Meet the Taylor Sheridan Actors Who Were in the Military: Sam Elliott and More ‘Yellowstone’ Stars Who Served
From ‘Yellowstone’ to ‘Landman,’ discover which stars served their country before finding Hollywood fame
Ask anyone, and they will tell you Woman’s World loves Taylor Sheridan. Between Landman, Yellowstone and all of his other hit shows, we simply cannot get enough. We also love honoring people who have served our country, and as it turns out, several Taylor Sheridan actors have, in fact, served in the military. To learn who, keep reading.
Did Taylor Sheridan serve in the military?
Despite writing several military-inspired plotlines and shows, Sheridan himself never served. There was a man named Sheridan Taylor who served in the Canadian Armed Forces and is often confused with the Yellowstone creator across the internet.
“I was a good soldier,” the Canadian Taylor said in a statement. “Nothing I’ve ever done has been so rewarding, outside of watching my own children grow. Nothing has been so fulfilling. Nothing has been as frightening as facing my demons down and nothing is as helpful as watching others do the same.”
Meet the ‘Yellowstone’ military actors
Even though Sheridan hasn’t been in the military, here is a list of Yellowstone actors who have.
Jake McLaughlin
Jake McLaughlin appeared in two episodes of Yellowstone back in 2024. Before that, he was a U.S. Army infantryman who served for four years. During that time, he was a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and was even critically injured twice, events that persuaded him to retire from the service and go into acting.
“It’s pretty mind-boggling that I went from being in Iraq to doing concrete work to being in a major motion picture as my first film [In the Valley of Elah in 2007],” McLaughlin told Coastal Courier. “I’m fortunate because I’m not the only Iraq veteran, but I was afforded the opportunity to make something good out of something bad. I was able to turn it around.”
Sam Elliott
Landman and 1883 star Sam Elliott was in the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing during the 1960s. He was never deployed, but always speaks very highly of his time in the service.
“Those guys that signed up because they felt a call to duty … and then they came home and got spit on and all that sh-t, that put me off it,” he told Bang Showbiz in April of 2022. “But I always felt guilty about it, and then I got an opportunity to do a movie called We Were Soldiers. I played a guy who served in four different military conflicts … and then I got an opportunity to go see the [Vietnam Memorial] on the fourth of July … I’ve always felt guilty about the fact that I didn’t go. I got into the National Guard, and I was one of the lucky ones.”
Cole Hauser
Even though Yellowstone star Cole Hauser never actually served in the military, he has become an advocate for service members and veterans. He has also served on the board of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF), gone on USO tours and visited several military hospitals.
“My grandfather taught me profound respect for the military and service. He went on a war bonds selling tour after World War II,” Hauser said in 2024, per the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. “Unfortunately, he died when I was 12, but he had a lifelong impact on me.”
“My goal is to be able to change lives, not just in the military but around the world. My legacy is my kids, and they care about the military and that is all that matters,” the actor continued. “Some get bigger houses, bigger cars. I think it is more important to give back.”
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