Rex Linn

Biography

Rex Linn (Rex Maynard Linn, born in Spearman, Texas, on November 13, 1956) is an American actor of film and television, best known for playing Frank Tripp in CSI: Miami. His career, built mostly from supporting roles, has spanned action films, westerns and family comedies since the late 1980s.

Linn grew up in Oklahoma City after his family moved there in 1969. He initially worked in banking and in the oil industry before deciding to act, a choice reportedly prompted by seeing Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. His first film was Dark Before Dawn, produced by a close friend, and his first substantial role came in 1989 with Night Game, in which he played a serial killer opposite Roy Scheider. After a run of small parts on television, he moved west and took roles in Thunderheart and Cliffhanger, the latter alongside Sylvester Stallone.

From the mid-1990s he became a familiar presence in big-budget productions and genre pictures, appearing in Independence Day, Rush Hour, The Postman and Cheaper by the Dozen, and working with directors such as John Carpenter on Ghosts of Mars. His typical roles are firm, often authority figures, usually brief but recognisable. His part as Frank Tripp began as a supporting role and became a regular one for the full run of the series, which gave him his widest television exposure.

In later years he has kept balancing series and films. Notable credits include Better Call Saul and Young Sheldon, where he played principal Tom Peterson, as well as Django Unchained and A Million Ways to Die in the West. Linn has built a steady, low-key career as a character actor, and his long run of familiar faces has made him a recognisable name for fans of action and contemporary westerns.

Key films

• Cliffhanger, 1993: as Richard Travers, a substantial role in the mountain action thriller that brought him international attention.
• Rush Hour, 1998: a supporting appearance in the action comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
• Cheaper by the Dozen, 2003: a role in the family comedy with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt.
• Ghosts of Mars, 2001: a part in the science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter.
• Django Unchained, 2012: an appearance in Quentin Tarantino's western.