This is your Kevin Costner Audio Biography. Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California to William Costner, an electrician, and Sharon Rae (née Tedrick), a welfare worker. He was the youngest of three sons. As a child, Costner developed an interest in sports, especially baseball, but also took piano lessons and sang in the First Baptist Choir. Although he loved sports, he suffered from vertigo, which made some physical activities difficult. Costner went to Villa Park High School in Orange County, where he started taking an interest in acting and performing, appearing in school plays. After graduation in 1973, he enrolled at California State University at Fullerton, initially studying business and marketing. During this time, he became a brother in the Delta Chi fraternity. Two and a half years into his degree, Costner became interested in acting and took up a job as a marketing executive while taking acting lessons five nights a week. He quit his marketing job after a year to pursue acting full time. In 1978, Costner married his college sweetheart Cindy Silva, who worked as a Disneyland princess. In 1979, they moved to Hollywood together so Costner could pursue an acting career. They lived in a motel for a while, took jobs anywhere they could find them, and Cindy would sometimes wait tables for them to get by. Costner took work as a truck driver, marketing executive, and gave Hollywood tours. Costner started landing small roles in films like Night Shift (1982) and Frances (1982) while also doing commercials. His first significant movie role came in 1983's The Big Chill, but his scenes ended up on the editing room floor. Later that year he had a small but memorable part in Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado, where his character’s death served to motivate the other characters. More substantial roles followed in smaller films like American Flyers (1985) and the 1987 film noir thriller No Way Out. His big break came later in 1987 when he was cast in The Untouchables as federal agent Eliot Ness, opposite stars like Sean Connery and Robert De Niro. His charismatic performance earned him industry attention and his first serious film accolades. Following The Untouchables, Costner starred in a series of dramatic sports films like Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and Tin Cup (1996), showcasing his athletic talent and cementing his star power. In 1990, Costner achieved new heights of critical and commercial success by directing, producing and starring in the epic western Dances with Wolves. The film was made for $22 million and grossed over $400 million worldwide. It also won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Costner. Suddenly elevated to Hollywood’s A-List, Costner was now able to get larger films green-lit himself as a star, producer and director. He formed his own production company, Tig Productions, giving him creative control over the films he made. Costner followed up the This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.
