Yellowstone cast: All characters and actors in the series

Kim Taylor-Foster
Beth and John Dutton in Yellowstone

Yellowstone might be drawing to a close but there’s still Season 5 Part 2 to go, as well as numerous spin-offs about the Dutton family — whether you’re new to the Yellowstone world or you’re an established fan, here’s everyone you need to know in the cast, including the actors and the characters they play.

Yellowstone first premiered on Paramount Network in 2018 where it went on to become a huge success, spawning several spin-offs including 1923 and 1883, not to mention the upcoming 6666 and beyond.

The series was created by Taylor Sheridan and John Linson, and features a large number of regular and recurring cast members within its intricately plotted story, which unfolds over five seasons.

As fans eagerly await Season 5 Part 2 to arrive, which will bring the show to a close, we’ve broken down all of the major roles in the cast of Yellowstone.

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Yellowstone cast: All characters and actors

The official synopsis for Yellowstone reads: “Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect, the ranch is in constant conflict with those whose land it borders — an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.”

Here are all the major characters and actors among the Yellowstone cast.

John Dutton III: Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner as John Dutton with a horse in Yellowstone
Kevin Costner as John Dutton III.

John Dutton III is the patriarch of the Dutton family. A widower, Dutton owns and operates the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the US, which has been under Dutton family ownership dating back six generations. He also serves as Montana Livestock Commissioner and remains steadfast in his battle to fend off attempts to claim his land.

Kevin Costner plays John Dutton III. Costner has won two Academy Awards, winning in the Best Picture and Best Director categories for Dances With Wolves, as well as Golden Globes for acting in Hatfields & McCoys and Yellowstone. His illustrious career has included starring roles in The Untouchables, Field of Dreams, JFK, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bodyguard, Waterworld, The Postman, and many more.

Kayce Dutton: Luke Grimes

Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton in Yellowstone
John Dutton’s youngest son, Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes.

Kayce Dutton is John’s youngest son and a former US Navy SEAL. He works as a horseman and ranch hand, and as a Livestock Agent for the Montana Livestock Association. At the beginning of the series, he lives on the Broken Rock Indian Reservation with his Native American wife Monica and son Tate before he relocates to the Yellowstone Ranch.

Luke Grimes plays Kayce, and is known for playing real-life Navy SEAL Marc Alan Lee in American Sniper and for playing Christian Grey’s brother in Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels. These days, he’s also a country music star.

Bethany “Beth” Dutton: Kelly Reilly

Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton.
She’s fierce: Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton.

Beth is the only daughter of John and his deceased wife Evelyn, and makes her living as a financier. She is smart, forthright, and confrontational, and also emotionally unbalanced. She has a somewhat tumultuous relationship with Rip Wheeler and is fiercely loyal to her father.

Kelly Reilly is known for her roles in True Detective, Black Box, and Britannia. After impressing as Caroline Bingley in Joe Wright’s Pride and Prejudice in 2005, Reilly went on to star in tense horror thriller Eden Lake opposite Michael Fassbender. She also appeared in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows, Robert Zemeckis’s Flight starring Denzel Washington, and John Michael McDonagh’s brilliant Calvary.

Jamie Dutton: Wes Bentley

Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton in Yellowstone
Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton in Yellowstone

Jamie was adopted by John Dutton and his deceased wife Evelyn after his father killed his mother and ended up in prison. Jamie is an attorney and helps out his adoptive father with the ranch’s legal wranglings. As times goes on, Jamie becomes less and less trusting of his adoptive family, and tries to make it on his own.

Wes Bentley, who plays Jamie, is known for roles in Sam Mendes’ American Beauty and Shekhar Kapur’s The Four Feathers opposite Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson. He has also had roles in Ghost Rider, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, and the TV series American Horror Story.

Rip Wheeler: Cole Hauser

Cole Hauser as Rip Wheeler in a still from Yellowstone
Cole Hauser looks very different as Rip Wheeler.

Rip was taken in by John Dutton as a youngster, after he killed his father upon witnessing him murdering his mother and brother. Consequently, Rip is extremely loyal to John, and works on the ranch as John’s right-hand man. He has a turbulent but loving romantic relationship with John’s daughter, Beth.

As such, Cole Hauser is an integral part of the Yellowstone cast, and is known for his roles in Dazed and Confused, Good Will Hunting, Pitch Black, and 2 Fast 2 Furious as well as many other performances in movies and on TV. He also starred in crime drama Rogue opposite Thandiwe Newton. He has ties to Hollywood royalty, since his great-grandfather, Harry Warner, was a co-founder of Warner Bros.

Monica Long Dutton: Kelsey Asbille

Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long Dutton in Yellowstone
Kelsey Asbille as Monica Long Dutton.

Monica is Kayce’s Native American wife and daughter-in-law of John Dutton. She is a teacher by profession, first at a school on the Broken Rock Indian Reservation and then later as a professor at Montana State University.

Kelsey Asbille, who plays Monica, is best known for her roles as Swanee Capps in Fargo, and Tracey Stewart in Teen Wolf. She also appeared in One Tree Hill and Disney XD series Pair of Kings, as well as in another Taylor Sheridan venture, Wind River.

Tate Dutton: Brecken Merrill

Brecken Merrill as Tate Dutton in Yellowstone
Brecken Merrill plays Kayce and Monica’s son, Tate.

Tate Dutton is the young son of Kayce and Monica. He is John Dutton’s only biological grandchild. Tate grows to have interest in the ranch as time goes on, and to Monica’s disappointment, he strives to get to know his grandfather. Technically speaking, Tate is the sole heir of Yellowstone Ranch, and as such, John and Kayce try to teach him the ways of the land.

Brecken Merrill plays Tate. He has previously appeared in This Is Us.

Jimmy Hurdstrom: Jefferson White

Jefferson Hurdstrom as Jefferson White in Yellowstone
Jefferson White as Jimmy Hurdstrom.

Jimmy works on the ranch at Yellowstone and is an amateur bronc rider. He was first brought onto the ranch after his grandfather begged John to take Jimmy, a troubled young man, in with a job. Since he joined the ranch and took the brand, Jimmy grew to be a hard worker and a dedicated ranch hand. At John’s instruction, he later transfers to the 6666 ranch in Texas.

Jefferson White, who plays Jimmy, has previously appeared in How to Get Away With Murder, House of Cards, The Alienist, and Blindspot.

Dan Jenkins: Danny Huston

Danny Huston as Dan Jenkins in Yellowstone
Danny Huston as billionaire developer Dan Jenkins.

Dan Jenkins is a mega-rich land developer intent on taking Yellowstone from the Duttons. While he’s one of many foes they face, Jenkins manages to intertwine himself with each member of the Dutton family as he tries to take them down, and even later becomes an ally of sorts.

Danny Huston’s face is instantly recognizable from his varied career. He has worked with some of the world’s greatest directors, including Martin Scorsese in The Aviator, Alfonso Cuaron in Children of Men, and Alejandro González Iñárittu in 21 Grams. The son of legendary director John Huston, he has also appeared in acclaimed series Succession, Patty Jenkins’s Wonder Woman, and Tim Burton’s Big Eyes as well as X-Men Origins: Wolverine in which he played Stryker.

Thomas Rainwater: Gil Birmingham

Gil Birmingham as Thomas Rainwater
Gil Birmingham plays tribal chairman Thomas Rainwater.

Thomas Rainwater is the chairman of the Confederated Tribes of Broken Rock, and chief of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, which shares a border with Yellowstone Ranch. He wants to reclaim the land the ranch occupies, and believes it belongs to the Native Americans who originally lived there.

Gil Birmingham plays Thomas Rainwater, a veteran of the screen. He’s known for roles in The Twilight Saga movies, and series Banshee and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. He also appeared in House of Cards, and had a role in the Taylor Sheridan-penned Hell or High Water.

Lloyd Pierce: Forrie J Smith

Forrie J Smith as Lloyd Pierce in Yellowstone
Ranch hand Lloyd Pierce is played by Forrie J Smith.

Lloyd Pierce is a ranch hand at Yellowstone going back many years. Of all the hands, he is Rip’s right-hand man, and helps him with keeping the younger workers in order. Lloyd, however, is not as stern as Rip, and is one of the friendlier faces among the Yellowstone crew.

Forrie J Smith plays Lloyd, and has had guest roles in Midnight, Texas and Better Call Saul.

Senator Lynelle Perry: Wendy Moniz

Wendy Moniz as Lynelle Perry and Kevin Costner as John Dutton in Yellowstone
Lynelle (Wendy Moniz) is romantically involved with Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

Lynelle Perry is the former Governor of Montana and love interest of John Dutton. Often, her relationship with John means that she has to help him get out of sticky legal battles, but she always puts her public position first. Ultimately, she moves up the political ranks as time goes on, serving as a dedicated leader.

Wendy Moniz, who plays Lynelle Perry, is best known for her roles as Louise Archer in The Guardian, Rachel McCabe in Nash Bridges and as Dinah Marler in The Guiding Light. She has also appeared in House of Cards, Damages, Kingdom, and Daredevil.

You can watch Yellowstone on Peacock, while Season 5 Part 2 is due to arrive in November 2024. In the meantime, check out our other Yellowstone hubs below:

Shows if you love Yellowstone | Why Kevin Costner’s leaving Yellowstone | Is Yellowstone on tonight? | 6666 Yellowstone | 1923 cast | 1923 Season 2 | Will Kevin Costner be in S5P2? | Does Tate die in Yellowstone? | Taylor Sheridan shows & movies | Does Beth die in Yellowstone? | Yellowstone’s CBS premiere | Matthew McConaughey’s Yellowstone series | Yellowstone CBS changes explained | Yellowstone spinoffs timeline explained | Does Monica die in Yellowstone? | Is Lawmen: Bass Reeves a spinoff? | Are Yellowstone stars in Lawmen: Bass Reeves? | Yellowstone finale release date

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About The Author

Kim Taylor-Foster is a film and TV journalist, critic, and author. Her books include Why We Love The Matrix and Why We Love Die Hard.