Kevin Costner has starred in an unusually large number of baseball movies. The acclaimed Yellowstone actor has acted in more than 60 television shows or movies over his nearly 40-year professional career. Costner got his big break in Hollywood in 1981 at the age of 26, appearing as John Logan in the raunchy romantic comedy movie Malibu Hot Summer. Costner's first starring role occurred in 1987 as Elliot Ness in The Untouchables which also starred Robert De Niro and Sean Connery.
Since his rise in the entertainment industry, Costner has become an Emmy-winning actor for 2012's western series Hatfields & McCoys and an Oscar-winning director for Dances With Wolves. Yellowstone will be without Kevin Costner after season 5 in order to pursue his own western project titled Horizon. Costner has played the iconic role of John Dutton in the popular Paramount+ series since 2018. Although Costner may be known better for his Western-themed character in recent years, his acting career began with a number of baseball movies that ultimately made him the superstar he is today.
Kevin Costner Has Starred In 4 Baseball Movies
Kevin Costner has starred in four baseball movies in his career. These include Bull Durham (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), Chasing Dreams (1989), and For Love of the Game (1999). Costner also voices the narration for the baseball documentary Fastball (2016) and plays a ing role as a former professional baseball player with a drinking problem in The Upside of Anger (2005). Because of how frequently Costner appeared in baseball-themed movies during the late 90s, he quickly became a familiar face in the sports genre. This led him to pursue other roles that allowed him to demonstrate his innate love for athletic competition and sports stories in general.
In Bull Durham, Costner plays a fictional minor league baseball player Crash Davis who mentors a young and talented pitcher Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). The film is as much of a romantic comedy as it is a sports movie. Field of Dreams captures the magic of baseball and the bonds that can form through a mutual ion for the game, especially between father and son. Chasing Dreams follows a disgruntled teenager who finds solace through playing baseball. Costner plays the boy's older brother in the film. For Love of the Game is the most baseball-centric Costner movie. The actor actually appears in an MLB uniform, a dream of his that began before he ever realized his acting aspirations.
Costner Pursued Acting After His Collegiate Baseball Career Didn't Work Out
Costner grew up in various parts of California pursuing his love for baseball. He played on the Villa Park High School baseball team in Orange County, CA but was never able to play at the professional level. While at Cal State Fullerton, Costner was cut from the collegiate baseball team by legendary coach Augie Garrido. As a result, Costner began to take acting lessons during his senior year of college. If it weren't for Garrido, Costner might never have picked up an interest in acting and potentially would not have become the larger-than-life celebrity he is today.
Other Sports Movies Kevin Costner Has Starred In
Other than his iconic baseball movies, Costner has starred in a total of eight sports films in total, while also making several ive appearances in several other sports movies. This makes him the actor who has appeared in the most sports movies ever. Costner famously starred in the fan-favorite golf movie Tin Cup in 1996 which tells the story of a guy who works at a driving range who is inspired to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional golfer. Costner also starred in Draft Day (2014) as Sonny Weaver, a general manager of a professional football team. The story follows Costner's character as he plans a winning strategy for the NFL draft.
Other prominent sports movies starring Costner include 2015's McFarland, USA, in which he stars as an inspiring high school coach. Formerly a football coach, Costner's character takes on the challenge of coaching a high school cross-country team to victory. Costner starred in 1985's American Flyers as well, playing the role of a fictional competitive cyclist. Some other Costner roles exist in a gray area of being actual sports movies, including the 1999 boxing movie Play It To the Bone and the high-stakes poker movie Molly's Game in which Costner plays a ing role. Regardless, Kevin Costner's love for sports, particularly in the best movies about baseball, will be ed in film and television history.
