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23 years before ‘Yellowstone,' Taylor Sheridan was on a Chuck Norris show you probably forgot existed

Taylor Sheridan tried his luck in acting before gaining recognition as Neo-Western television writer.

Taylor Sheridan became a renowned name after creating the groundbreaking series ‘Yellowstone’ in 2018. A lesser-known fact: the writer-director once appeared on ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ in a brief role. The CBS series was one of the most iconic action shows of the early ’90s. Chuck Norris starred in the show, which featured cameos from stars such as Robert Englund, Tobey Maguire, and Dionne Warwick. The show ran for over 200 episodes, but many forget that one guest was future Neo-Western creator Taylor Sheridan.

At the time, Sheridan was far from famous. It was his acting debut, but he only played a one-off character and wasn’t a series regular. Sheridan played a local named Vernon and appeared only briefly on-screen. He landed his first major acting break 10 years later in ‘Veronica Mars.' He also played a different character named Vernon in 'War Games,' one of his more appreciated early roles. Sheridan also appeared briefly in ‘Star Trek: Enterprise’ before shifting into filmmaking. His career has only flourished since he created 5 seasons of ‘Yellowstone.’ The Paramount+ series became a huge hit, which rendered the network 2 spin-off shows.

The first spin-off will follow Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler, played by Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, respectively. The series will explore their lives away from the Dutton family ranch. The second spin-off, ‘Y: Marshals,’ centers on Kayce Dutton, played by Luke Grimes. As per the official synopsis, the spin-off will follow Kayce “as he joins a team of U.S. Marshals in Montana, combining his cowboy and military skills to combat violence and lawlessness.” It will also explore “the psychological toll of law enforcement while balancing family and duty.” 

Sheridan also created the Billy Bob Thornton-led series ‘Landman.’ He has excelled in writing Western shows that not one but two shows in the same genre have become huge hits. Sheridan knows exactly what audiences want and delivers it with confidence. “My stories have a very simple plot that is driven by the characters as opposed to characters driven by a plot, the antithesis of the way television is normally modeled,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m really interested in the dirtiness of the relationships in literally every scene,” he added.

The ‘Tulsa King’ creator said he spent 37 years compromising on the stories he wanted to tell as an actor. So when he started creating his own stories, he already had a vision. “When I quit acting, I decided that I am going to tell my stories my way, period. If you don’t want me to tell them, fine. Give them back, and I’ll find someone who does, or I won’t, and then I’ll read them in some freaking dinner theater,” he said. “But I won’t compromise. There is no compromising,” he added.