Kevin Costner, Actor and Oscar-Winning Director, Celebrates His Birthday

Kevin Costner has had many career achievements worth celebrating, and now he has a very special milestone that also deserves some recognition.

Happy Birthday, Kevin Costner!

And that’s because he was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California, which means that this beloved performer is turning 66 years old today! By the time he had graduated from California State University, Costner had gained three things: a blushing bride, a bachelor’s degree, and appreciation of the performing arts.

A chance encounter with famed thespian Richard Burton spurred Costner to pursue his own acting ambitions, and soon he was enrolled in acting classes which he balanced with a day job as a marketing rep. However, his days were soon consumed by auditions for any and all productions. To supplement his income, Costner performed a variety of odd jobs, including truck driving, fisherman, and Hollywood tour guide.

He made his inauspicious debut in Sizzle Beach, U.S.A., a sex comedy that was released in 1981. Costner’s follow-up projects included Nightshift (1982) and Frances (1982) in which he played “Frat Boy #1” and “Voice of Man In Alley” respectively.

In 1983, Costner turned down a role in the film WarGames (which eventually went to Matthew Broderick) in order to appear in Lawrence Kasdan’s second directorial effort, The Big Chill (1983).

Costner’s role was initially pivotal – it’s his character’s suicide that initiates the film’s plot – but after disappointing test screenings, every scene featuring the actor was cut, save for one which shows him (though never directly in focus) inside a coffin.

Small roles in features such as Testament (1983), Shadows Run Black (1984), Fandango (1985) followed. In 1985, Costner gained some acclaim for his star turn in Silverado (1985), another Kasdan-directed picture. However, his breakout role came courtesy of Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987), and Costner solidified his position as a bankable star with two back-to-back baseball-themed films: Bull Durham (1988) and Field of Dreams (1989).

In 1990, Costner formed Tig Productions alongside producer Jim Wilson, and through that new company, he directed and starred in an adaption of the novel Dances with Wolves. The film would go on to win two Academy Awards – Best Picture and Best Director (usurping Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic Goodfellas which had been favored by award show pundits).

Subsequently, Costner appeared in Revenge (1990), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), JFK (1991), The Bodyguard (1992), and Clint Eastwood’s A Perfect World (1993), all of which proved to be box offices success and for which Costner received great acclaim. Of interesting note, it was Costner who insisted that Whitney Huston, his co-star in The Bodyguard, record a version of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You rather than the song that had been written especially for the film, and it was he who suggested that she sing the opening verse a capella.

Costner’s career faced a transition after finically underperforming films, particularly Waterworld (1995), Tin Cup (1996) The Postman (1997), and Mr. Brooks (2007). However, he rebounded with various small screen roles including the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys (2012), and the serial Yellowstone, in which he plays rancher John Dutton, to great success.

Entertainment Hub would like to wish Kevin Costner a very happy birthday, and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below.