# Kevin Rankin (actor)
**Kevin Rankin** (born 1976) is an American character actor known for recurring and regular television roles including Herc on NBC's *[Friday Night Lights](https://www.edgepedia.org/friday-night-lights-tv-series)*, Kenny in the final season of AMC's *Breaking Bad*, and Derek "Devil" Lennox on FX's *Justified*, alongside film parts in *Dallas Buyers Club* and *Hell or High Water*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710271/) • [2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/kevin-rankin)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710271/) |
| Signature TV roles | Herc on *Friday Night Lights* (2006–2008); Tyler Briggs on *Trauma* (2009–2010); Det. Roe Saunders on *Unforgettable* (2011); Kenny on *Breaking Bad*; Devil on *Justified* (2010)[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/kevin-rankin) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kevin-rankin-2/) |
| Series regular roles | Bryce on TNT's *Claws* and Detective Tommy Killian on CBS's *East New York*[4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5) |
| Notable films | *Dallas Buyers Club* (2013, as T.J.), *Hell or High Water* (2016, as Billy Rayburn), *Wild* (2014, as Greg), *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* (2014, as McVeigh), *El Camino*[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kevin_rankin) • [4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5) |
| Screen debut | *The Apostle* (1997), credited as "Young Man in Car", with all scenes opposite Robert Duvall[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) |
| Personal life | Married *Trauma* co-star Jill Farley on 23 October 2010; two children; resides in Austin, Texas[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710271/) • [4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5) |
| Current role | Aloysius "Wish" Aiken on ABC's *R.J. Decker* (2026)[4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5) |
## Early life and training
Rankin was born in [Baton Rouge, Louisiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/baton-rouge-louisiana), and grew up in Magnolia, Texas, where his father took an oil industry job in 1987.[7](https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Actor-Kevin-Rankin-hops-from-set-to-set-1641564.php) He graduated from Magnolia High School in 1994 and played football as a linebacker.[7](https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Actor-Kevin-Rankin-hops-from-set-to-set-1641564.php) As a child he was a fan of action films and shows, particularly *The Fall Guy* (ABC 1981–86), and wanted to be a stuntman until he learned that the series star, [Lee Majors](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-majors), was an actor playing a stuntman.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/)
His move into acting had no formal grounding. He has said he never had any training and did not go to school for acting.[7](https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Actor-Kevin-Rankin-hops-from-set-to-set-1641564.php) After a short start that included a small role in the drama film *The Apostle* (1997), credited as "Young Man in Car", in scenes opposite the film's star [Robert Duvall](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-duvall), a larger part in *Clean and Narrow* (1999) led him to take the profession seriously, and he moved to Los Angeles in 2000.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/)
## Television career
In the same year he arrived in Los Angeles, Rankin landed his first television job on *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* (WB 1997–2003), playing Cousin Donny Maclay in the episode "Family".[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) • [8](https://www.assignmentx.com/2014/gracepoint-actor-kevin-rankin-is-one-of-many-suspects-on-this-broadchurch-remake-exclusive-interview/) Guest work followed steadily through the early 2000s, including a four-episode run as the dorm RA Lucien on [Judd Apatow](https://www.edgepedia.org/judd-apatow)'s college comedy *Undeclared* (Fox, 2001–02), eleven episodes of *My Guide to Becoming a Rock Star* (WB, 2002), and appearances on *The O.C.*, *Without a Trace*, and *Six Feet Under* (HBO 2001–05).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kevin-rankin-2/)
**Breakthrough roles.** In 2006 he was cast as Herc, a wheelchair-bound former football player, in the Texas high school drama *Friday Night Lights* (NBC/101 Network, 2006–2011), playing the part from 2006 to 2008.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) The character was sketched broadly, informed by the quad rugby documentary *Murderball*, and Rankin's chemistry with co-star [Scott Porter](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-porter)'s story line expanded what was planned as a short arc into a recurring role.[7](https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Actor-Kevin-Rankin-hops-from-set-to-set-1641564.php) During the same period he played Nathan, a tech geek, in the short-lived *[Bionic Woman](https://www.edgepedia.org/bionic-woman-2007-tv-series)* reboot (NBC 2007) and Verlan Walker on HBO's *Big Love* (2006).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kevin-rankin-2/)
His first major regular role was Tyler Briggs on the NBC medical drama *Trauma* (2009–2010).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) He then moved into villainous territory, playing a white supremacist in a recurring role on FX's western-style police drama *Justified* (the character Devil), followed shortly by a similar part as Kenny in *Breaking Bad* (AMC 2008–2013).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) The *Breaking Bad* part led to the film *El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie*, in which he starred after his recurring arc on the show's final season.[4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5)
In 2011 he played Detective Roe Saunders on CBS's *[Unforgettable](https://www.edgepedia.org/unforgettable-american-tv-series)*, a part he described as a streetwise detective with swagger who knows Queens "like the back of his hand".[9](https://mediamikes.com/2011/09/interview-with-kevin-rankin/) He later played the Reverend Paul Coates in *Gracepoint* (Fox, 2014), the American remake of the BBC's *Broadchurch*, in which the victim's family is Episcopalian; he researched Episcopalian sermons online and deliberately did not watch the British original before interpreting the role.[8](https://www.assignmentx.com/2014/gracepoint-actor-kevin-rankin-is-one-of-many-suspects-on-this-broadchurch-remake-exclusive-interview/) Later television work includes Elliott on Netflix's *The Umbrella Academy* (2019), Bryce on TNT's *[Claws](https://www.edgepedia.org/claws-tv-series)* (2017), and Detective Tommy Killian on CBS's *East New York* (2022–23), where he was a series regular.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kevin-rankin-2/) • [4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5) As of 2026 he plays Aloysius "Wish" Aiken on ABC's *[R.J. Decker](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-j-decker)*.[4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5)
## Film work
Rankin's feature roles span supporting parts in critically received dramas and commercial thrillers. In 2013 he appeared in *Dallas Buyers Club* as T.J. and in *White House Down* as Killick; in 2014 he played McVeigh in *Dawn of the Planet of the Apes* and Greg in *Wild*; and in 2016 he played Billy Rayburn in *Hell or High Water* and Ray in *Skyscraper* (2018).[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kevin_rankin) On Rotten Tomatoes' aggregation of his film work, *Hell or High Water* stands as his highest-rated film at 97 percent and *The Chaperone* (2011) as his lowest at 31 percent.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kevin_rankin)
He has also worked behind the camera on a small scale: he was co-executive producer of the 2012 film *Congratulations*, written by his *NCIS* collaborator [Brian Dietzen](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-dietzen), in which he also acted and which he described as his first produced film.[10](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kevin-rankin/credits/3000116713/) • [9](https://mediamikes.com/2011/09/interview-with-kevin-rankin/)
## Typecasting and range
Profiles of Rankin consistently describe him as a versatile character actor who moves between sympathetic leads and villains.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) His best-remembered television parts illustrate that spread: the blustery, comic Herc on *Friday Night Lights*; the swaggering detective Roe Saunders on *Unforgettable*; and menacing figures in *Justified* and *Breaking Bad*, the latter of which a 2014 interview highlighted as Kenny in the show's final season.[8](https://www.assignmentx.com/2014/gracepoint-actor-kevin-rankin-is-one-of-many-suspects-on-this-broadchurch-remake-exclusive-interview/) • [9](https://mediamikes.com/2011/09/interview-with-kevin-rankin/)
## Personal life
Rankin married his *Trauma* co-star Jill Farley on 23 October 2010, and they have two children.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710271/) • [6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/) He resides in [Austin, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/austin-texas), with his family.[4](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5)
## References
1. [Kevin Rankin (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0710271/)
2. [Kevin Rankin (born 1976), VALÉORINE reference entry](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/kevin-rankin)
3. [Kevin Rankin, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/kevin-rankin-2/)
4. [Kevin Rankin as Aloysius "Wish" Aiken, R.J. Decker cast page, ABC](https://abc.com/cast/15dad002-569b-45d9-89e5-7ffcc2070bf5)
5. [Kevin Rankin, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kevin_rankin)
6. [Kevin Rankin – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/kevin-rankin/)
7. [Actor Kevin Rankin hops from set to set, Houston Chronicle (2007)](https://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Actor-Kevin-Rankin-hops-from-set-to-set-1641564.php)
8. [Gracepoint actor Kevin Rankin is one of many suspects on this Broadchurch remake, Assignment X (2014)](https://www.assignmentx.com/2014/gracepoint-actor-kevin-rankin-is-one-of-many-suspects-on-this-broadchurch-remake-exclusive-interview/)
9. [Interview with Kevin Rankin, MediaMikes (2011)](https://mediamikes.com/2011/09/interview-with-kevin-rankin/)
10. [Kevin Rankin list of movies and TV shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/kevin-rankin/credits/3000116713/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames R to Ri*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license