Did you spot Kevin Costner’s parents in his iconic movies?

Kevin Costner grew up in Compton, California. The son of Shannon, a welfare worker, and William, an electrician and utilities executive, once Kevin found fame, he gave his parents a taste of Hollywood, too. Casting the pair in a number of his most iconic movies, Kevin  recruited Shannon and William on set, giving them minor or background parts in scenes. 

According to IMDb, both Shannon and William – also known as Bill – appeared in Tin Cup (1996) and For Love of the Game (1999). Additionally, Bill was given a part in Kevin’s feature directorial debut, Dances with Wolves (1990). 

During a 2014 appearance on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Kevin revealed how his father ended up in the epic Western movie. “I never told this story,” he recalled.

“In Dances with Wolves when I’m actually riding, I’m about to give up my life, and I do that Catholic thing and then the soldier who’s about to shoot me gets shot in the forehead. He does that and I cut back, and it’s my father with the gun.”

Kevin explained: “I said ‘You want to be in the movie, you want to save me?’ and he said, ‘Yeah.’ There’s little things that you can throw people into.” 

Prior to his parents’ passing, Kevin enjoyed a close relationship with Shannon and Bill, and has spoken about how supportive they had been. During his appearance on the Late Late Show, the A-lister couldn’t help but smile as he reflected on one of their sweet gestures. 

“My parents followed me…they saw my little league games and everything,” he said.

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“And when I went out to direct a movie, they got a trailer and took it out to South Dakota, and they go, ‘We won’t be in your way, we’ll be on a hill over here and we’ll watch you’ and it was like, ‘I’m a grown man.’ I would look up on the hill in the morning and they had two lawn chairs and a motor home, and I go work with all the guys, and I see my mom wave at me and I [wave] to my mom.”

During a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin also noted how his dad, in particular, had inspired his own work ethic. “He [My dad] was tough; he was a fighter; he could fight. And he taught me in a way that was designed to win,” explained Kevin. 

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Sadly, both Shannon and Bill have since passed away, but Kevin remembers them fondly. In 2022, the actor sat down with The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg on the set of Yellowstone in Montana. 

Asked about his father’s reaction to the show, Kevin recalled how Bill had warned him about signing on as John Dutton, before completely changing his mind. 

“My dad passed away this year, my mom too within seven months of each other,” said the star. “[He] took a big interest in my career, and he said, ‘You’re gonna lose your audience fella. That is a naughty show. They’re gonna drift away son…You mark my words that’s naughty. And I just look at my dad and say ‘Oh my God.’ And a few years later he goes ‘The nurses wanna know how it ends.'”