Did Kevin Costner Ever Play Baseball?
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Yes, Kevin Costner did play baseball. In fact, he played minor league baseball before he became an actor.
Kevin Costner’s Baseball Career
Kevin Costner played minor league baseball before he pursued his acting career. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft, but he chose to instead play college baseball at UCLA. He played with the Bruins for three years before he was drafted again by the Mets in the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.
Costner’s role in the film For Love of the Game
Kevin Costner played Billy Chapel, an aging Detroit Tigers pitcher, in For Love of the Game. The character had previously announced his retirement at the end of the season, but as the film begins, he’s convinced to start one last game. As the game goes on, Chapel reflects on his life and career through a series of flashbacks.
The baseball action in For Love of the Game was filmed during actual Major League Baseball games, with Costner’s character superimposed into the action. This required special effects that were state-of-the-art for 1999 but are now commonplace.
Costner’s experience playing baseball in high school
Kevin Costner played baseball in high school and was actually quite good. He was even offered a college scholarship to play ball, but he turned it down to pursue an acting career instead.
His experience playing baseball definitely helped him prepare for his role in the classic film “Field of Dreams.” In the movie, Costner plays an Iowa farmer who builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield after hearing voices that tell him, “If you build it, they will come.”
Although he didn’t end up playing professional baseball, Kevin Costner’s love for the sport is evident in both his film roles and his involvement in various baseball-related projects. For example, he was the executive producer of the 2011 documentary “Batting for the Cycle,” which chronicles the stories of four different Little League teams from around the country.
Costner’s Other Baseball Films
Kevin Costner has played in several films involving the game of baseball. For example, he was in the film “For Love of the Game” with Kelly Preston. He also played in the film “Mr. Baseball” with Dennis Haysbert.
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American baseball film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, who also wrote the screenplay, adapted from W. P. Kinsella’s novel Shoeless Joe. It stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster in his final film role. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Original Score (James Horner), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
The film has achieved cult status and is popular among baseball fans. Along with Stand by Me and The Natural, it is one of Costner’s best-reviewed films; it was ranked highly on several critics’ best sports films lists and ranked #40 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time list.
Bull Durham
Kevin Costner’s love of baseball began when he was a child, and it shows in his movies. Bull Durham is one of the most popular baseball films of all time, and it is clear that Costner knows the game inside and out. He plays Crash Davis, an aging minor league ballplayer who is brought in to mentor a young hotshot pitcher, “Nuke” LaLoosh (Tim Robbins). The film follows their season with the Durham Bulls, and the relationship between the two players as they strive to reach their goals.
Costner’s passion for baseball is also evident in For Love of the Game, in which he stars as Billy Chapel, a veteran pitcher who is facing the end of his career. He is given one last chance to pitch a perfect game, and the film follows his journey as he tries to achieve this final goal. Like Bull Durham, For Love of the Game showcases Costner’s deep knowledge of baseball, and his love for the game shines through in every scene.
Costner’s Other Films
Kevin Costner has had a very successful career in Hollywood, starring in some very popular films. He’s best known for his roles in Dances with Wolves and Field of Dreams, but he’s also appeared in a number of other films. Some of his other films include The Untouchables, Bull Durham, and Tin Cup. Let’s take a look at some of Kevin Costner’s other films.
Dances with Wolves
Dances with Wolves is a 1990 American epic historical drama film set in the 1860s American West. It was directed and produced by Kevin Costner and features an all-native cast led by costar Graham Greene. The film is set during and after the American Civil War, following Lieutenant Dunbar, who is injured in battle and must spend several months recuperating at an army outpost. While at the outpost, Dunbar befriends a local tribe of Sioux Indians and comes to understand their way of life. When ordered to abandon the outpost, Dunbar instead chosen to stay with his new friends. The film was a commercial success, grossing more than $424 million worldwide on a budget of $22 million, and won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
The Bodyguard
The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic thriller film directed by Mick Jackson, written by Lawrence Kasdan, and starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.
Costner’s Personal Life
Kevin Costner is an American actor, director, and producer. He has won two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and one Emmy Award. Costner was born on January 18, 1955, in Lynwood, California. He is the youngest of three children. His mother, Sharon Rae, was a welfare worker, and his father, William Costner, was an electrician.
Costner’s marriage to Cindy Costner
From his first marriage to Cindy Costner, Kevin has three children: Annie (born 1984), Lily (born 1986) and Joe (born 1988). The couple divorced in 1994.
Costner’s children
Costner has seven children from three marriages. He has four daughters and three sons. With his first wife, he had two daughters, Annie (born March 1986) and Lily (born October 1988). Costner married Cindy Silva in 1978, and they divorced in 1994. The couple had fraternal twins, a boy named Hayes Logan (born February 7, 1987), and a girl named Josephine “Joey” Laura (born on October 26, 1988).