Kevin Costner

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Biography

Recent Role:
Himself on TMZ on TV
Gender:
Male
Born:
1-18-1955
Birthplace:
Lynwood, California, USA
Birth Name:
Kevin Michael Costner
Kevin Costner was born in Lynwood, California on January 18, 1955. His father, Bill, was a ditch digger and an electric line service crew member. He's actually the third child of Bill and Sharon, but because their second child died shortly after he was born, Kevin grew up with only one older brother, Dan. His father's job was the reason the entire family moved their home regularly. The frequent moves meant that Kevin was always the new kid at school. He reached a point where he didn't try to make friends anymore and his teachers described him as a daydreamer. When he was a teenager, he sang… More in the Baptist church choir, wrote poetry, and took writing classes in school. At the age of 18 he built his own canoe. When he was finished he paddled down the local river to the Pacific.





In 1973, he enrolled at California State University at Fullerton where he played basketball, football, and baseball. He successfully graduated in 1978 with a major in business. During his time there, Kevin decided to take acting lessons as well.





After graduating, he married Cindy Silva who was his collage love. To provide for his family, Kevin took a marketing job in Orange County.


On a business trip to Mexico, he met Richard Burton who advised him on their flight back home to focus solely on his acting career. Kevin decided to move to Hollywood where he had a myriad of jobs, none of which were acting. He worked as a trucker, a fisherman, and a tourist guide.





Kevin started his acting career with a soft porn film, but he found that type of work distasteful and decided not to continue appearing in films of that type. It would be another 6 years before he garnered his first role in a major motion picture. In 1983, Kevin was cast in The Big Chill. Although Kevin's scenes did not make the final cut, the director of this film, Lawrence Kasdan, remembered him when he made the film, Silverado, in 1985 and cast him in that film. Silverado was the catalyst that Kevin's career needed and was the beginning of a successful acting career.





Kevin and Cindy Silvia divorced in 1994. They have three children, Joe who was born in 1988, Annie who was born in 1984, and Lily who was born in 1987. He married Christine Baumgartner on September 25, 2004. They dated for five years and had been engaged since June 26, 2003.





Kevin will be appearing in The Guardian and The Tortilla Curtain in 2006. He is involved in film direction and production as well as acting.

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    Kevin Costner is proof that good actors and amazing films still exist amid swirls of bubblegum stars like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. hide show

    Dances with Wolves, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, For Love of the Game, Message in a Bottle, The Guardian, The Bodyguard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Open Range, Wyatt Earp, Silverado, Dragonfly, and Waterworld; these are just some of the films Costner has accompanied over the years. Good or bad, you know you've heard of them and in all honesty, they are hard work that deserve to be heard about. Costner is changing the way we, as people, view our world one film at a time. He successfully morphs his characters into people just like you and me. He makes them normal, relatable, and understandable people that you learn to love, one way or another. His films make you think about what's going on in your life and others, what the world is coming to. Whether you realize it or not, you are forming your view of life while watching his films. Do you sympathize with a rough and tough guy like Wyatt Earp? Yeah, he was a sweetheart that turned into someone who believed in "getting rid of the problem", but Costner makes you feel compassion and empathy for this guy. What about the Coast Guards? I guarantee that if you see this film, it will open your eyes to how much the Coast Guard sacrifices for us. And that's what he does, that's what he succeeds in doing each time he wraps his heart in the script of a movie. He makes you think, makes you understand and feel empathy for these characters. It's more than just movies with Costner, it's reaching out.

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    RidersAngel Added Jan 18, 2009 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    empty hide show

    I love Kevin Costner's acting. He really suits most of the characters he has played and makes the characters interesting. I love his character the most in Message In A Bottle because he made the novel of Nicholas Sparks come alive. I also enjoyed his character in Rumor Has It.

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    Simply_Ces Added May 6, 2007 All my reviews
  •  
    7 Good
    empty hide show

    Kevin Costner is a verry good actor, he appered in many movies ex. Th Untouchables, No Way Out, The Guardian.

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    FilipHolm Added Apr 23, 2007 All my reviews
  •  
    8 Great
    empty hide show

    Kevin Costner has done some truly wonderful films, such as "Field of Dreams," but he has done some truly bad films, such as "Waterworld." The man certainly is a great actor and has been around the business for much longer than I have been alive and that speaks volume for his career.

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    amauriel Added Mar 6, 2007 All my reviews
  •  
    8.4 Great
    Good ideas hide show

    Kevin Costner has the right idea. He picks movies with something to say, and something to stand for. The only thing Costner is lacking is the glitzy BS that most Hollywood people get inflated with. He has the real shine of his own. Most people are too dumb to see it.

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    JasonTriath Added Nov 7, 2005 All my reviews
 

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