Rex Linn
Encyclopedia
Rex Maynard Linn is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Frank Tripp
in the television series CSI: Miami
.
Linn was born in Hansford County, Texas
, the third child, and second son, of Darlene (née
Deere) and James Paul Linn. In August 1969, his parents relocated the family to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
, where his father practiced law. There he attended Heritage Hall and later Casady School
, an independent school affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and was employed part-time at the Oklahoma City Zoo. It was in November 1975, after seeing Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
, that Linn announced that he really wanted to be an actor.
In high school's production of Fiddler On The Roof
, in which he very nearly demolished a set during a dance number, Linn was asked to leave the play by his drama coach. He was advised to direct his energy to some other field of endeavour, which effectively ended his high school acting career. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1980.
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. He began with 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. and Cliffhanger. Since Cliffhanger he has appeared in more than 35 films, with that number growing annually. Linn's most recent work includes an 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 had recurring roles in several TV series, most recently as Sgt. Frank Tripp
on CSI: Miami
, a role for which, according to an article in the Dec. 27, 2004 issue of the Oklahoman, he was tricked into reading during the first season and which he has held, as a series regular, ever since.
. He was a celebrity co-host of the Oklahoma Film Society Real to Reel 2005: "Classic Monster Mash". He has narrated three 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 Linn, was 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. Linn is a University of Texas Longhorns fan, even taking the day off from his CSI: Miami
work to attend the 2005 Rose Bowl game when his beloved team was playing—and winning the 2005 national championship against University of Southern California.
He is a former chairman of the Oklahoma City chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and in 1986, he won the state duck-calling competition, and came fourth in the national competition.
Linn is an active supporter of children's charities as well as the arts. On May 12, 2007, he was a celebrity award presenter at the National Association of Police Organizations Top Cops award ceremony in Washington D.C.
Frank Tripp
Detective Sergeant Francis "Frank" Tripp is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Miami, portrayed by Rex Linn.-Background:Frank Tripp is a fictional Detective Sergeant in the Homicide division of the Miami-Dade Police Department in CSI: Miami...
in the television series CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
.
Early life
Hansford County, Texas
Hansford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 5,613. The county is named for John M. Hansford, a Texas state congressman and judge. Hansford County is one of 30 prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas. Its seat is...
, the third child, and second son, of Darlene (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Deere) and James Paul Linn. In August 1969, his parents relocated the family to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, where his father practiced law. There he attended Heritage Hall and later Casady School
Casady School
Casady School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma founded in 1947 by Bishop Thomas Casady and the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma. Casady serves children in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th. Casady believes in educating mind, body, and...
, an independent school affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and was employed part-time at the Oklahoma City Zoo. It was in November 1975, after seeing Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman and based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey....
, that Linn announced that he really wanted to be an actor.
In high school's production of Fiddler On The Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
, in which he very nearly demolished a set during a dance number, Linn was asked to leave the play by his drama coach. He was advised to direct his energy to some other field of endeavour, which effectively ended his high school acting career. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1980.
Career
After graduation, Linn worked his way up to VP of Energy Lending for the Lakeshore Bank, remaining with it until July 5, 1982, when the bank went insolvent. Linn 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, Edward K. Gaylord II.In 1989, he was cast in his first substantial role, as serial killer Floyd Epps, in Night Game, starring Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
. Following this film, and a part as the sheriff in the TV series, the Young Riders, he decided it was time to head west. He began with 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. and Cliffhanger. Since Cliffhanger he has appeared in more than 35 films, with that number growing annually. Linn's most recent work includes an 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 had recurring roles in several TV series, most recently as Sgt. Frank Tripp
Frank Tripp
Detective Sergeant Francis "Frank" Tripp is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Miami, portrayed by Rex Linn.-Background:Frank Tripp is a fictional Detective Sergeant in the Homicide division of the Miami-Dade Police Department in CSI: Miami...
on CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, a role for which, according to an article in the Dec. 27, 2004 issue of the Oklahoman, he was tricked into reading during the first season and which he has held, as a series regular, ever since.
Points of interest in Linn's career
On June 29, 1994, Linn was honored with a star on Carpenter's Square Theatre Walk of Fame, in Oklahoma CityOklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. He was a celebrity co-host of the Oklahoma Film Society Real to Reel 2005: "Classic Monster Mash". He has narrated three 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 Linn, was 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. Linn is a University of Texas Longhorns fan, even taking the day off from his CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
work to attend the 2005 Rose Bowl game when his beloved team was playing—and winning the 2005 national championship against University of Southern California.
He is a former chairman of the Oklahoma City chapter of Ducks Unlimited, and in 1986, he won the state duck-calling competition, and came fourth in the national competition.
Linn is an active supporter of children's charities as well as the arts. On May 12, 2007, he was a celebrity award presenter at the National Association of Police Organizations Top Cops award ceremony in Washington D.C.
Performances
- 2008 Trial By Fire as Chief
- 2008 AppaloosaAppaloosa (film)Appaloosa is a 2008 American Western film based on the 2005 novel of the same name by crime writer Robert B. Parker. The film was directed by Ed Harris and co-written by Harris and Robert Knott. Appaloosa stars Harris alongside Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger and Jeremy Irons...
as Sheriff Clyde Stringer - 2006 AbominableAbominableAbominable is a 2006 Sci Fi Horror Channel original movie, directed and written by Ryan Schifrin. The film stars Matt McCoy, Jeffrey Combs, Lance Henriksen, Rex Linn, Dee Wallace, Phil Morris, Paul Gleason and . The film features the cryptid Bigfoot as the main antagonist, despite the title. It...
as Farmer Hoss - 2006 Anatomy of a Fraud as Catching a Con in Logan County [Narrator]
- 2006 Missing Persons [audio book] as Narrator
- 2005 A Man Called Cash [audio book] as Narrator
- 2005 American GunAmerican GunAmerican Gun is a 2005 film produced by Participant Productions, IFC Films, IFC First Take, and Spirit Dance Entertainment. It was written in 2001 by Steven Bagatourian and Aric Avelino and directed by Avelino as his directorial debut....
as Earl - 2005 One Ranger [audio book] as Narrator
- 2005 The ZodiacThe Zodiac (film)The Zodiac is a 2006 American criminal psychological thriller film based on the true events associated with the Zodiac: a serial killer who was active in and around northern California in the 1960s and who has never been captured...
as Jim Martinez - 2004 After the SunsetAfter the SunsetAfter the Sunset is a 2004 action comedy film starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a cat-and-mouse game with FBI agent Stan Lloyd played by Woody Harrelson...
as Agent Kowalski - 2004 Anatomy of a Fraud as Catching a Con in Pottawatomie County [narrator]
- 2003 The Hunted as Powell
- 2003 Dry Cycle as Jeddidah
- 2003 Monte Walsh as Hat Henderson
- 2003 Cheaper by the DozenCheaper by the Dozen (2003 film)Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with 12 children . The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of the same name of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their 12 children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with 12 children,...
as Coach Bricker - 2002–Present CSI: MiamiCSI: MiamiCSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
as Sgt. Frank Tripp - 2002 Cockfight (aka: The Round and Round) as Sheriff
- 2001 John Carpenter's Ghosts Of MarsGhosts of MarsJohn Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is a 2001 American science fiction action horror film composed, written, and directed by John Carpenter. The film stars Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Clea DuVall, and Joanna Cassidy...
as Yared - 1999 A Murder on Shadow Mountain as Det Bonney
- 1999 Blast from the PastBlast From the Past (film)Blast from the Past is a 1999 romantic comedy film based on a story and directed by Hugh Wilson and starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, and Dave Foley.-Plot:...
as Dave - 1999 InstinctInstinct (film)Instinct is a 1999 film starring Anthony Hopkins, Cuba Gooding, Jr., George Dzundza, Donald Sutherland, Kim Cattrall and Maura Tierney. It was very loosely inspired by Ishmael, a novel by Daniel Quinn. In the United States, the film had the working title Ishmael...
as Guard Alan - 1999 The Jack BullThe Jack BullThe Jack Bull is a made for television western, produced for HBO, and directed by John Badham. The film is loosely based on Michael Kohlhaas, a novel by Heinrich von Kleist, with the script by Dick Cusack...
as Shelby Dykes - 1998 Rush Hour as FBI Agent Dan Whitney
- 1998 Black Cat Run as Sheriff Ben Bronte
- 1998 The Odd Couple IIThe Odd Couple IIThe Odd Couple II is the 1998 sequel to 1968's The Odd Couple. The movie reunites Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in their last film together.- Plot :...
as Jayjay - 1997-2000 JAG (TV series)JAG (TV series)JAG is an American adventure/legal drama television show that was produced by Belisarius Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television and, for the first season only, NBC Productions...
as Lt. Mark 'Falcon' Sokol - 1997 BreakdownBreakdown (film)Breakdown is a 1997 American thriller film, written and directed by Jonathan Mostow. The film stars Kurt Russell, J. T. Walsh and Kathleen Quinlan. The original music score was composed by Basil Poledouris...
as Sheriff Boyd - 1997 The PostmanThe Postman (film)The Postman is an American post-apocalyptic epic film based on the 1985 novel of the same name by David Brin. It was filmed in northeastern Washington , Fidalgo Island, Washington, central Oregon and Tucson, Arizona, and was directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars in the film...
as Mercer - 1997 Horton Foote's Alone as Travis Floyd
- 1996 Ghosts of MississippiGhosts of MississippiGhosts of Mississippi is a 1996 American drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, and James Woods. The plot is based on the true story of the 1994 trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist...
as Martin Scott - 1996 Independence DayIndependence Day (film)Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
as Next-door neighbor - 1996 Tin CupTin CupTin Cup is a 1996 romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Ron Shelton, and starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo with Cheech Marin and Don Johnson in major supporting roles.-Synopsis:...
as Dewey - 1996 The Long Kiss GoodnightThe Long Kiss GoodnightThe Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action thriller film starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, written by Shane Black and directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
as Man in bed - 1995 Cutthroat IslandCutthroat IslandCutthroat Island is a 1995 action adventure film directed by Renny Harlin. The film stars Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, and Frank Langella. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a major box office bomb: listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of...
as Mr. Blair - 1995 Perfect Alibi as Bartender
- 1994 Clear and Present DangerClear and Present Danger (film)Clear and Present Danger is a 1994 film directed by Phillip Noyce, based on the book of the same name by Tom Clancy. It is a subsequent release to the 1992 film Patriot Games, which in itself is a subsequent release to the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October.It is the last film to feature Harrison...
as Washington Detective - 1994 Wyatt EarpWyatt Earp (film)Wyatt Earp is a 1994 American semi-biographical Western film, written by Dan Gordon and Lawrence Kasdan and directed by Kasdan. It stars Kevin Costner in the title role as lawman Wyatt Earp, and features an ensemble cast that includes Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Isabella Rossellini, Mark Harmon,...
as Frank McLaury - 1994 Iron WillIron WillIron Will is a 1994 family adventure film directed by Charles Haid. The film stars Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, David Ogden Stiers, George Gerdes, Brian Cox, Penelope Windust, and August Schellenberg.-Plot:...
as Joe McPherson - 1994 Drop ZoneDrop Zone (film)Drop Zone is a 1994 action movie directed by John Badham. It stars Wesley Snipes, Gary Busey and Yancy Butler.-Plot:Aboard a commercial airliner, U.S...
as Bobby - 1994 Confessions : Two Faces of Evil as Gleason
- 1993 CliffhangerCliffhanger (film)Cliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
as Richard Travers - 1992 ThunderheartThunderheartThunderheart is a 1992 American contemporary western mystery film directed by Michael Apted from an original screenplay by John Fusco. The film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973...
as FBI Agent - 1992 In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion as Sheriff Ron Gray
- 1991 My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys as Guest at Barbeque
- 1991 The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw as Henry
- 1989 Dark Before Dawn as Don Hayse
- 1989 Night Game as Epps
- 1988 Calling All Turkeys
- 1986 PM Magazine as guest host