading him to start hitting acting classes five nights a week. Around that same time, he married Cindy Silva, his college sweetheart, and picked up work at a marketing agency.
Everything changed one day when he crossed paths with Richard Burton. The man gave him some straightforward advice: find the path you actually want to walk, and if that means acting, then just go be an actor. It seems all Costner needed was that little nudge. Not long after, he walked away from his predictable, secure career, quit his job, and headed straight for Hollywood—where he had previously been working as a driver, hauling film stars home in trucks and buses. It’s a rocky road to stardom, for sure.
Naturally, he didn't skip the softcore porn phase either. After that, he decided—or at least, that's the story he tells now—that if acting was only going to lead him to "that" kind of work, he might as well call it quits entirely. It took another six years of waiting for a legitimate break, which finally arrived with The Big Chill in 1983. That performance caught the eye of Lawrence Kasdan, who eventually tapped him to take the lead in the Western Silverado.
Fast forward two years, and things really start looking up for Costner with the release of No Way Out and The Untouchables in '87. His high school days playing ball actually paid off later on, giving him the edge needed for his baseball flicks, Bull Durham and Field of Dreams. Both hit big at the box office, which finally gave him the breathing room to step behind the camera. With an $18 million budget in hand, he set out to make a Western epic that Hollywood hadn't seen in ages: Dances with Wolves.
The film walked away with 2 Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director, raking in a massive haul at the box office and cementing Costner's status as an absolute heavyweight. In a pretty unique move, a local Native American tribe actually gifted him a plot of land following the movie's success, which he eventually turned into a golf course. He followed that up with another big period epic, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which also crushed it at the box office. That same year, he landed a role in Oliver Stone's JFK—a part he only got because Harrison Ford passed on it. After that, their paths ended up crossing quite a bit.
It felt like Costner couldn't miss back then. His follow-up, *The Bodyguard* (1992), starring Whitney Houston, was a massive hit at the box office, making him look practically bulletproof. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Eventually, the momentum shifted, and things started sliding downhill. Projects like *A Perfect World* (1993), *Waterworld* (1995), and *The Postman* (1997) just didn't land the way people expected, leaving audiences feeling pretty let down.
Back in '97, Costner actually passed on an incredible role playing the President in the blockbuster *Air Force One*. The part was practically written with him in mind; he was even helping shape the script back in '96. Ultimately, he had to walk away because of production delays on *The Postman*. He ended up calling Harrison Ford to offer him the part, which Ford jumped at immediately. Costner has mentioned more than once how incredibly grateful he is to him for taking it.
After the directorial misses of 'Waterworld' (1995) and 'The Postman' (1997), he pivoted to the romantic drama 'Message in a Bottle' (1998) before stepping back into the shoes of an athlete in 'For Love of the Game' (1998). Interestingly, there was an opening scene involving a goal that actually made it to the screen initially, but once audiences started laughing at the absurdity of it, the studio cut it entirely.
He revisited his portrayal of JFK in the successful 'Thirteen Days' (2000). His final outing behind the camera—where he also plays one of the lead cowboys—was the western 'Open Range' (2003). While it didn't quite hit the critical heights of 'Dances with Wolves', it still fared much better than 'The Postman' or 'Waterworld'. Much of that visual success can be credited to cinematographer James Murawski.
His personal life saw him move on from his first love, Cindy Silva, with whom he shares three children, eventually getting engaged to Christine Baumgartner in 2003. He is also the father of a child born to Bridget Rooney, a situation that required a paternity test to settle.