Here’s How Rex Linn Went from a Banker to a Hollywood Star

 

Who is Rex Linn?

American actor and producer Rex Maynard Linn was born in Spearman, Texas USA, on 13 November 1956, meaning that Scorpio’s his zodiac sign. He’s had roles in over 100 movies and TV series, but is perhaps still best known for playing Agent Whitney in the 1998 crime action comedy movie “Rush Hour”, which starred Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, and was directed by Brett Ratner. It follows a Los Angeles Police Department detective who’s teamed up with a detective from Hong Kong in an attempt to rescue the Chinese Consul’s kidnapped daughter; the movie won six of its 15 award nominations.

Education and early life

Rex was raised in Spearman alongside his two older siblings, by their father James Paul Linn and mother Darlene (nee Deerre); James was a lawyer, and the family eventually moved to Oklahoma City because James was offered a job there.

Rex studied at Heritage Hall prior to progressing to Casady School, from which he matriculated in 1975; he spent some time working at the Oklahoma City Zoo during his teenage years, and fell in love with acting after seeing now-retired American actor Jack Nicholson perform in the evergreen 1975 movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”. Rex was a member of Casady School’s drama club, but was removed from the group after he demolished the set while performing.

He continued his education at Oklahoma State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio, television and film in 1980.

Before acting

From 1980 through 5 July 1982, Rex worked at the Lakeshore Bank, and had progressed to the position of vice president of energy when the bank closed in 1982.

He then worked for an oil company while attending auditions for roles in both TV series and movies in his spare time; Rex appeared in several commercials, and was eventually invited to appear in his first movie.

Roles in movies

Rex made his debut film appearance in the 1986 thriller “Shadows on the Wall”, while some of his following roles were in the 1988 western “Bonanza: The Next Generation”, the action mystery “Dark Before Dawn” also in 1988, and the 1989 crime thriller “Night Game”.

He gained recognition in 1992, when cast to play FBI Agent in the crime mystery thriller “Thunderheart”, directed by Michael Apted, and which starred Val Kilmer, Sam Shepard and Graham Greene. It follows an FBI agent and a veteran detective as they’re investigating a murder – the film was nominated for two awards. Some of Rex’s following notable performances were in the 1993 action adventure thriller “Cliffhanger”, the 1994 biographical action adventure “Wyatt Earp”, and the 1997 action western “Last Stand at Saber River”.

In 2002, Rex portrayed Detective Bookman in the crime mystery “The Salton Sea”, directed by D. J. Caruso, and which starred Val Kilmer, Vincent D’Onofrio and Adam Goldberg. The movie follows a man who’s turned to life of crime following a tragic incident, and it won a 2003 Prism Award for Performance in a Theatrical Feature Film (Val Kilmer). Some of Rex’s notable performances in the remainder of the 2000s were in the 2006 science fiction thriller horror “Abominable”, the 2008 action “Trial by Fire” and the 2009 short adventure “The Macabre World of Lavender”.

In 2012, he played Tennessee Harry in the evergreen western “Django Unchained”, which starred Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx, and was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It follows a freed slave who’s trying to rescue his wife with the help of a German bounty hunter – the movie won 58 of its 216 award nominations, including two Oscar wins for Best Writing, Original Screenplay and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Christoph Waltz).

Some of Rex’s most recent film roles have been in the 2019 science fiction horror comedy “The Drone”, the 2019 short musical “Bad Dream”, and the 2023 biographical crime drama “The Hammer”.

Roles in TV series

Rex’s debut TV series role was playing Terry Lee Conner in a 1987 episode of the crime documentary “Unsolved Mysteries”, and the following years saw him appear in an episode of the drama “Oklahoma Passage”, the romantic western “The Young Riders”, and the musical comedy “Cop Rock”.

He didn’t have many TV series roles in the ‘90s, as he was focused on appearing in movies, but perhaps his most notable performance in the decade was playing Major Mark ‘Falcon’ Sokol in six episodes (1995-2000) of the crime action “JAG”, which starred Catherine Bell and David James Elliott, and was created by Donald P. Bellisario. It follows the life of US Navy’s lawyer who was previously a Navy fighter pilot, the series aired from 1995 through 2005, and won 12 of its 29 award nominations.

Rex spent the 2000s focused on shooting for the crime action “CSI: Miami”, appearing in 187 of its 232 episodes from 2002 through 2012; the series follows the lives of several Miami detectives, and won 28 of its 62 award nominations.

In 2017 and 2018, he played Nathan Riggs in 12 episodes of the popular crime action “Lethal Weapon”, which Matthew Miller created, and which starred Keesha Sharp and Damon Wayans. It follows the lives of two detectives; the series won one of its nine award nominations.

Rex’s three most recent roles in TV series have been in three episodes of the 2022 sports comedy “Big Shot”, 24 episodes of the comedy “Young Sheldon” since 2017 and 13 episodes of the crime mystery “Big Sky” since 2022.

Other credits

Rex received special thanks for a 1987 episode of the series “Unsolved Mysteries”.

He produced the 1988 action mystery movie “Dark Before Dawn” and the 2016 crime film “American Con”.

Some of his recent talk-show appearances have been in “The Cowboy”, “Entertainment Tonight” and “Today”.

Love life and relationships

Rex prefers to keep the details of his love life away from media, and has only spoken about a single woman whom he’s been with since the launch of his acting career.

Since the second half of 2020, he’s been in a relationship with famous American actress, producer and musician Reba McEntire; she’s appeared in 58 movies and TV series, and is probably still known best for starring in her own comedy series – “Reba” – which aired from 2001 through 2007, and won three of its 17 award nominations.

Rex hasn’t mentioned other women whom he’s perhaps dated, and some of his fans believed him to be gay prior to his and Reba’s announcement that they were together.

Interesting facts and hobbies

Rex appeared alongside famous American actor Tom Selleck in three movies: the 1997 “Last Stand at Saber River”, the 2001 “Crossfire Trail” and the 2003 “Monte Walsh”; he’s also appeared in three movies with both Kevin Costner and John Lithgow.

Rex has an Instagram account, and he’s today followed by close to 25,000 people on the network, and has posted 55 pictures and videos; he often features his girlfriend Reba in his Instagram content.

Rex is passionate about travelling, and has been to many countries around the world, while his favorite city to visit is Marseille, France.

His favorite actor’s Robert Duvall, and some of his favorite movies include “Get Low”, “Tender Mercies” and “Secondhand Lions”.

Height, appearance and wealth

Rex’s age is 66. He’s bald and has brown eyes, he’s 6ft 4ins (1.93m) tall and weighs around 220lbs (99kgs).

Rex’s net worth’s been estimated at over $5 million, as of May 2023.