In Yellowstone Season 3, Episode 9, “Meaner than Evil,” Kevin Costner, Taylor Sheridan, and the rest of the cast and staff took a moment to honor Wilford Brimley – ‘a cowboy, an artist, and a damn good friend’ – who passed away last August 1, 2020, due to kidney ailment. The title card appeared a few moments before the episode’s credits rolled in.
Who is Wilford Brimley?
To those who are not familiar with his name, Wilford Brimley was the popular mustachioed actor with a booming voice who rose to prominence with his various Westerns, including True Grit and Bandolero!.
Anthony Wilford Brimley was born in Salt Lake, Utah on September 27, 1934, and before he became an actor, he served in the US Marine Corps and worked odd jobs, including as a wrangler, a blacksmith, and a bodyguard. Later on, he began his career in films shoeing horses and doubling as an extra or stuntman. But it wasn’t until the 1970s and 80s that he got established as an actor. Aside from his Westerns, he starred in The China Syndrome (1979), The Thing (1982), and Tender Mercies (1983), just to name a few. But in his prolific career of more than 100 films and TV projects, he was best known for his roles in Cocoon, The Natural, In & Out, and Absence of Malice and as the long-term face of the Quaker Oats Company.
Aside from his acting career, he was also a strong advocate for diabetes education and even appeared in TV commercials for Liberty Medical.
Did he ever appear in Yellowstone?
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Wilford Brimley didn’t appear in any episode of Yellowstone, but he was definitely a big inspiration and influence for the show. Like the Duttons, he was raised around horses and grew up with a great appreciation for the cowboy lifestyle. According to Express UK, Brimley dropped out at 14 and worked as a cowboy in Arizona, Idaho, and Nevada.
Aside from his cowboy roots and roles, Brimley was also a native of Utah, which is the state where the Paramount flagship series is currently filming. So there’s also that unique connection between the two.
Stay tuned for Yellowstone Season 5, which will premiere on November 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Paramount. And again, rest in power, Wilford Brimley, one of the greatest cowboys on film and TV and an inspiration to Western dramas.