Introduction
Luke Grimes is an actor, perhaps best known for his role in the famous action movie “American Sniper”, which helped him reach global fame. Did you know he also had roles in “True Blood” and “Fifty Shades of Grey”? Which was the role that helped him catch the eyes of Hollywood casting agents?
Early life and Education
Luke Timothy Grimes was born on 21 January 1984, in Dayton, Ohio USA, and has three older siblings. His father, Randy Grimes, was a Pentecostal pastor who worked at the Open Bible Christian Church, so Grimes was raised in a strict, Christian family, and didn’t socialize much with other children.
He went to the Dayton Christian High School, from which he matriculated in 2002. Two years later he moved to New York City, to enroll at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in which he studied arts in general.
Career
Grimes made his acting debut in 2006, while he was still a student at AADA, when he landed the role of Jake in the horror film “All the Boys Love Mandy Lane”, starring Amber Heard. The following year he made a short appearance in “War Eagle, Arkansas”, a movie about a high school baseball star trying to find a new life path.
For his performance in this film, he and Dan McCabe shared a Best Supporting Actor Award at the Breckenridge Festival of Film in 2008.
In 2008, he was alongside Bruce Willis and Mischa Barton in Brett Simon’s comedy film “Assassination of a High School President”, and in 2009, Grimes became part of the main cast of the TV series “Brothers and Sisters”, portraying Ryan Lafferty, the illegitimate son of William Walker, in 35 episodes during a span of two seasons. This appearance made many casting agents notice him, and helped him land a lot of future roles.
After he left the series in 2010, he co-starred in “Shit Year”, alongside Ellen Barkin and Bob Einstein, and in 2011 appeared in the short movie “The Light in the Night”, followed in 2012 by the FX movie pilot “Outlaw Country”, and in “Taken 2” alongside Liam Neeson and Famke Janssen.
Grimes was cast as James in the popular TV series “True Blood” in 2013, appearing in six episodes before quitting the show – rumors state that he left because he refused to portray a homosexual character, but his official response was that he wanted to pursue other business opportunities. That same year he portrayed Ben in “The Wait”, and he made a small appearance in “Dark Around the Stars”, in which he played Evan.
In 2014 he appeared alongside Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller in the Clint Eastwood action film “American Sniper”, and in 2015 portrayed Elliot Grey, the older brother of billionaire Christian Grey, portrayed by Jamie Dornan, in the adaptation of the E.L. James’ erotic novel ‘Fifty Shades of Grey”. He subsequently reprised that role in two sequels, “Fifty Shades Darker” from 2017 and “Fifty Shades Freed” in 2018.
He also appeared in two other feature films in 2015, “Freeheld” and “Forever”, and in the following year next to Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt in the action film “The Magnificent Seven”.
That same year he starred in “Manhattan Undying”, and co-starred with Emily Browning in “Shangri-La Suite”.
In 2017, he portrayed Eric Norris in “El Camino Christmas”, then in 2018 he landed the co-starring role in “Yellowstone”, together with Kevin Costner and Kelly Reilly, portraying Costner’s son, Kayce Dutton during three seasons, and is set to appear in the fourth season which is announced to air in 2021.
Grimes starred as Nick Brenner in “Into the Ashes”, the 2019 film about a former criminal who is trying to live a new life.
Personal Life
Grimes keeps most of his personal life private and away from the media, which is why it isn’t disclosed whether or not he is in a relationship. In 2012, it was rumored that he was in a relationship with actress, Gillian Zinser, who is known for her portrayal of Ivy Sullivan in “90210”. Neither of them ever confirmed or denied the gossip.
Despite him being raised in a very religious family, he himself claims that he dislikes organized religions, and identifies as an agnostic.
In 2005 Grimes auditioned to portray Elvis Presley in the CBS’ miniseries of the same name. However, he lost the role to Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who was also somewhat unknown to the general public at the time.
Grimes auditioned to portray the vampire Edward Cullen for the first movie in the “Twilight” series in 2010, but lost the role to Robert Pattinson, who achieved worldwide fame after being cast in this film.
Grimes plays the drums, and was the drummer for the alternative rock band called Mitchells Folly. The band released their first album in 2008, called “Whirlwind”.
Net Worth
Grimes is a successful actor who has appeared in several rather successful TV series, and films. As of June 2020, his net worth is estimated at around $500,000. There is no disclosed information about any of his assets, such as real estate or cars.
Physical characteristics
Grimes is a muscular man who stands at a height of 6ft (1.83m), and weighs around 158lbs (72kg). His eyes are dark brown and his hair is light brown and reaches down to his shoulders.