My Kevin Costner Page

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"Real heroes are men who fall and fail and are flawed, but win out in the end because they've stayed true to their ideals and beliefs and commitments."                                                   ~Kevin Costner Real Name: Kevin Costner D.O.B: January 18, 1955 Place of Birth: Lynwood, California, USA Height: 6'1" Occupation: Actor, Director, Producer Parents:Bill & Sharon Costner Sibling(s):Dan Costner (1950) Ex-wife: Cindy Silva (1978-1994) Kids: Annie(84), Lily(87), Joe(88), Liam(96) Hobbies: Hunting and Fishing Fan Mail: PO Box 275 Montrose, CA, USA, 91021

Tid Bits:

• Costner has acknowledged that he fathered a son, Liam (Nov/96), during a brief involvement with Bridget Rooney, a television reporter, in 1996.
• Sioux nation gave Costner a tract of land after making "Dances with Wolves" (1990). Costner built a golf course on that land.
• Costner is currently recuperating after undergoing an emergency appendectomy -- Costner had his redundant organ whipped out, and is said to be doing fine, with no complications having arisen. (November 2, 2002)
• Kevin Costner's romance with long-term lover Christiane Baumgarten is over - she has left him. Kevin Costner's kids are urging the movie star to wed girlfriend Christine Baumgarten - even though she's closer in age to them than him. Kevin Costner is set to marry girlfriend Christine Baumgarten - even though she's only 23-years-old.
• Film of billy Chapel as a child in "For Love of the Game" is actually young Kevin and his families home videos.in his minor league baseball coached by his father
• He used to sing and play the guitar for a band called "Roving Boy". They released an album called "The Simple Truth" in Japan in the mid -'80s.
• Costner owns and runs his own production company, Tig Productions, which was formed in 1989. He and his brother run a casino called The Midnight Star in South Dakota. They are also planning to build a resort called The Dunbar Resort.
• Costner joined Amy Grant in a duet of The Lovin' Spoonful's song ,"You Didn't Have to be so Nice". The song can be heard over the closing credits of "The Postman".

DID YOU KNOW�
... that according to Forbes magazine, Costner was the third highest-paid entertainer in 1991-92 with a net worth of $71 million?
... that he was voted "most erotic male" in 1998 by readers of the German magazine "Amica"?
... that he was also chosen by People Magazine in 1990 and 1991 as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World"?
... that he won the Razzie Award (worst film of the year) three times? In 1992 for "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," in 1995 for "Wyatt Earp" and 1998 for "The Postman."
... that he turned down the leading role in "War Games," which was played by Matthew Broderick, to play Alex in "The Big Chill"? His part was later cut from the film.

Biography
Costner grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Compton, Calififornia on January 18, 1955. The third child of Bill and Sharon Costner, his older brother, Dan, was born in 1950. A middle brother died at birth in 1953. All throughout his childhood he dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. Despite being only 5'2" until his mid-20s, he was named the top football, baseball and basketball star in high school. His Dad's job required him to move regularly, which caused Kevin to feel like an Army kid, always the new kid at school, which led to him being a daydreamer. As a teen he sang in the Baptist church choir, wrote poetry, and took writing classes. At 18, he built his own canoe and paddled his way down the rivers that Lewis & Clark followed to the Pacific.

In 1973, Costner studied business and marketing at California State University in Fullerton. During that period, Kevin decided to take acting lessons five nights a week. After graduating, he married his college sweetheart, Cindy Silva. While returning home from his honeymoon in Mexico, Costner spotted Richard Burton on his plane, he and his new wife gathered their courage and approached the actor. Burton advised him to go completely after acting if that is what he wanted. He quit his job and moved to Hollywood soon after. He started in community theater, and slowly got noticed. After making one soft core sex film, he vowed to not work again if that was the only work he could do. He didn't work for nearly six years, while he waited for a proper break. That break came with "The Big Chill", even though his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor -- he was remembered by director Lawrence Kasdan when he decided to make "Silverado"(1985). Costner's career took off after that, his big break came two years later as he burst on the screen in two major films, �No Way Out� (1987) and �The Untouchables� (1987). His career, and life, have been filled with ups and downs.

Kevin Costner made an indelible mark with baseball-themed hits like �Bull Durham� (1988) and �Field of Dreams� (1989). Riding high on the combined box-office success of these films, Costner was able to make his directing debut, an epic western �Dances with Wolves�(1990) which earned 12 Academy Award nominations and won seven Oscars. Unfortunately, Costner�s film career after 1990 did not live up to that tremendous success, although his 1991 costume epic �Robin Hood: Prince of Theives�(1991) made money. The same year, Costner had another hit on his hands with Oliver Stone�s �JFK�(1991). The next year's "The Bodyguard"(1992), a film which teamed Costner with Whitney Houston, did so well at the box-office that it seemed the actor could do no wrong. However, both of Costner�s big-budget directorial efforts-�A Perfect World� (1993), directed by Clint Eastwood was a major disappointment, even though Costner himself came through with a strong performance, and the western �Wyatt Earp� (1994)- tanked somewhat spectacularly. The following year, Costner was able to rebound somewhat with the romantic comedy �Tin Cup�(1996), which was well-received by the critics and the public alike. Unfortunately, he chose to follow this up with another directorial effort, an epic filmization of author David Brin's �The Postman�(1997).

Costner was divorced from his wife after 16 years, and the press was swelling with rumors about possible affairs. Despite everything, Costner manages to make a new film almost every year.

Costner's reputation, now at an all-time low, received some resuscitation with the 1998 romantic tear-jerker �Message in a Bottle� (1999), and later the same year he stepped back out on the baseball diamond�this time as a pitcher�in "For Love of the Game". A thoughtful reflection on the Cuban missile crisis provided the groundwork for the successful �Thirteen Days� (2000), though Costner's next turn as a member of a group of Elvis impersonating casino bandits, drew harsh criticism for its pointless and excessive violence, relegating it to a quick death at the box office. Though Costner's next effort was a more sentimental supernatural drama lamenting lost love, �Dragonfly� (2002) was dismissed by many as a cheap clone of �The Sixth Sense� and met an almost equally hasty, though notably less outright despised fate. In 2002, Costner directed and starred in the Disney Western "Open Range" with Robert Duvall.

THE COSTNER/FORD CROSSOVER Harrison Ford turned down the Jack Ryan role in �he Hunt for Red October� (1990) as did Kevin Costner. Harrison Ford instead made �Presumed Innocent� (1990) and Kevin Costner made his Oscar-winning �Dances With Wolves� (1990). Harrison Ford later turned down the Jim Garrison role in Oliver Stone's �JFK� (1991) and Kevin Costner decided to take it after a meeting with the director Stone. The president of the United States role in the mega-blockbuster �Air Force One� (1997) was written specifically for Kevin Costner. In fact, Kevin Costner helped develop the action film with Beacon Communications and writer Andrew Marlowe in 1996. But, Kevin had to eventually pass on the film because of work delays with his futuristic �The Postman� (1997). Costner called up Harrison Ford personally and offered Harrison a once-in-a-lifetime role. Harrison Ford accepted the role and has always thanked Kevin Costner in interviews for his kind gesture. �Air Force One� (1997) went on to become one of the highest grossing films of all time. Kevin Costner's character in �Dragonfly� (2002) was written with the intention of Harrison Ford taking the film role. Ford turned down the role to take a year off from movies.

Filmography:
Actor
    �Open Range.....as Charley Waite (2003)
    �Frat Boys (TV).....(2003)
    �Dragonfly.....as Joe Darrow (2002)
    �3000 Miles to Graceland.....as Thomas J. Murphy/Jonathan Liebling (2000)
    �Thirteen Days.....as Kenny O'Donnell (2000)
    �For Love of the Game.....as Billy Chapel (1999)
    �Message In A Bottle.....as Garret Blake (1999)
    �The Postman.....as The Postman (1997)
    �Tin Cup.....as Roy 'Tin Cup' McAvoy (1996)
    �Waterworld.....as the Mariner (1995)
    �Wyatt Earp.....as Wyatt Earp (1994)
    �The War.....as Stephen Simmons (1994)
    �A Perfect World.....as Robert 'Butch' Haynes (1993)
    �The Bodyguard.....as Frank Farmer (1992)
    �JFK.....as Jim Garrison(1991)
    �Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.....as Robin of Locksley (1991)
    �Dances with Wolves.....as Lieutenant John G. Dunbar(1990)
    �Revenge....as Michael J. 'Jay' Cochran(1990)
    �Field of Dreams.....Ray Kinsella (1989)
    �Bull Durham.....as Crash Davis(1988)
    �The Untouchables.....as Eliot Ness (1987)
    �No Way Out......as Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell (1987)
    �Shadows Run Black.....as Jimmy Scott (1986)
    �Sizzle Beach, USA.....as John Logan (1986)
    �American Flyers.....as Marcus(1985(
    �Fandango.....as Gardner Barnes, Groover (1985)
    �Silverado.....as Jake, Emmett's Brother (1985)
    �The Gunrunner.....as Ted(1984)
    �Table for Five.....as Newlywed Husband (1983)
    �Testament.....as Phil Pitkin (1983)
    �Night Shift.....as Frat Boy #1(1982)
    �Frances.....as (uncredited)Man in Alley (1982)
    �Chasing Dreams.....as Ed (1982)
    �Stacy's Knights.....as Will Bonner (1982)

Producer
    �Open Range (2003) (producer)
    �Thirteen Days (2000) (producer)
    �Message in a Bottle (1999) (producer)
    �Postman, The (1997) (producer)
    �Waterworld (1995) (producer)
    �"500 Nations" (1995)(mini)TV Series (executive producer)
    �Wyatt Earp (1994) (producer)
    �Rapa Nui (1994) (producer)
    �Bodyguard, The (1992) (producer)
    �Dances with Wolves (1990) (producer)
    �Revenge (1990) (executive producer)

Director
    �Open Range (2003)
    �Postman, The (1997)
    �Waterworld (1995) (uncredited)
    �Dances with Wolves (1990)