Luke Grimes

Luke Timothy Grimes is an American actor and musician. He is widely recognized for his role as real-life Navy SEAL Marc Alan Lee in the film *American Sniper*. Throughout his career, he has appeared in popular films such as the *Fifty Shades* trilogy (including *Fifty Shades of Grey* (2015), *Fifty Shades Darker* (2017), and *Fifty Shades Freed* (2018)), and has starred as Kayce Dutton in the Paramount Network drama series *Yellowstone* (2018–2024).

Early Life and Education

Grimes was born on January 21, 1984, in Dayton, Ohio, the son of a Pentecostal pastor. He graduated from Dayton Christian High School in 2002. He later moved to New York City to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Acting Career

Grimes's early work includes appearances in *All the Boys Love Mandy Lane*, *War Eagle*, and *Arkansas*, and *Assassination of a High School President*, which had a limited release in March 2009. He also appeared in the ABC drama *Brothers & Sisters* as Ryan Lafferty, the illegitimate son of William Walker, beginning as a series regular starting with Season 4.

In 2010, he starred in the FX movie pilot *Outlaw Country*, playing a cowboy named Eli Larkin. Although the series was not picked up by FX, the pilot aired as a television movie on August 23, 2012. That same year, he appeared in the Liam Neeson thriller *Taken 2* as Neeson's daughter's boyfriend.

In *True Blood*, Grimes portrayed vampire James Kent for six episodes during the show's sixth season before departing, reportedly due to his refusal to participate in same-sex kissing or sex scenes or to play a character attracted to men.

His major film roles include playing United States Navy SEAL Marc Lee, killed in action in 2006, in *American Sniper* (2014). He played Christian Grey's brother, Elliot, in *Fifty Shades of Grey* (2015) and its sequels, and also played Todd Belkin in *Freeheld* (2015). Since 2018, he has starred alongside Kevin Costner in the dramatic series *Yellowstone* as Kayce Dutton.

Personal Life and Music

Grimes married Brazilian model Bianca Rodrigues Grimes in November 2018, and the couple welcomed their first child, a son, in 2024. In 2020, he moved with his family to the Bitterroot Valley of southwestern Montana. Musically, he released “Burn—Live From Nashville” on Spotify in January 2024, followed by his self-titled debut album, *Luke Grimes*, on March 8, 2024.