Before Taylor Sheridan created his TV empire, the screenwriter began his career as an actor, bringing the visions of other directors and showrunners to life. The “Yellowstone” creator made his acting debut in an episode of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” laying the groundwork for his future as the king of the Western TV genre.
Even after pivoting to screenwriter, Sheridan has appeared in three of his TV shows. But a project that fans may have missed from Sheridan’s early acting days is the 1996 TV movie “Her Costly Affair.” The NBC thriller was about a shady student, played by Brian Austin Green, who becomes obsessed with his married college professor (Bonnie Bedelia), leading to an affair. But when the professor starts noticing how dangerous the student is, she begins distancing herself, which causes the student to act out further. Sheridan played a background character called Chris.
Sheridan was not the only actor with a small part in the film who went on to become famous. Amy Smart also starred in “Her Costly Affair” before going on to star in “Road Trip,” “Rat Race,” and “Just Friends.” But despite the film stars, “Her Costly Affair” hasn’t really stood out in pop culture or won any awards.
Taylor Sheridan pivoted to screenwriter after struggling as an actor
From 1995 to 2011, Taylor Sheridan worked consistently but failed to catch a big acting break. In the late 2000s, Sheridan had two recurring roles on hit TV shows, “Veronica Mars” and “Sons of Anarchy,” but they weren’t bringing in enough money. Speaking to “The Howard Stern Show” in June 2026 about why he quit “Sons of Anarchy,” Sheridan said, “I realized my value is ‘I’m imminently replaceable’ and that my business did not respect me. … The people that have all the power are the people telling stories, so I’m gonna tell my own stories.”
And tell stories Sheridan did. The “Mayor of Kingstown” co-creator sold his first screenplay, “Sicario,” and it was nominated for three Oscars. The following film, “Hell or High Water,” was nominated for four.
From there, Sheridan had a much more successful journey, leading to his deal with Paramount that led to “Yellowstone,” its spin-off series, and other shows for the platform. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sheridan had $800 in the bank when he sold his first screenplay, but by 2025, The Wrap reported that the “Lioness” showrunner had generated more than $800 million for Paramount.
