Who Is Taylor Sheridan? Read About the Mastermind Behind ‘Yellowstone’ and More
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Since 2018, you’ve probably heard the name “Taylor Sheridan” more times than you can count — but do you know the story of the famed Yellowstone creator? Not only is he the mastermind behind the hit series, its spinoffs and countless other productions both in television and film, but the 54-year-old Texas-raised superstar actually got his start in front of the camera. Here, read all about producer, director, writer and cowboy — and find out: Who is Taylor Sheridan?
Who is Taylor Sheridan?
For Sheridan, his first shot at Hollywood came as an actor, his first credited role being in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. Throughout the 90s and 2000s, he could be seen in guest roles in series like Strong Medicine, NYPD Blue, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and other shows of the like before more recurring roles came his way on Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy. However, a major life change made him reassess his career.
Taylor Sheridan, 2023Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Stagecoach A360
“And then, really thinking about how I am going to raise that child. And if that child is going to look up to me, what is he looking up to me for? It made me reflect on my career very deeply.”
He continued, “Also, I wanted to tell stories that mattered to me, and not tell other people’s stories. I wanted to tell stories about my life and the lifestyle that I grew up in, and the world that I came from. So people could understand where I come from, and understand the value of the upbringing that I had. That’s why I quit acting. That’s when I started telling those stories that I felt mattered to me.”
Taylor Sheridan, 2022David Becker/Getty Images for Paramount+ A360
Making the shift to writing
The career pivot Sheridan made proved to be fruitful.“When I sat down to write my first screenplay, I said, ‘I have absolutely no idea how to do this. But by God, I know how not to do it. So, if I just don’t do what everyone else is doing, it’ll probably turn out okay.'”
Sicario (2015) was his first success. In its wake came Hell or High Water (2016) and Wind River (2017).
When Yellowstone came to fruition, finding a home for the show was the tough part. It started out in development at HBO before Sheridan took it elsewhere. The writer shared how the execs at HBO agreed to green light the pilot if he could get Robert Redford to play the lead, John Dutton.
Taylor Sheridan and Nicole Muirbrook, 2021Greg Doherty/Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas Greg Doherty Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas
So what does Sheridan do? He gets Robert Redford — Only for HBO to say they meant they wanted a “Robert Redford type.”
“We go to lunch in some snazzy place in West LA,” Sheridan recalled to The Hollywood Reporter. “And [Yellowstone co-creator] John Linson finally asks: ‘Why don’t you want to make it?’ And the VP goes: ‘Look, it just feels so Middle America. We’re HBO, we’re avant-garde, we’re trendsetters. This feels like a step backward. And frankly, I’ve got to be honest, I don’t think anyone should be living out there [in rural Montana]. It should be a park or something.’“
But that’s not all — They also weren’t happy with the character of Beth, feeling as though women wouldn’t like her. Could they have been any more wrong?
Taylor Sheridan, Kelly Reilly and Kevin Costner, 2018Frazer Harrison/Getty Images A360
Yellowstone and beyond
As we all know, Yellowstone ultimately worked out, and Sheridan continues to share his writing prowess with the world with series after series, film after film.
In addition to Yellowstone and its spinoffs, he’s also the writing genius behind series like Mayor of Kingstown, Lioness and Tulsa King, to name a few. With the new and final season of Yellowstone finally slated for air in November, there’s no saying what’s next for Taylor Sheridan, but we’ll be waiting on bated breath — and are hopeful that the Dutton story doesn’t end there.