04 Oct Kevin Costner ~ Career and Family Focused

American actor, film director, and producer Kevin Costner arrives on the red carpet for the global celebration of the film “Hidden Figures” at the SVA Theatre, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016 in New York. The film is based on the book of the same title, by Margot Lee Shetterly, and chronicles the lives of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson — African-American women working at NASA as “human computers,” who were critical to the success of John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission in 1962. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Emmy Award. Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California, and grew up in Compton, California, and graduated college at Cal State Fullerton University.

He has described spending his teenage years in various parts of California as his father’s career at Southern California Edison progressed, eventually they moved to Orange County, where he graduated from Villa Park High Schoolin 1973. He earned a BAin marketing and finance from California State University, Fullerton(CSUF) in 1978. While at CSUF, he became a brother in the Delta ChiFraternity.

Costner became interested in acting while in his last year of college, and upon graduation he married Cindy Silva, who worked at Disneyland as Cinderella and they had three children: Anne “Annie” Clayton (born April 15, 1984), Lily McCall (born August 4, 1986), and Joseph “Joe” Tedrick (born January 31, 1988). The couple divorced in 1994 after 16 years of marriage. He has a son, Liam Timothy Costner (born November 15, 1996), with Bridget Rooney, with whom he had a brief relationship following his divorce.

On September 25, 2004, Costner married his girlfriend of four years, model and handbag designer Christine Baumgartner, at his ranch in Aspen, Colorado. Their first child, Cayden, was born on 6 May 2007 in Los Angeles. Their second son, Hayes, was born on 12 February 2009. Their third child, a daughter named Grace, was born on 2 June 2010.

Costner is a hard working actor and director.  Full-blown movie star status for Costner arrived in 1987, when he starred as federal agent Eliot Nessin The Untouchables, other performances include Crash Davis in Bull Durham, Ray Kinsellain Field of Dreams, Lt. John J. Dunbar in Dances with Wolves, for which he won Academy Awardsfor Best Director and Best Picture, Jim Garrisonin JFK, Robin Hoodin Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Frank Farmer in The Bodyguard, Roy McAvoy in Tin Cup, Jonathan Kentin the DC Extended Universe, the Mariner in Waterworldand Elliot Anderson in Black or White.

In television, Costner won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film, and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Moviefor his role as Devil Anse Hatfieldin Hatfields & McCoys(2012).

Areas of special interest are baseball and NASCAR, there have been at least three baseball themed movies for Costner and at one time he held a financial interest in a North American League team called the Lake County Fielders out of Texas.  The interest in racing has been as a spectator and musician.  His band has played at several racing events. Costner is the singer in Kevin Costner & Modern West, a country rockband which he founded with the encouragement of his wife Christine.  They have been on several tours over the years.

On June 6, 2004, Costner opened Tatanka: The Story of the Bison one mile south of Deadwood, South Dakota, on U.S. Route 85, for what he hoped would be an educational and emotional place for people to learn about America’s westward expansion. Promoters stated in a news release that the $5-million attraction had a new, 3,800-square-foot interactive center featuring exhibit, retail, and food and beverage areas, as well as offices and a small orientation theater. The visitor center features graphics, photographs, and text describing how bison came to North America and how Native American tribes used the animals for food, clothing, shelter, and other needs. Other displays show how the American westward expansion threatened the buffalo populations and how the bison herds have since recovered under managed care.  The site also includes a county western themed casino.

Costner has a light interest in politics and supports candidates which he believes are going in the right direction.  Costner campaigned for Barack Obama, visiting various places in Colorado, where he has a home. In a speech, Costner stated the need for young voters to get to the polls, early and with enthusiasm. “We (his generation) were going to change the world and we haven’t”, Costner said at a Colorado State Universityrally. “My generation didn’t get it done, and we need you to help us.”

Costner on stage in July 2010

Business interests

Costner’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 1995, Costner began developing oil separationmachines based on a patent he purchased from the US government. The machines developed by the company were of little commercial interest until the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, when BPtook six of the machines from a company in which Costner owned an interest, Ocean Therapy Solutions, for testing in late May 2010.^[27]On June 16, 2010, BP entered into a lease with Ocean Therapy Solutions for 32 of the oil-water separation devices.^[28]Although Spyron Contoguris and Stephen Baldwinpreviously sold their interests in Ocean Therapy Solutions in mid-June to another investor in the company, they filed a lawsuit in Louisiana District Court claiming $10.64 million for securities fraud and misrepresentation. The suit claimed that Costner kept a meeting with BP secret from them, and the secret meeting resulted in an $18-million down payment on a $52 million purchase, and that after the down payment, but before any announcement, another investor used part of the downpayment to buy out their shares, thus excluding them from their share of the profits from the total sale.^[29]The suit claimed that, despite public statements by Costner, Ocean Therapy Solutions, BP and others to the contrary, Baldwin and Contogouris were told that BP was still testing the machines and had not yet committed to lease the machines from Ocean Therapy Solutions and that the other investor in Ocean Therapy Solutions purchased their shares for $1.4 million to Baldwin and $500,000, to Contogouris.^{[30][full citation needed]}In June 2012, a federal jury in Louisiana deliberated for less than 2 hours before rejecting Baldwin’s and Contogouris’ claims in the multimillion-dollar oil-clean-up case, and the court ordered Baldwin and Contogouris to reimburse Costner and the other defendants in the case for their costs.^{[citation needed]}

On June 6, 2004, Costner opened Tatanka: The Story of the Bison one mile south of Deadwood, South Dakota, on U.S. Route 85, for what he hoped would be an educational and emotional place for people to learn about America’s westward expansion. Promoters stated in a news release that the $5-million attraction had a new, 3,800-square-foot interactive center featuring exhibit, retail, and food and beverage areas, as well as offices and a small orientation theater. The visitor center features graphics, photographs, and text describing how bison came to North America and how Native American tribes used the animals for food, clothing, shelter, and other needs. Other displays show how the American westward expansion threatened the buffalo populations and how the bison herds have since recovered under managed care. The centerpiece is a bronze sculpture depicting a buffalo jump commonly used by Plains Indians to kill and process large numbers of animals on which they depended for survival. Hill City artist Peggy Detmerscreated 14 bronze bison in the act of running from their pursuers and three bronze Lakotariders on horseback. Three of the massive bison are posed in midair, cascading over the face of a cliff. Costner commissioned the work in 1994 from Detmers. The five-fourths-scale bronzes, each weighing between 2,500 and 8,000 pounds, were cast at Eagle Bronze Foundry in Lander, Wyoming. Another aspect is an 1845 Lakota encampment. The encampment features living Lakota interpreters of history, dressed in period attire and settled among their tipis.^{[31][full citation needed]}

In July 2004, Costner fired Francis and Carla Caneva, who managed the Midnight Star casino in Deadwood. A judge subsequently ordered Costner to pay a percentage of $6.1 million to buy out the Canevas as his business partners. In October 2006, Costner asked the South Dakota Supreme Courtto re-examine the ruling, as an accountant hired by the actor had determined the market value of the casino to be $3.1 million.^[32]

Philanthropy

Costner serves on an honorary board for the National World War I Museumin Kansas City, Missouri. In spring 2011, he recorded two radio spots for the museum that were aired on Kansas City RoyalsRadio Network.^[33]

NASCAR

Costner was named ceremonial Grand Marshalof the NASCAR Cup Series‘Auto Club 500which took place on February 25, 2007, at the California Speedway.^[34]In 2008, he worked with the NASCAR Media Group and CMT Filmsto help produce the NASCAR Documentary The Ride of Their Liveswhich would be released in 2009^{[needs update]}. Costner would be the narrator for that documentary. Also in 2009, he was named the spokesman for NASCAR Day which took place on 15 May. The next day, 16 May, he and his country music band would perform in the infield of Charlotte Motor Speedwayas well as participate as a judge in the 2nd annual Victory Challenge before the 25th Running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Personal life

Costner in 2013 with Christine Baumgartner

Political activism

Early in his life, Costner was a Republican. He was a supporter and good friend of Ronald Reagan, frequently playing golf with the former President. He later grew disillusioned with the direction of the party, eventually switching his affiliation in the early 1990s. Since 1992, Costner has financially supported a variety of Democraticpoliticians, including Al Goreand Tom Daschle, but also made contributions to Republican Phil Grammas late as 1995.^[42]He said publicly in 2008 that he has no ambition to run for political office, adding “I’ve lived quite a colorful life”.^[43]

In the final days before the 2008 election, Costner campaigned for Barack Obama, visiting various places in Colorado, where he has a home. In his speech, Costner stated the need for young voters to get to the polls, early and with enthusiasm. “We were going to change the world and we haven’t”, Costner said at a Colorado State Universityrally. “My generation didn’t get it done, and we need you to help us”.^[44]

In October 2014, Costner sent a tribute to British troops serving around the world thanking them for their work.^[45]