American actor Kevin Costner won an Academy Award for his work in “Field of Dreams,” “Dances with Wolves,” and “JFK,” among other critically praised movies from the 1980s and early 1990s. Costner was brought up in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles throughout his middle school years after being born in Lynwood, California.

While his father worked for the electric business, first as a service line worker and then as an executive, his mother was a welfare worker. By the time Costner was a teenager, his father was frequently relocating the family because of his rapidly progressing position with the electric company.

Despite staying in California throughout this migratory phase, Costner struggled to make friends because he was constantly being introduced as the “new kid” every few years or so. Costner characterized this time as being rife with poor self-esteem.

Despite not being a particularly good student, he did thrive in sports and quickly developed a passion for creative pursuits like writing and choir singing. When it was time to start college, Costner enrolled at California State University, Fullerton in the business program.

While still a student, he joined a fraternity, and four years later he graduated. But Costner didn’t start seriously considering a career in acting until his senior year of college.

So, after graduating from college, he started taking acting classes in secret one evening per week, being sure to keep it a secret from everyone, even his newlywed wife.

Prior to chance intervening and placing Costner in the same seat as actor Richard Burton on a flight from Mexico, he had meant to keep his acting interest a secret.

The two eventually had a conversation that would change Costner’s life once he finally got the guts to approach Burton.

Burton advised Costner to pursue acting aggressively if he was serious about it because he would never be able to forgive himself if he didn’t.

Costner claimed that fortuitous encounter with Richard Burton as permanently altering the course of his life, despite the two never having crossed paths again.

Costner told his wife he wanted to be an actor not long after getting back from his trip to Mexico. In order to make ends meet, he then started working odd jobs like driving a truck and giving tours of movie star homes.

He also quit his job in marketing and started attending acting classes five nights per week. His first acting gig was in “Malibu Hot Summer,” sometimes referred to as “Sizzle Beach, U.S.A.”

Who are Kevin Costner’s siblings?

In contrast to his other sibling Mark, who passed away at the age of just six hours, he was raised alongside his business-owning brother Daniel.