# Rex Linn
**Rex Linn** (full name Rex Maynard Linn; born 1956) is an American film and television actor best known for playing Detective Frank Tripp on the CBS crime series *CSI: Miami* (2002–2012) and, more recently, Emmett on the NBC sitcom *Happy's Place*.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn) He did not begin acting full time until his mid-thirties, after earlier careers in banking and the oil business in Oklahoma.[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956, in Perryton, Texas (some sources cite Spearman, Texas)[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956) |
| Education | B.A. in radio, television, and film, Oklahoma State University, 1981[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/) |
| Pre-acting careers | Zoo worker, oil company field operations overseer, bank loan officer and vice president in western Oklahoma[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956) |
| Breakout film role | Richard "Travis" Travers in *Cliffhanger* (1993), his top-grossing film at $255 million worldwide[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/rex-linn-396618/film-credits) • [5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/rex-linn) |
| Signature TV role | Detective Frank Tripp on *CSI: Miami*, 2002–2012, credited in 135 episodes as a series regular[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn) |
| Current series | Emmett on NBC's *Happy's Place* (2024– ), starring alongside his fiancée, Reba McEntire[6](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/rex-linn-reveals-why-happys-place-is-one-of-the-best-jobs-of-his-career-exclusive) |
| Box office total | $1.1 billion combined worldwide gross across the 22 of his 34 films with recorded figures[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/rex-linn) |
## Early life and career before acting
Linn was born in 1956; Encyclopedia.com gives Perryton, Texas, as his birthplace while noting that some sources cite Spearman, and Fandango and TV Insider list Spearman.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956) • [4](https://www.fandango.com/people/rex-linn-396618/film-credits) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rex-linn/) He earned a degree in radio, television, and film from Oklahoma State University in 1981 and later said the program built the foundation for his acting career.[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/)
For the next decade he worked outside entertainment: he held jobs including zoo worker in [Oklahoma City](https://www.edgepedia.org/oklahoma-city), overseer of field operations for an oil company in western Oklahoma, and a series of banking positions that included loan officer and vice president.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956) In his account to Oklahoma State, he had been a banker, worked in the oil business, and run a hunting guide service while talking about acting for a decade. In 1989, after selling his house, his father told him that if he was going to pursue acting, now was the time; he packed a U-Haul and drove west on I-40.[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/) TV Insider describes him as a former Oklahoma bank manager whose bank was declared insolvent in 1982.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rex-linn/)
## Film career
Linn had some acting work while still in Oklahoma, including a role opposite [Roy Scheider](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-scheider) in the serial-killer film *Night Game* (1989), in which he played Floyd Epps; this is generally described as his first substantial role.[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rex-linn/) After moving to Los Angeles, his first major break came as Richard "Travis" Travers, a mercenary, in the [Sylvester Stallone](https://www.edgepedia.org/sylvester-stallone) action film *[Cliffhanger](https://www.edgepedia.org/cliffhanger-1993-film)* (1993).[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/rex-linn-396618/film-credits) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rex-linn/)
Through the 1990s he accumulated supporting roles in major releases, often playing lawmen, agents, and authority figures: a Washington detective in *Clear and Present Danger* (1994), Frank McLaury in *Wyatt Earp* (1994), Bobby in *Drop Zone* (1994), Mr. Blair in *Cutthroat Island* (1995), Dewey in *Tin Cup* (1996), Sheriff Boyd in *Breakdown* (1997), and Dan Whitney in *Rush Hour* (1998).[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956) • [4](https://www.fandango.com/people/rex-linn-396618/film-credits) Later film credits include Sheriff Stringer in *Appaloosa* (2008), Tennessee Harry in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s *Django Unchained* (2012), and the Sheriff in [Seth MacFarlane](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-macfarlane)'s *[A Million Ways to Die in the West](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-million-ways-to-die-in-the-west)* (2014).[4](https://www.fandango.com/people/rex-linn-396618/film-credits) • [8](https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WHA-Emcee-2024.pdf) Across the 22 of his 34 films with recorded figures, his combined worldwide box office is $1.1 billion, with *Cliffhanger* ($255 million) and *Rush Hour* ($245 million) the largest contributors.[5](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/rex-linn)
## Television career
**CSI: Miami.** Linn joined *CSI: Miami* in its first season as Detective Frank Tripp and stayed through the series' tenth and final season in 2012, appearing in 135 episodes as a starring credit.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn) He described Tripp as "the smart-ass on the show," the one character who did not have to explain the forensic science, and said the writers maintained what they called "Trippisms," wisecracks in every episode.[9](https://www.csifiles.com/news/020106_01.shtml) • [10](https://www.csifiles.com/content/2011/03/linn-i-never-take-one-day-for-granted/) He was not in the opening credits early in the run and said in 2006 that negotiations to add him were underway.[9](https://www.csifiles.com/news/020106_01.shtml)
**Later series work.** After *CSI: Miami* ended, Linn took recurring roles on *Better Call Saul* as banker Kevin Wachtell (13 episodes, 2016–2022), *Lethal Weapon* as [Nathan Riggs](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-riggs) (12 episodes), and *Young Sheldon* as Principal Tom Petersen, a role he played across 27 episodes from 2017 through the 2024 series finale.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn) He also appeared in *Big Sky* as Buck Barnes (13 episodes), *[Big Shot](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-shot-tv-series)*, *Roar*, and *The Kominsky Method*.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn)
**Happy's Place.** Since 2024 Linn has starred as Emmett on the NBC sitcom *Happy's Place*, created around [Reba McEntire](https://www.edgepedia.org/reba-mcentire)'s character Bobbie, who inherits a Tennessee tavern.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/5f3e64ee173d7ca27eb02b66e62bb492) McEntire and Linn are engaged in real life, and he has called working on the show, alongside the love of his life, one of the best jobs of his career.[6](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/rex-linn-reveals-why-happys-place-is-one-of-the-best-jobs-of-his-career-exclusive) He found the multi-camera sitcom format challenging at first because dialogue changes frequently during the week of rehearsal and live-audience taping; his friend [John Lithgow](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-lithgow), whom he met on *Cliffhanger* in 1992, advised him that the format would eventually click, which Linn says happened in the fourth episode.[6](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/rex-linn-reveals-why-happys-place-is-one-of-the-best-jobs-of-his-career-exclusive)
## Working pattern and recognition
Linn has accumulated more than 100 acting credits over roughly 35 years, a record he attributes to perseverance and work ethic, and he tells young actors to keep working at their craft in auditions and acting class.[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/) His credits skew toward action, thriller, and Western genres, and he has costarred with [Kevin Costner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-costner) (*Tin Cup*), Jamie Foxx (*Django Unchained*), Jackie Chan (*Rush Hour*), and John Lithgow, with whom he also appeared in *3rd Rock from the Sun*.[3](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/) • [8](https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WHA-Emcee-2024.pdf) He was honored with a place on the Carpenter Square Theatre Walk of Fame in Oklahoma City.[1](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956)
## References
1. [Linn, Rex 1956– , Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/linn-rex-1956)
2. [Rex Linn, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/7119/rex-linn)
3. [Rex Linn: Setting the Scene, Oklahoma State University Connect 2024](https://casinfo.okstate.edu/images/ePubs/CONNECT2024/41/)
4. [Rex Linn Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/rex-linn-396618/film-credits)
5. [Rex Linn Movies on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/s/actor/rex-linn)
6. [Rex Linn Reveals Why 'Happy's Place' Is One of the Best Jobs of His Career, Men's Journal](https://www.mensjournal.com/news/rex-linn-reveals-why-happys-place-is-one-of-the-best-jobs-of-his-career-exclusive)
7. [Rex Linn, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rex-linn/)
8. [Western Heritage Awards Emcee biography, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum](https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WHA-Emcee-2024.pdf)
9. [Rex Linn On Being CSI: Miami's Smart-Ass, CSI Files](https://www.csifiles.com/news/020106_01.shtml)
10. [Linn: I Never Take One Day For Granted, CSI Files](https://www.csifiles.com/content/2011/03/linn-i-never-take-one-day-for-granted/)
11. [Reba McEntire finds a new on-screen family in NBC's 'Happy's Place', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5f3e64ee173d7ca27eb02b66e62bb492)
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*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 Le to L*
*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