Yellowstone And Marshals Star Luke Grimes' Stunning Transformation

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Luke Grimes has been a regular of both the small screen and big screen since the mid-'00s, gracing everything from Oscar-baiting biopics ("American Sniper") and blockbuster erotica ("Fifty Shades of Grey"), to family melodramas ("Brothers and Sisters"), and festive capers ("El Camino Christmas"). And let's not forget his memorable arrival and sudden exit in vampire sage "True Blood." But it's in Taylor Sheridan's ever-expanding neo-Western universe where the multi-talent has truly come into his own, firstly playing rancher Kayce Dutton in "Yellowstone" and then reprising the role for his own spin-off procedural "Marshals."

But how exactly did Grimes become such an ever-present? Has he been as successful in his personal life as he has in his professional? And how is he following in Kevin Costner's footsteps in more ways than one? From his inauspicious roots in small-town Ohio to his latest prime-time hit, here's a look at the 40-something's stunning transformation.

Luke Grimes' first experience of performing wasn't as an actor on the stage, but as a drummer and singer at his home church in Dayton, Ohio. For alongside his older siblings Jacob, Lisa, and Joshua, the future Hollywood star grew up in a religious household. In fact, his father Randy was a Pentecostal pastor.

"I wouldn't change it for anything," Randy told Mr. Feelgood about the childhood in which he attended Christian school and Christian camp. "I grew up around some really awesome, kind people, and in a really nice, comfortable place. And there wasn't much to do in Ohio except for sit around and try to get good at stuff, which I appreciate now."

Take a look at Grimes' filmography, however, and you'll notice there aren't yet any movies that could be described as faith-based. Speaking to Interview magazine in 2008, the man who's appeared in distinctly unholy films "Assassination of a High School President," "S*** Year," and "Fifty Shades of Grey," revealed why this was the case, "I'm not really a fan of organized religion."

Although Luke Grimes didn't join the family business, he was still supported in his career ambitions by his mother Angie and Pentecostal pastor father Randy. The pair even helped pay for their son to attend drama school. And this wasn't just any old drama school, either. Indeed, Grimes landed a place at the Big Apple's prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

"My initial plan was to move to LA, but once my family understood how serious I was about acting, they did what they could to send me to acting school in New York," Grimes explained in 2018 to As If magazine. "My parents sacrificed a lot to send me there, and I think that changed my trajectory."

Although Grimes was keen to make it big elsewhere, he still looks back on his childhood in Dayton with fondness. "There's parts of where I grew up that I love, but, obviously, I left," he said in a 2024 interview with Cincinnati.com. "So there was something that I didn't feel that I was supposed to be there forever. But I wouldn't change a thing. I loved growing up there. I think it's an amazing place to grow up."

Although Luke Grimes has largely avoided the horror genre during the course of his 20-year career, his screen debut was very much the kind that left you watching through your fingers. Indeed, in 2006, he played Jake, one of several cool kids who get picked off during a debauched weekend at an isolated ranch house in "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane."

The teen slasher, in which the oft-tragic Amber Heard starred as the final girl, had a difficult route to theaters. It took two years to get a European release after debuting on the festival circuit. And due to further distribution problems, it wasn't until 2013 that the film finally made it to America, where it received a limited release.

Nevertheless, Grimes had nothing but positive things to say about his first time on screen while discussing the movie in a 2016 chat with Bradley Cooper for Interview magazine. "It was directed by Jonathan Levine. He's done pretty well since then. He did "Warm Bodies" and "50/50," and some pretty good films... I had a great time."

In 2010, Luke Grimes ticked off another Hollywood rite-of-passage when he filmed his first ever sex scene. And it was with a co-star almost 30 years his senior.

Yes, in Cam Archer's charmingly titled, reality deconstructing indie movie "S**t Year," Grimes plays Harvey West, an actor who enters into a relationship with a much older film star, portrayed by Emmy and Tony Award winner Ellen Barkin. And the Ohio native had to show off some skin as a result. Luckily, he did not seem too apprehensive about the experience.

"I'm not nervous," he told Interview magazine about the impending shoot. "I probably will be. That's how I work. If there are any nerves, it won't happen until right before. I don't really invest too much in the future." The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight event.

Luke Grimes might not have had any qualms about shooting a sex scene with an older woman. But according to BuzzFeed, the actor was so perturbed by the thought of his "True Blood" character kissing a man that he decided to quit the vampire show altogether.

Grimes allegedly made the call after reading a script which confirmed his bloodsucker James Kent would enter into a romance with Nelsan Ellis' Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO hit. Although the actor was open to staying if the attraction was only one-way, he objected to any signs of mutual love, especially physical contact. However, the show's screenwriters refused to cave in to his demands and "Bunheads" star Nathan Parsons was cast in the role, instead.

The article also claims many "True Blood" regulars were left aghast by Grimes' attitude. But Craig Schneider, a publicist for the departed actor, insisted to BuzzFeed that scheduling problems, and not homophobia, was the reason behind his client's exit, "It had nothing to do with storylines, which he had not been privy to at the time of that posting." Here's a further look at the shady side of the cast of "Yellowstone."

Luke Grimes added to the steamier part of his resume in 2015 when he made the first of three appearances in the decade's ultimate kinky franchise, "Fifty Shades of Grey." Of course, he didn't play the BDSM-enthusiast leading man Christian Grey — that role famously went to Jamie Dornan after original choice Charlie Hunnam dropped out. Instead, he played his adopted older brother Elliot, who has a (slightly more conventional) romance of his own with Eloise Mumford's outgoing journalist Kate.

In a behind-the-scenes chat, Grimes acknowledged he was initially a little wary about aligning himself with such a provocative tale. "I understand why people would have fear about being a part of the film version of this story. Obviously, when there's just words on paper, and it's in a book, it's one thing. But, when you're having to really make it real for people... it's completely different."

However, the film's director soon made Grimes feel more comfortable. "I feel like that fear in me sort of went away when I met Sam [Taylor-Johnson]," he revealed. "I just saw that it was going to be tasteful and well-done."

Although Luke Grimes had worked steadily since making his screen debut in 2006 horror "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane" — most notably war biopic "American Sniper," the "Fifty Shades of Grey" franchise, and a controversial spell in "True Blood" — it wasn't until 2018 that he became something of a household name. And he has a Western revival which went on to spawn a gazillion other spinoffs to thank.

Yes, Grimes' career moved up another level when he was cast as the youngest son of Kevin Costner's ranch-owning patriarch in Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone." Indeed, the actor was essentially the second-billed star as Kayce Dutton, a one-time U.S. Navy Seal who later takes over from his father following his untimely death.

Grimes appeared in all 53 episodes of the five-season wonder, which wrapped up in 2024. Two years earlier, he told the New York Post how the show had helped him to establish an even stronger bond with his real-life dad. "This was his favorite thing I've done, by far. I took him to the set a couple of times... It was really special to do something he was so proud of. I'm so glad he got to see me realize a dream in that way."

In November 2018, Luke Grimes walked down the aisle with Bianca Rodrigues, a model from Brazil. But the happy couple didn't exactly publicize the fact. In fact, apart from a couple of red carpet appearances and social media shout-outs, the pair appear to prefer keeping their relationship on the down-low.

However, in a rare display of public affection, Grimes did tell USA Today that even four years on from their nuptials, he's still in the full throes of wedded bliss, "I'm a very married person and I love my wife to death. We'll be together forever. There's no way I earn it. I do my best. But I'm a flawed big ol' weird-a** man. She's the real angel here."

The couple have occasionally thrown fans a bone with loved-up anniversary posts on Instagram. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life," Rodrigues captioned a monochrome beachside photo in 2021. And a year later, they happily posed for photos while attending the Academy of Country Music Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Here's a further look at the truth about Grimes' wife.

Six years after getting hitched, Luke Grimes and Bianca Rodrigues became first-time parents with the birth of son Rigel. And as he explained in an interview with People a month later, the "Yellowstone" star couldn't have been happier about entering fatherhood.

"I knew one day I wanted to start my own family," Grimes said in November 2024 before declaring that's where true happiness lies and not the career that's seen achieved fame and fortune beyond many people's wildest dreams. "I think people talk about your heart expanding a little bit every day, and it's so true. It's like there's a love growing inside of me that I didn't know I was capable of, and it's incredible and it's scary because you have so much more skin in the game."

Grimes, who sadly lost his own father Randy in 2022, also explained how his newborn had impacted his marriage in a hugely positive way. "It's brought me and my wife close in a way that I didn't know we could be. There's another level in the way that we love each other and how we have to be a team for this little guy." Here's a look at the real-life partners of the "Yellowstone" cast."

In 2024, Luke Grimes proved he wasn't averse to the odd thirst trap when he showed off his muscles in a vest for Men's Health magazine. But in the accompanying interview, the "Yellowstone" star admitted  his physique didn't come naturally, particularly now he was also now constantly on the road as a country singer.

"It's hard to eat right when you're on a bus, and you're hitting cities you've never been to, and you're only there for a few hours before you have to get back on the bus," Grimes explained. "It's a totally new process I'm still learning. I will say, whenever I get a gig and I'm going to a new city, my first thing is always 'I need to get a routine.'"

Grimes claimed his need for hitting the gym was more for mental health reasons than looking ripped for the cameras. However, the star, who's been required to bare flesh in the likes of "True Blood," acknowledged the latter is a helpful side effect. "I mean, of course, I'd like to look good with my shirt off, but we all would. If I go a couple weeks without working out, I start to get real dark."

It turns out the oft-shady Kevin Costner, who performs with regular backing band Modern West, isn't the only "Yellowstone" star with country music flowing through his veins. Luke Grimes, who famously played his on-screen son Kayce Dutton, is also pretty handy with a guitar and a mic, too.

Indeed, in 2024, the multi-talent released his self-titled debut album. And in an interview with the Associated Press, he revealed (via Independent), he wanted fans to see the real Grimes. "Country music is at its greatest, I think, when it's really honest. So that was important to try to accomplish on this first album."

And if you thought Grimes, who credits his late father Randy for his love of country, was simply joining on the bandwagon, think again. He spent much of his religious upbringing performing in church, served as a drummer in his pre-fame years for an Americana outfit, and even composed a track for a TV movie he starred in, 2012's "Outlaw Country." "I've never not played music," he says. "I always have a guitar. It keeps me inspired, too. And any time I've prepared to do anything creatively, music has been a huge part of that." In 2026, he released his sophomore, "Red Bird."

Having lived amid the bright lights of Los Angeles for 16 years, Luke Grimes — along with his wife Bianca Rodrigues — decided to relocate to the slightly less starrier, but ultimately more picturesque setting of Montana. Unfortunately, the "Yellowstone" star wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms by his new neighborhood.

Indeed, while appearing on podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience" in 2026, Grimes revealed, (via People), the high profile he's attained since playing Kayce Dutton on the Taylor Sheridan show has made him a sitting target for the trouble-starting locals. "I can't go to bars there anymore 'cause whatever that one idiot is, is at the bar, and he can't wait to start a fight with me. Just like can't wait to do it because it's like a win-win for him, you know? He gets to sue me or something. I don't know, but it's a lose-lose for me."

Grimes also recalled one occasion he went on a walk in the area with some friends visiting from California, only to find on returning that their vehicle had been vandalized. "We get off the hike, and someone had written 'go back' in the dust on their car. Like, people are super weird about it. So I don't tell anyone exactly where I'm at because they would get really mad at me."

Luke Grimes no doubt believed he'd be waving goodbye to his character Kayce Dutton for good once it was confirmed that "Yellowstone" would be wrapping up after five increasingly popular seasons. However, its creator had other ideas. Indeed, before the show's finale had even finished shooting, Taylor Sheridan began thinking of a spin-off, "Marshals," he wanted the Ohio native to front.

Grimes explained to The Wrap he was initially reluctant to once again step into Dutton's shoes. "I think it was a mixture of being in the headspace I need to be in for that last episode and then the way the story ended for Kayce, I felt like was pretty perfect." However, after hearing how the project would differ from its predecessor, the multi-talent started to come round to the idea.

"I think when I realized that the procedural format could end up being a really cool device to use for an action show, for this team of marshals going out and having these different missions every week, that made a lot more sense to me," he explained. It proved to be an inspired U-turn, too, for the premiere attracted 9.52 million viewers, per Deadline, making it the 2025-2026 T.V. season's most-watched new show.

You might think that having conquered Hollywood, married a Brazilian model, and achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a father, Luke Grimes would take his foot off the gas a little. But judging by his one-to-one conversation with the rumor-riddled Bradley Cooper for Interview magazine in 2016, the multi-talent is no doubt still dreaming bigger.

"I try to make sure that I'm growing," Grimes explained to the multiple Oscar nominee about his general attitude to life. "Every year it's different, and I try to do things that are more fulfilling. And, not to sound cliché or anything, but with the downtime that I have and the possible platform that my work could give me, I'd like to figure out a way to give back and make a difference, you know?"

Speaking to Men's Health eight years later, Grimes revealed he'd since discovered a new way of bettering himself: self-help books. "I always feel really inspired when I read things like that. I've done therapy in the past; it's not something I do all the time, but I always know it's there."