Rex Linn Biography: Net Worth, Parents, Age, Instagram, Awards, Movies, Books, Religion

Rex Linn is an American film and television actor best known for playing Detective (later Sgt.) Frank Tripp on CSI: Miami, a role that kept him in the middle of a major network hit for a decade.

He later added another widely recognized part as bank executive Kevin Wachtell on Better Call Saul, and he reached a new audience as Principal Tom Petersen on Young Sheldon.

With a career built on steady character work in studio films and long-running TV series, Linn became especially associated with lawmen, authority figures, and tough-talking professionals who ground a scene with plainspoken tension.

Profile

• Full name: Rex Maynard Linn
• Date of birth: November 13, 1956
• Age: 69 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Perryton, Texas, United States
• State of origin: Texas
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor
• Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
• Parents: James Paul Linn (father), Darlene Deere Linn (mother)
• Siblings: Rhonda Linn Bayless, James Paul Linn II
• Spouse: N/A
• Children: N/A
• Relationship status: Engaged to Reba McEntire
• Religion: Christian
• Ethnicity: American
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life and Education

Rex Maynard Linn is now 69 years old and was born on November 13, 1956, in Perryton, Texas. He spent his earliest years in the Texas Panhandle, living in Spearman until his family moved to Oklahoma City in 1969.

His parents were Darlene Deere Linn and attorney James Paul Linn, and he was the third child in the family, with an older sister, Rhonda, and an older brother, James Paul II.

In Oklahoma City, Linn attended Heritage Hall School and later Casady School, an independent school affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and he also worked part-time at the Oklahoma City Zoo. He went on to Oklahoma State University, where he completed a B.A. in Media and Strategic Communications (with coursework centered on radio, television, and film).

Personal Life

Linn’s most public relationship has been with country music star and actress Reba McEntire. The two first met back in 1991 on the set of the TV movie The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw, stayed in touch over the years, and later reconnected decades afterward. By late 2020, they were dating, and in late 2024 they became engaged.

Career

Rex Linn’s path to acting was not straightforward. After college, he worked in banking and other ventures before committing to performance full-time, moving toward film and television work in the late 1980s.

His early screen credits included genre and thriller projects such as Night Game, followed by a run of supporting roles in major films through the 1990s, including Cliffhanger, Wyatt Earp, The Postman, and Rush Hour.

His biggest career-defining break came when he joined CSI: Miami, where he played Frank Tripp from 2002 to 2012, appearing across the series’ full run.

In the years that followed, he remained highly active on television with recurring parts on shows such as Better Call Saul (as Kevin Wachtell), Young Sheldon (as Principal Tom Petersen), and Big Sky. In the mid-2020s, he also appeared on the sitcom Happy’s Place as Emmett.

Awards

• Oklahoma State Duck Calling Championship (1986)
• Carpenter’s Square Theatre Walk of Fame star (1994)
• Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame (2024)

Net Worth

Rex Linn’s net worth is estimated at about $5 million, reflecting decades of paid work as a working actor across studio films, network television, and recurring prestige-series roles.

Social Media

• Instagram: @rexlinn13
• Twitter/X: @rexlinn

Filmography

• Unsolved Mysteries (1987)
• Bonanza: The Next Generation (1988)
• Oklahoma Passage (1989)
• Night Game (1989)
• The Young Riders (1990)
• Cop Rock (1990)
• Northern Exposure (1991)
• Doogie Howser, M.D. (1991)
• Guns of Paradise (1991)
• The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991)
• Thunderheart (1992)
• Sniper (1993)
• Cliffhanger (1993)
• The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1994)
• Iron Will (1994)
• Wyatt Earp (1994)
• Clear and Present Danger (1994)
• Drop Zone (1994)
• 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–1997)
• Cutthroat Island (1995)
• Tin Cup (1996)
• The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)
• Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
• Nash Bridges (1997)
• Breakdown (1997)
• The Postman (1997)
• The Odd Couple II (1998)
• Rush Hour (1998)
• Vengeance Unlimited (1998)
• Blast from the Past (1999)
• Instinct (1999)
• The Jack Bull (1999)
• Walker, Texas Ranger (1999)
• Y2K (1999)
• Snoops (1999)
• The Pretender (2000)
• The Fugitive (2000–2001)
• Crossfire Trail (2001)
• Ghosts of Mars (2001)
• The Salton Sea (2002)
• CSI: Miami (2002–2012)
• The Hunted (2003)
• Cheaper by the Dozen (2003)
• After the Sunset (2004)
• Saving Grace (2007)
• The Zodiac (2005)
• American Gun (2005)
• Two Tickets to Paradise (2006)
• Abominable (2006)
• Trial by Fire (2008)
• Appaloosa (2008)
• Atlas Shrugged: Part II (2012)
• Django Unchained (2012)
• Devil’s Knot (2013)
• Zombeavers (2014)
• A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)

Books

• One Ranger (2005)
• A Man Called Cash (2005)
• Missing Persons (2006)