Rex Linn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rex Maynard Linn was born November 13, 1956 in Ochiltree County , the third child of James Paul and Darlene (Deere) Linn. Rex grew up on a ranch outside of Spearman, Texas, a small agricultural, ranching, and oil town, with his sister Rhonda Lou (d.o.b. 9 July 1953) and brother James Paul II (d.o.b. 3 January 1955), attending Spearman Elementary and Spearman Junior High School. Rex's first public performances included playing drums with his band, The Beach Bums, in the Junior High Auditorium to entertain his classmates. Summers were spent working cattle with the cowboys, and going to movies in town.
It was in this small Texas community that Rex developed an appetite, at an early age, for movies and acting. The Lyric theater on Main street , which is still in operation, provided the people of Spearman with the only movie house in the area. Rex frequented the little movie house often and enjoyed its menu of horror films and westerns.
In August 1969 his parents relocated the family to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where his father practiced law. There he attended Heritage Hall, and then the Casady High School, an independent school affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and was employed part time at the Oklahoma City Zoo since he has always had a fondness for animals. It was in November 1975, after seeing Jack Nicholson in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" that Rex announced that he really wanted to be an actor. Unfortunately, it was also in high school that he was first discouraged in the pursuit of his dream to become an actor. After the first night of the school’s production of Fiddler On The Roof, in which he very nearly demolished a set during a dance number, Rex was asked to leave the play by Prof. Gill, his drama coach. He was told it would probably be wise to direct his energy to some other field of endeavour, and that effectively ended his high school acting career. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1980 with a degree in Radio/TV/Film.
After graduation, Rex decided on a banking career. He worked his way up to VP of Energy Lending for the Lakeshore Bank and stayed with it until July 5, 1982, when the bank was shut down for insolvency. Rex was able to convince a talent agent to take a chance on him and represent him in the Oklahoma market. At the same time, he accepted a job with an oil company, overseeing field operations in western Oklahoma, all the while auditioning for film and TV commercial parts. After shooting some very bad commercials, he started landing small roles in various projects. It was during this time that he was given the opportunity to act in his first film, Dark Before Dawn, which was being produced by his best friend. More importantly he became an associate producer on the film. That opportunity provided him with great insight into the creative process of filmmaking, which would later proved to be a valuable asset to him in the world of acting.
In 1989, he was cast in his first substantial role, as serial killer Floyd Epps, in Night Game, starring Roy Scheider. Following this film, and a part as the sheriff in the TV series, the "Young Riders", he decided it was time to head west.
Surrendering to the acting bug, Rex sold his house, loaded all his possessions into a U-Haul, and, on February 5, 1990, headed to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. For the first three years he studied acting with Silvana Gallardo in Studio City and worked with a close friend and fellow struggling actor, Robert Knott, on various construction jobs.
But gradually, the roles started coming, small ones in theatrical films such as “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” (1991), “Thunderheart” (1992) and “Sniper” (1993), and guest shots on TV series including “Northern Exposure,” “Raven” and “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.” In April 1992 he got his first real break. Rex was cast as the bad U.S. Treasury agent, Richard Travers, in the very successful movie, Cliffhanger. That film proved to be pivotal in providing the exposure Rex needed to get to the next level.
Since Cliffhanger, he has appeared in over thirty-five films, with that number growing almost annually. His most recent work includes the independent production, Cockfight, originally titled The Round and Round, which was released in 2004, Zodiac, in 2005, and Abominable, in 2006, with another picture, The Garage, in production in 2006. He has also had recurring roles in several TV series, most recently as Det. Frank Tripp on CSI: Miami, a role for which he was tricked into reading during the first season, and which he has held, as a series regular, ever since.
[edit] Points of interest in Rex Linn's career:
On June 29, 1994, Rex was honored with a star on Carpenter's Square Theatre Walk of Fame, in Oklahoma City.
Rex was a celebrity co-host of the Oklahoma Film Society Real to Reel 2005: "Classic Monster Mash".
In the past couple of years he has narrated 3 audio books, One Ranger [2005], A Man Called Cash [2005], and Missing Persons [2006], as well as a documentary for the Oklahoma University InvestEd program, Anatomy of Fraud – Catching a Con in Pottawatomie County in 2004. A similar documentary, Anatomy of a Fraud: Catching Con in Logan County, also to be narrated by Rex, is described as being 'in production' in 2005.
He currently is reported to be living in Sherman Oaks, California with his dogs in cat suits, Jack and Choctaw.
He is a die-hard Texas Longhorns fan, even taking the day off his CSI: Miami work to attend the Rose Bowl game when his beloved team was playing.
He also admits to the enjoyment of outdoor cooking, with a smoker and a grill, and lots of spices, but his love of the outdoors is not limited to cooking and football. He is a former chairman of the Oklahoma City chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and, in 1986, won the duck calling competition. He is also reported to be quite a fisherman.
He is an active supporter of children’s charities as well as the arts, including playing golf in celebrity tournaments for children’s charities, arthritis, and the blind, allowing himself to be auctioned to support the ballet, and participating in the team roping competitions at the Ben Johnson [now Reba McIntire] Rodeo fundraiser.
Rex continues to maintain strong ties to his Texas/Oklahoma roots where he will always be considered a good son, brother, friend, and incredible talent.
His television credits include 3rd Rock from the Sun, Northern Exposure, Nash Bridges , Bonanza: The Next Generation, and, of course CSI: Miami, to name but a few.
[edit] Performances
2006 Abominable
2006 Anatomy of a Fraud - Catching a Con in Logan County [narrator]
2006 Missing Persons [audio book]
2005 A Man Called Cash [audio book]
2005 American Gun
2005 One Ranger [audio book]
2005 The Zodiac
2004 After the Sunset
2004 Anatomy of a Fraud - Catching a Con in PottawatomieCounty [narrator]
2004 Cockfight
2003 The Hunted
2003 Dry Cycle
2003 Monte Walsh
2003 Cheaper by the Dozen
2001 John Carpenter's Ghosts Of Mars
1999 A Murder on Shadow Mountain
1999 Blast From the Past
1999 Instinct
1999 The Jack Bull
1998 Rush Hour
1998 Black Cat Run
1998 The Odd Couple II
1997 Breakdown
1997 The Postman
1997 Horton Foote's Alone
1996 Ghosts of Mississippi
1996 Tin Cup
1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight
1995 Cutthroat Island
1995 Perfect Alibi
1994 Clear and Present Danger
1994 Independence Day
1994 Wyatt Earp'
1994 Iron Will
1994 Drop Zone
1994 Confessios : Two Faces of Evil
1993 Cliffhanger
1992 Thunderheart
1992 In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion
1991 My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
1991 The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw
1989 Dark Before Dawn
1989 Night Game
1988 Calling All Turkeys
1986 PM Magazine - guest host
