Taylor Sheridan

Taylor Sheridan (born July 17, 1969, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.) is an American actor, writer, and director who first garnered attention for his roles on the television series Veronica Mars and Sons of Anarchy but found greater success behind the scenes, notably cocreating such popular TV shows as Yellowstone (2018– ).

Family and education

Born Sheridan Taylor Gibler, Jr., he later took the name Taylor Sheridan. His mother, Susan (née Harwell) Gibler, was raised in Waco, Texas, and his father, Sheridan Taylor Gibler, was a cardiologist from Houston. Sheridan grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, but spent a great deal of time at his family’s ranch in Cranfills Gap. His experiences there later informed many of his shows. After Sheridan’s parents divorced, his mother sold the property.

At R.L. Paschal High School in Fort Worth, Sheridan participated in the theater program, playing Kenickie in a production of the musical Grease. He also landed a role in Piaf at the local Stage West Theatre. Sheridan later attended Southwest Texas State University but dropped out and moved to Austin, Texas, where he worked a series of odd jobs. At one point he was a house painter. At a local mall, he was approached by a talent agent who encouraged him to pursue an acting career. Sheridan subsequently moved to Chicago and then New York City before settling in Los Angeles.

Early acting career

Sheridan went to auditions but struggled to find work. He earned some income by teaching an acting class, but for a time he lived out of his truck and often camped near Los Angeles. In 1995 he made his TV debut, appearing in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. More small roles followed on such shows as Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Star Trek: Enterprise. He also appeared in the television movie Bad News Mr. Swanson in 2001. Two years later he acted in his first feature film, the little-seen thriller White Rush.

Sheridan’s profile began to rise when he landed the recurring role of Irish gang member Danny Boyd in a five-episode arc (2005–07) on the popular detective series Veronica Mars. He next appeared on the hit show Sons of Anarchy, about an outlaw motorcycle club in the fictional town of Charming, California. Over the course of 21 episodes (2008–10) Sheridan played Deputy Chief David Hale, an antagonist of the club. In season three Sheridan left the series—his character was killed—following a salary dispute. In 2011 he made a guest appearance on NCIS: Los Angeles.

Success as a screenwriter

Sheridan subsequently decided to write a screenplay. Although he had no formal instruction, he had read thousands of scripts as an actor. In 2015 his screenplay Sicario became a feature film, directed by Denis Villeneuve. It stars Emily Blunt as an FBI special agent trying to take down a Mexican drug cartel causing violence in the southwestern United States. The film performed well at the box office and received critical acclaim. Sheridan also wrote the sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018), which features Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro, both of whom had appeared in the original film.

In 2016 Sheridan’s screenplay Comancheria was released as the feature film Hell or High Water. The highly praised crime drama centers on two brothers (played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster) who rob banks in order to save their family’s ranch. Sheridan said he was inspired by the dynamics surrounding his family’s former ranch. For his script, he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

Are you a student?

Get a special academic rate on Britannica Premium.

Subscribe

Sheridan next wrote and directed Wind River (2017), which he considered his true directorial debut; in 2011 he had helmed the little-known horror film Vile as a favor to one of the writers. Wind River is a crime drama that stars Jeremy Renner as a wildlife officer who teams up with an FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) to solve a murder at a Native American reservation in Wyoming. The movie received positive reviews, and Sheridan won various awards, most notably the Un Certain Regard for best director at the Cannes film festival. Wind River is considered the final installment—after Sicario and Hell or High Water—in Sheridan’s film trilogy about the American frontier.

Sheridan shifted gears with Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021), an action-thriller that he directed and cowrote. It stars Angelina Jolie as a firefighter protecting a young boy being chased by killers.

Hit television series

While his films were popular, Sheridan achieved even greater success on television. He created, with John Linson, the series Yellowstone, which premiered in 2018. The neo-western drama starring Kevin Costner chronicles the lives and conflicts of the fictional Dutton family and the ongoing saga of their Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Montana. Sheridan initially sold Yellowstone to HBO, but the cable network ultimately failed to produce the series. Yellowstone became Paramount Network’s first scripted series, and it was phenomenally successful. Sheridan cowrote most of the show’s episodes, and he also played horse trainer Travis Wheatley. The filmmaker felt he could bring authenticity to the role because of his real-life experience with horses.

Sheridan expanded the Yellowstone universe by creating a number of hit spin-offs. The prequel miniseries 1883 aired in 2021–22. The dark western stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott. Next was 1923 (2022–23), featuring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. The show is both a prequel to Yellowstone and a follow-up to 1883.

Sheridan also created, with Hugh Dillon, the crime-thriller series Mayor of Kingstown, which premiered in 2021. The show is set in the fictional town of Kingstown, Michigan, and it focuses on the McLusky family. Renner stars as Mike McLusky, who acts as the unofficial “mayor” of the town, which is dominated by several local prison complexes. Sheridan then made Special Ops: Lioness (2023– ), about a CIA operative (Zoe Saldana) working in counterterrorism. With its focus on women, the show was something of a departure for Sheridan. However, similar to his other series, Special Ops: Lioness was a success.

Sheridan next cocreated (with Christian Wallace) the TV series Landman (2024– ), which is set in Texas and follows a fixer for oil companies (Billy Bob Thornton). The cast also included Jon Hamm and Demi Moore.

Personal life

Taylor Sheridan met his wife, actress and model Nicole Muirbrook, during his time as an acting coach. The two wed in 2013, and they have a son, Gus Sheridan. The family divides its time between two ranches in Texas: the Bosque Ranch and the 6666 Ranch (also known as the Four Sixes Ranch). The latter property covers more than 266,000 acres (108,000 hectares), and it was a filming location for Yellowstone.