How A Gang Hit That Killed A Cop Started An Empire

There are those generational stories that prove that if a person wants to succeed, wants to change their lot in life, and is willing to commit, nothing is impossible.

Becoming Legendary

We celebrate many American legends. And none are more celebrated than success stories that celebrate overcoming the longest of odds. But the origins of legends aren’t always clear. And when you look at them in their entirety, a legend's origin is sometimes far different from what you might expect. 

Today’s main legend is rooted in a funeral where a gang hit goes down. And from that barrage of gunfire, violence erupted, and a cop was killed. Not just killed, but ruthlessly run down by the getaway vehicle as he stood his ground and fired at the assailants. 

From that bloody, ruthless death, a legendary story was born. 

You’ve heard of the dynasty born from this story. You may not know the history, but it’s how the most successful actor-turned-writer jumped from in front of the camera to behind the scenes as a writer and creator of not one but several shows. What we didn’t know is that it almost didn’t happen. 

Taylor Sheridan’s success hinged on several unfortunate truths about how hard it is to make it big, particularly from nothingness. His legendary rise to being one of the biggest names in television wasn’t always so impressive. 

Sheridan starred as David Hale, the Deputy Chief of Police in Kurt Sutter’s famed Sons of Anarchy. Hale, who was born in Texas, left home to chase dreams of acting. He got a break when he was cast in Sons of Anarchy, a show that was going to set nighttime television on fire. Kurt Sutter’s genius took us to new places in his Shakespearean biker drama and changed cable television forever. 

Sheridan, like many when a series is obviously going to last, attempted to bargain for a bigger salary for his comeback in season 3. When the showrunners and the money men decided not to meet the demands, he didn’t resign, ultimately finishing his run on the show during season 3, episode 1. Season 3, episode 1, was the ultimate beginning of the downfall of the Tellers and Clay Morrow, played by Charlie Hunam (Jax), Katey Sagal (Gemma), and Clay Morrow (Ron Pearlman). 

And while all three will forever be known for their time connected to the fictional biker club, the Sons of Anarchy, it’s Taylor Sheridan who went on to make a much bigger name in the industry. 

Sheridan went on to create and write Yellowstone, which went on to several spinoffs while Yellowstone was still running, and attracted big names like Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Sam Elliot, and others. He would then go on to helm the beginnings of a new story, centered around a recently released mob captain, Dwight Manfreddi. Tulsa King stars Sylvester Stallone, and that show earned a spin-off that’s going to star Samuel Jackson. 

After Yellowstone, both the Duttons who remained standing, Beth (Kelly Riley) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) went on to be in Dutton Ranch, which recently finished its first season, leaving fans clamoring for more. And Beth’s brother Kaycee Dutton (Luke Grimes) is leading Yellowstone’s spinoff, Marshalls. 

Sheridan is truly an inspirational success, a generational success that will be remembered, considering where he was just 16 years ago. 

In 2010, before his legendary rise to fame and fortune, Sheridan was sleeping in his truck. He’d left Sons of Anarchy over the salary dispute that led to them killing off his character. He was near broke and being told he wasn’t worth more money. 

Now, he’s worth between 200 million and $ 1 billion and has a $1 billion deal with NBC Universal. 

Takeaways

No stopping someone who believes in what they want, no matter what others think. Taylor Sheridan is proof of this. Commitment, desire to succeed, and persistence will pay off. 

To go from being broke and having a scary future to being worth hundreds of millions of dollars and signing a billion-dollar deal 15 years later is no small feat. So ask yourself, the next time you’re feeling down or uncertain of your future, what are you doing about it?