The Stunning Transformation Of Yellowstone Star Luke Grimes

Luke Grimes was not exactly destined to become famous. A Hollywood outsider who grew up in the American Midwest, Grimes began his career with a slim shot of making it in the big leagues. However, after taking some serious risks, Grimes got his acting career going and eventually landed a role on the hit TV series "Yellowstone." The show is so popular that "Yellowstone" actors now look familiar to tons of television fans, and luckily, it didn't take long for the show to propel Grimes into the exciting world of fame, either.

Reflecting on "Yellowstone's" success in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Grimes credited the COVID-19 pandemic for the show's viewership. Apparently, the show's numbers increased dramatically between seasons three and four — right when quarantine culture began. "People had more time on their hands to binge these series, and during that time, some people gave it a chance. There was a big-time jump between season three and season four airing," Grimes revealed. 

This striking twist of fate truly changed Grimes' life forever, as "Yellowstone's" popularity marked a serious turning point in the actor's trajectory. Since beginning his career, Grimes has transformed from a young acting student with big dreams to a bona fide actor with huge projects in his future. This major shift shows just how much "Yellowstone" has influenced the person Grimes has become.

Luke Grimes did not hail from a Hollywood family of famous parents and celebrity nepo babies. Instead, he grew up in Dayton, Ohio — where he didn't have a lot of contact with the acting world. "Before I had teeth, I always said I was gonna be a movie star, but there was nothing I could do about that in Ohio," Grimes laughed in an interview with the Independent.

But, just because Grimes was raised far away from Hollywood doesn't mean he had no contact with the arts. Grimes' father was a Pentecostal pastor who made sure his son went to church — where Grimes learned a lot about music. "There's a very musical aspect to your life if you go to church. There's live music every week," he told the Independent. This ultimately helped Grimes connect with his creative side. "Music became this thing I could do alone in my basement and get better and better and better at," he added.

Interestingly, Grimes felt that growing up in a small town made him a better musician simply because there weren't a lot of distractions to draw him away from practice. Joking about this in conversation with Mr. FeelGood, Grimes noted, "There wasn't much to do in Ohio except for sit around and try to get good at stuff, which I appreciate now." 

Just because Luke Grimes didn't come from an acting family does not mean that his parents weren't incredibly supportive. When Grimes told his mom and dad about his acting aspirations, they encouraged him to look for opportunities in New York City. "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 a conversation with As If. Like many American families, they balked at the prices of NYC's top acting schools. However, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) seemed far more accessible tuition-wise than, say, Juilliard. They encouraged Grimes to enroll.

That being said, the AADA was not cheap, and Grimes' parents could barely afford the fees. In order to pay for this top-notch educational experience, they took out a second mortgage on their house. For Grimes, this meant that the pressure was seriously on. "My parents sacrificed a lot to send me [to the AADA], and I think that changed my trajectory," he revealed in his interview with As If. "Otherwise, I would have gotten to LA without an eye for the material and probably would have taken whatever project I could to make money." Instead, Grimes began his career playing the love interest in small productions before landing a recurring role on "True Blood."

In 2014, Luke Grimes was finally cast in a major part in "American Sniper" — a big Hollywood production that sought to tell the story of several real-life Navy SEALs. Grimes was set to play Marc Lee, the first known SEAL to die in the Iraq war. But, as exciting as the opportunity was career-wise, Grimes was concerned about getting Lee's character right. Speaking to Warner Bros about the role post-filming, the actor shared, "I think the main challenge [with this part] is just to, you know, honor the real people that we're playing. And just kind of knowing that a lot of their friends and family are probably going to watch this movie. And, you just hope that maybe there is a shred of them in there."

As much effort as Grimes dedicated to his role, however, he could not avoid the controversy surrounding the movie. After all, his character, Lee's, real-life widow was less-than-pleased about the way that her late husband was written into the script. Writing about "American Sniper" in an opinion piece published in Fox News, widow Maya Elbaum broke down the ways in which the film misrepresented her late partner. "The movie portrays Marc as a reluctant warrior — one who seems casual in combat — who questions America's mission in Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth," Elbaum explained. For Grimes, this was an important lesson about the high stakes involved in starring in a bigger production.

Luckily, "American Sniper" would not be the last huge Hollywood film in Luke Grimes' career. Shortly after wrapping up the major project, Grimes went on to film "Fifty Shades of Grey." He played Christian Grey's brother, Elliot Grey, and ultimately really made the role his own. But just because Grimes accepted the role does not mean that he was drawn to it initially. The franchise was famous for being steamy, and the "Fifty Shades of Grey" actors' salaries were surprisingly low. Speaking in a "Fifty Shades of Grey" behind-the-scenes interview, Grimes confessed, "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."

Ultimately, it was film director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, who convinced Grimes to take the part. After explaining her vision for the film to the actor, Taylor-Johnson was able to put Grimes at ease. "I feel like that fear in me sort of went away when I met Sam," Grimes recalled in the same behind-the-scenes interview. "I just saw that it was going to be tasteful and well-done." By the time the movie was just weeks away from its release date, Grimes felt optimistic about the project. "I'm really happy to be a part of it," he gushed to E! News.

After starring in big Hollywood productions like "American Sniper" and "Fifty Shades of Grey," all eyes were finally on Luke Grimes. The up-and-coming actor at last had more professional opportunities than ever — thanks to the publicity garnered by these two major films. When "American Sniper" hit the theaters, major industry players, like filmmaker Taylor Sheridan, were watching. And, when Sheridan began creating the television show, "Yellowstone," shortly after, he couldn't help but think of Grimes for the role of another Navy SEAL, Kayce Dutton. As Grimes would later tell the Hollywood Reporter, "So just the correlation between Kayce being a Navy SEAL and then seeing me do that on "American Sniper," I think, clued him in that maybe I could play a role like that."

The role on Sheridan's show ended up changing Grimes' life. The actor played Kayce so convincingly for five seasons that he really found his footing in the entertainment industry. That being said, he didn't always love his character. "As much as I love Kayce, that's always been the frustrating part about playing him. Deep down, he's a really good, pure soul. But the indecisiveness is incredibly frustrating for him and the people around him," Grimes told Men's Health. Portraying Kayce's constant emotional battles was challenging for Grimes — although he was beyond successful in his attempts. As he noted in the same interview, "I don't feel like that as a person at all." 

After Luke Grimes married the Brazilian model, Bianca Rodrigues, in 2018, he wanted the whole world to know it. While some actors have left fans curious about the "Yellowstone" cast's real-life significant others, Grimes has been very vocal about his marital status. In 2023, he even asked his social media managers to post an adorable picture of him kissing Rodrigues on Instagram. "I just wanted to make it very clear. I'm a very married person, and I love my wife to death. We'll be together forever," Grimes told USA Today when talking about the photo.

In the same interview, Grimes gushed about Rodrigues, who reportedly calls him "anjo" — meaning "angel" in her native Portuguese. "There's no way I earn it. I do my best. But I'm a flawed big ol' weird-ass man. She's the real angel here," Grimes said. This level of passion toward Rodrigues has consistently been a part of Grimes' interviews. When asked about his "proudest achievement," the actor told Mr. FeelGood, "Convincing my wife to marry me, I think. That's been the best choice I've ever made."

Since tying the knot, Grimes and Rodrigues have focused on building a life together — and a family. The couple welcomed a son, Rigel Grimes, in October 2024, strengthening their relationship like never before. As Grimes told People, "It's brought me and my wife close in a way that I didn't know we could be." 

Although many actors choose to live in New York or L.A., Luke Grimes realized that his heart lies in Montana. During his time filming "Yellowstone," Grimes developed a passion for the state. "I started falling in love with it little by little, and then I started noticing it felt weird to leave and go back to Los Angeles. It's like I slowly started switching gears," Grimes told Men's Health. The real push, however, didn't happen until Grimes started filming during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The options were "come [to Montana] the whole time or don't come at all,"" Grimes recalled. Ultimately, he and his wife, Bianca Rodrigues, decided to go all in. They moved to Montana and started a life there. As Grimes proudly declared, "We built a house, and it's the best place I've ever lived."

Part of the reason why Montana appealed so much to Grimes and Rodrigues had to do with the state's undeniable natural beauty. Before moving there, Grimes wasn't even sure that places that stunning could even exist. "It's like, nothing looks like that in real life. Or so I thought," the actor quipped in the same interview with Men's Health. 

Ultimately, "Yellowstone" and Montana opened Grimes' mind in ways he never could have imagined. As he told People, "I was never a cowboy. I'd never ridden horses. I'd never lived in the West. Now I live in Montana. I mean, it really does inform a lot of things about who I am."

Outside of their on-screen drama, the "Yellowstone" cast members have their own tragic real-life stories, and Luke Grimes is no stranger to sadness. In 2022, the actor lost his father — the one man who had always believed in him. In an interview with Mr. FeelGood, Grimes opened up about some of his struggles following his dad's death. "It's a new thing to navigate, losing a parent, and also a new chapter in your life. There's something about parents that tether you to this earth and to this experience," he confessed.

For Grimes, one of the hardest parts about facing this loss was coming to terms with everything that his dad had meant to him. "I think when you have him around, you kind of take him for granted a little bit. And not having him here anymore made me really go back and hold on so dear to some of those memories, and just remembering who he was," Grimes explained in the same interview. Apparently, the actor's father taught him some of the lessons that have helped him most in life. "He taught me that you can be strong without having an ego, and you can be a leader and still be humble, and still be kind," Grimes revealed. Sadly, though, he didn't always have the chance to express those things to his dad while he was still living. "Those are the things that I didn't notice as much as I do now."

Even as Luke Grimes was busy pursuing a career as an actor, he continued to hold a flame for music. His years of playing the drums in his childhood church band were never far from his mind. From time to time, he would even try his hand at songwriting. As Grimes would later tell People, though, the idea of actually pursuing a career in the music industry didn't seem possible to him until his manager reached out. "He said, "Is that something you'd really want to try?" We talked for a couple years before I actually decided to do it and went ahead with my meeting and the labels and all that," Grimes revealed.

Despite some of his initial reservations, Grimes ultimately decided to give music a go. He launched a career in country music — booking gigs all across the U.S. Of course, hitting the road came with its own challenges. "The touring thing is new. I'm still working it out," Grimes confessed in a conversation with Men's Health. "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." While living on the road can certainly be tricky, Grimes has focused on the upsides. "I like writing songs. I like acting. I'm going to try my best to just keep doing those things," he added.

2026 started out promising to be a big year for Luke Grimes — both in terms of acting and singing. On February 13 of that year, Grimes made an announcement about his country music career on Instagram. Writing in the caption of a photograph featuring himself with a guitar, Grimes shared, "I'm excited to finally announce that my new album "Redbird" will be coming out on April 3rd. The first song we are releasing "Love you now" is out today on all platforms." This revelation marked an important moment in Grimes' career — proving that he was willing to dedicate himself to the world of country in a whole new way. 

Beyond Grimes' musical achievements, the actor started out 2026 looking forward to the release of "Y: Marshals." This "Yellowstone" spin-off proved that — despite all the scandals that will always haunt the "Yellowstone" cast — fans continued to have a huge appetite for the show. In this television program, Grimes was once again cast as Kayce Dutton. However, whereas the original show focused on his character's life on a Montana ranch, the new show would zero in on Kayce's time in the military. "I don't think the fans wanted ["Yellowstone"] to be over. A lot of us actors kind of didn't want it to be over, and the studio and network certainly didn't want it to be over," Grimes told People. In "Y: Marshals," that "Yellowstone" universe could live on.