Taylor Sheridan

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Taylor Sheridan
Born
Sheridan Taylor Gibler Jr.

(1969-07-17) July 17, 1969 (age 54)
Occupations
  • Writer
  • producer
  • director
  • actor
Years active1995–present
Spouse
(m. 2013)
Children1
Notes

Taylor Sheridan (born Sheridan Taylor Gibler Jr., July 17, 1969)[2][1][3] is an American writer, producer, director and actor. Sheridan portrayed David Hale in the FX television series Sons of Anarchy and Danny Boyd in Veronica Mars (2005–2007).

Sheridan has written several films, including the screenplay for Sicario (2015), for which he was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Hell or High Water (2016), which was nominated for three other Oscars, including Best Picture. Sheridan also wrote and directed the 2017 neo-Western crime film Wind River and wrote the 2018 sequel to Sicario. He is a co-creator of the Paramount Network television series Yellowstone and creator of its prequels 1883 (2021) and 1923 (2022), and he co-created the crime thriller Mayor of Kingstown. He also created the crime drama Tulsa King, which he co-writes and showruns with Terence Winter.[4]

In 2021, Sheridan was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.[5]

Early life

Sheridan was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[6] Several news articles have reported that he grew up on a ranch in Cranfills Gap, Texas, but he was raised in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of a cardiologist.[6] His cowboy identity comes from his mother, who was originally from Waco and loved visiting her grandparents' ranch in that area.[7] When Sheridan was eight years old, his mother insisted on buying a ranch in Cranfills Gap so that her children would "learn firsthand about the peaceful feeling of freedom in nature".[7] Sheridan learned how to be a cowboy during his family's frequent visits to the Cranfills Gap ranch when he was growing up in the late 1980s.[6] Meanwhile, he attended and graduated from R. L. Paschal High School, where he was "the rare weekend wrangler who was also a theater kid".[7]

After Sheridan dropped out of Texas State University, he moved to Austin, where he mowed lawns and painted houses. While looking for jobs in a shopping mall, Sheridan met a talent scout, who offered him the chance to go to Chicago and pursue an acting career. He later lived in New York City and Los Angeles during his time as an actor.[8][9]

Career

Sheridan began his career in acting, appearing in small films and in recurring roles in television series like Veronica Mars, Walker, Texas Ranger and most notably, as David Hale in Sons of Anarchy. He made the transition into screenwriting after he turned 40.[10] His first film as a screenwriter was Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve.[11] It revolves around Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), an FBI agent who is enlisted to a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel.[12][13] It also starred Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro. The film received critical acclaim, with a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes,[14] and received a number of nominations, including a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Sheridan.[15][16]

Sheridan wrote Comancheria after Sicario. Comancheria sold first but was stuck in development for quite a few years, appearing on the Black List in 2012. It was later retitled Hell or High Water and was released in August 2016, starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster, and again received critical acclaim.[17][18] For his screenplay, Sheridan received a large amount of awards attention, earning BAFTA, Golden Globe Award, and Academy Award nominations.[19][20]

The low-budget horror film Vile is credited as Sheridan's first film, but he does not consider the film his directorial debut, stating in a 2017 Rotten Tomatoes interview:

I would say this [Wind River] is my feature debut. A friend of mine raised — I don't know what he raised — 20 grand or something, and cast his buddies, and wrote this bad horror movie, that I told him not to direct. He was going to direct it and produce it, and he started and freaked out, and called and said, "Can you help me?" I said, "Yeah, I'll try." I kind of kept the ship pointed straight, and they went off and edited, and did what they did. I think it's generous to call me the director. I think he was try [sic] to say thank you, in some way. It was an excellent opportunity to point a camera and learn some lessons that actually benefited me on Wind River.[21]

His second feature as director, but third as screenwriter, Wind River, starring Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2017. The film follows an FBI agent (Olsen) and a veteran game tracker (Renner), investigating a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation. The Weinstein Company had acquired the distribution rights during the 2016 Cannes Film Festival,[22] but dropped the film prior to the Sundance premiere.[23] However, the company later finalized its deal to distribute it.[24] Wind River was widely released in the United States on August 18, 2017, following a brief limited release.[25] Following Sicario and Hell or High Water, Wind River is the third installment of Sheridan's trilogy of "the modern-day American frontier".[26]

On September 15, 2016, Deadline reported that Sheridan had been set by Sony Pictures and Escape Artists to script the American remake of the Matthias Schoenaerts drama-thriller film Disorder, a 2015 French film directed by Alice Winocour. Escape Artists' Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch and Tony Shaw were scheduled to produce the remake and David Beaubaire to oversee it for the studio.[27] James Mangold was going to direct.

In 2017, Sheridan created the television series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner that has aired on the Paramount Network for five seasons running beginning June 20, 2018.[28]

Sheridan wrote the sequel to Sicario, titled Sicario: Day of the Soldado, which was directed by Stefano Sollima and released in 2018.[29] More recently, his overall deal with ViacomCBS was renewed.[30]

In May 2019, it was announced Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema acquired distribution rights to the film Those Who Wish Me Dead with Sheridan as director.[31] The film had a theatrical debut internationally in South Korea on May 5, 2021.[32] In the United States, it was released on May 14, 2021.[33]

Style

As an actor, Sheridan has explained that the amount of expositional dialogue he read for television caused him to form an "allergy to exposition" in his writing. He has also said that he looks for "absurdly simple" plots in order to focus solely on character.[34] He has cited the Coen brothers, Cormac McCarthy, and Larry McMurtry as influential to his writing.[35]

He is known for toying with the form and structure of a screenplay in his work. In Sicario, Sheridan incorporated a "five-act structure and a five-act structure within that." He believes in the intelligence of the audience, and uses the structure and context of his stories as a way to subvert expectations: "I look at each movie as, 'How am I breaking the rules this time?'"[36]

Personal life

Sheridan has been married to actress and model Nicole Muirbrook since 2013. The pair have a son.[37][38] They currently reside in Weatherford, Texas.[6]

In May 2021, a buyer group represented by Sheridan purchased the 350,000-acre 6666 Ranch in north central Texas.[39][40]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer
2011 Vile Yes[a] No No
2015 Sicario No Yes No
2016 Hell or High Water No Yes No
2017 Wind River Yes Yes No
2018 Sicario: Day of the Soldado No Yes No
2021 Without Remorse No Yes No
Those Who Wish Me Dead Yes Yes Yes
2023 Finestkind No No Yes
TBA Empire of the Summer Moon[42] Yes Yes Yes

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
2003 White Rush Tug / Douglas
2016 Hell or High Water Cowboy Cameo[43]
2018 12 Strong Brian

Television

Year Title Director Writer Producer Creator Showrunner Notes
2018–present Yellowstone Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Co-creator with John Linson
2019–present The Last Cowboy No No Yes Yes No
2021–present Mayor of Kingstown Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Co-creator with Hugh Dillon
2021–2022 1883 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Prequel to Yellowstone
2022–present Tulsa King No Yes Yes Yes No
2022–present 1923 No Yes Yes Yes Yes Prequel to Yellowstone, sequel to 1883
2023 Special Ops: Lioness No Yes Yes Yes Yes
2023 Lawmen: Bass Reeves No No Yes No No
TBA Landman No Yes Yes Yes Yes Pre-production

Acting roles

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Walker, Texas Ranger Vernon Episode: "War Zone"
1996 Her Costly Affair Chris Television film
1997 Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman Corporal Winters Episode: "A Matter of Conscience"
1999 Party of Five Counterguy Episode: "Haunted"
2000 Time of Your Life Connor Episode: "The Time They Decided to Date"
2001 V.I.P. Dave Episode: "A.I. Highrise"
2002 Strong Medicine Tucker Episode: "Positive"
2003 The Guardian Tim Dohanic Episode: "Back in the Ring"
10-8: Officers on Duty Shooter Episode: "Brothers in Arms"
2004 Star Trek: Enterprise Jareb Episode: "Chosen Realm"
NYPD Blue Tim Lewis Episode: "Old Yeller"
2005 CSI: NY Joel Banks Episode: "Supply & Demand"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Evan Peters Episode: "Secrets and Flies"
2005–2007 Veronica Mars Danny Boyd 5 episodes
2008–2010 Sons of Anarchy David Hale 21 episodes
2011 NCIS: Los Angeles Navy Captain Jennings Episode: "Enemy Within"
2018–2021 Yellowstone Travis Wheatley 9 episodes
2022 1883 Charles Goodnight 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Title Awards/Nominations
2015 Sicario Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
2016 Hell or High Water Nominated – Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated – Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Writing
Nominated – Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
2017 Wind River Nominated – Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding First-Time Feature Film
2023 Special Ops: Lioness Nominated – 2023 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards for Best Writer

Notes

  1. ^ While credited, Sheridan does not consider this his directorial debut.[41]

References

  1. ^ a b "Taylor Sheridan - Actor". TV Insider. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  2. ^ Wall Street Journal: Paramount Can’t Say No to the Man Behind ‘Yellowstone’: $50,000 a Week for His Ranch, $25 Per Cow. May 5, 2023. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Kendall, Brian (November 3, 2022). "Taylor Sheridan Is Living His Dream". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  4. ^ White, Peter (December 6, 2021). "Sylvester Stallone Set To Star In Taylor Sheridan & Terence Winter Drama Series 'Kansas City' For Paramount+ From 101 Studios & MTV Ent. Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Inductees". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d Kendall, Brian (November 3, 2022). "Taylor Sheridan Is Living His Dream". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Corcoran, Michael (December 24, 2020). "Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Learned To Cowboy in Small-Town Cranfills Gap". Texas Highways. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  8. ^ Ealy, Charles. "One filmmaker's road from a Texas ranch to the red carpet in Cannes". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Barnes, Brooks (February 9, 2017). "Taylor Sheridan on His Oscar-Nominated Screenplay for 'Hell or High Water'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  10. ^ DP/30: Hell or High Water, Taylor Sheridan. October 6, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ "Taylor Sheridan On The Drug War And His Evolution From 'Sons Of Anarchy' Actor To 'Sicario' Screenwriter". Uproxx. March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  12. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 19, 2012). "Ex-'Sons Of Anarchy' Actor Taylor Sheridan Sells Script To Sidney Kimmel Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  13. ^ Tapley, Kristopher (October 28, 2015). "'Sicario' Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan on the 'Answerless Problem' of the Drug War". Variety. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  14. ^ "Sicario", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved January 29, 2017
  15. ^ "'Trainwreck,' 'Steve Jobs' Among WGA Screenplay Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  16. ^ McNary, Dave (January 6, 2016). "'The Martian,' 'Straight Outta Compton' Land Writers Guild Nominations". Variety. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  17. ^ "Hell or High Water", Rotten Tomatoes, retrieved January 29, 2017
  18. ^ "Hell or High Water", Metacritic, retrieved January 29, 2017
  19. ^ Brown, Tracy (December 12, 2016). "Golden Globes 2017: Complete list of winners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  20. ^ Shoard, Catherine (January 10, 2017). "Bafta nominations 2017: La La Land dances on but Arrival and Nocturnal Animals hot on its heels". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  21. ^ Ryan Fujitani (July 31, 2017). "Taylor Sheridan's Favourite Films". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  22. ^ "Cannes: Weinstein Co. Nabs Jeremy Renner Drama 'Wind River'". The Hollywood Reporter. May 14, 2016.
  23. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (January 9, 2017). "Sundance: Weinstein Company to No Longer Distribute Jeremy Renner's 'Wind River' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
  24. ^ Thompson, Anne (January 27, 2017). "Sundance Deal Scorecard: Why 2017 Festival Sales Are in Overdrive". Indiewire. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  25. ^ "Wind River Release Dates". IMDb. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  26. ^ Thompson, Anne (June 21, 2018). "'Sicario: Day of the Soldado': Benicio Del Toro Says It's Better Than The Doors' First Album". IndieWire. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  27. ^ "'Sicario' Scribe Taylor Sheridan To Script French Remake 'Disorder'". Deadline Hollywood. September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 3, 2017). "Paramount Network Orders First Scripted Drama Series: Family Saga 'Yellowstone' From Taylor Sheridan & Weinstein Co". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  29. ^ "'Sicario' writer Taylor Sheridan discusses the idea behind the sequel". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  30. ^ "Taylor Sheridan Renews ViacomCBS Deal, Sets 'Yellowstone' Prequel at Paramount+". The Hollywood Reporter. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  31. ^ Vlessing, Eton (May 2, 2019). "New Line Cinema to Co-Finance Angelina Jolie's 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  32. ^ Lee, Jae-Lim (May 4, 2021). "Jolie journeys through real fire in 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  33. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 1, 2021). "Taylor Sheridan's Female Western 'Those Who Wish Me Dead' Sets Summer Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  34. ^ 'Hell or High Water' Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan: "I'm Allergic to Exposition" | Close Up With THR. The Hollywood Reporter. December 17, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2017 – via YouTube.
  35. ^ "Taylor Sheridan on Sicario and Hell or High Water". Creative Screenwriting. August 15, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  36. ^ "Write The Movie They Won't Make: "Hell or High Water's" Taylor Sheridan". Co.Create. December 12, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  37. ^ Goodykoontz, Bill (August 10, 2017). "Filmmaker Taylor Sheridan talks making 'Wind River'". AZ Central. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  38. ^ "Nicole Muirbrook Wiki: 5 Facts To Know About Taylor Sheridan's Wife". Panda Gossips. November 25, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  39. ^ "Historic 6666 Ranch Almost Twice the Size of Chicago Gets the Perfect Steward". Texas Monthly. May 7, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  40. ^ KCBD Staff. "Historic west Texas 6666's Ranch sold to 'Yellowstone' creator". www.kcbd.com. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  41. ^ "Taylor Sheridan's Five Favorite Films". Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  42. ^ "'Yellowstone's Taylor Sheridan Lands 'Empire Of The Summer Moon', Will Write & Direct Epic On Comanche Leader Quanah & Rise And Fall Of Old West's Fiercest Tribe". Deadline Hollywood. January 18, 2024.
  43. ^ "Taylor Sheridan On The Drug War And His Evolution From 'Sons Of Anarchy' Actor To 'Sicario' Screenwriter". Uproxx. March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2016.

External links