3 It’s been quite a life for 1980 alumnus Rex Linn, the actor who co-stars in CSI: Miami and who has appeared in more than 35 films alongside actors such as Kevin Costner, Tom Selleck and Sylvester Stallone. © CBS Entertainment PHOTOS Today, people easily recognize Linn, 53, as homicide Det. Frank Tripp on the enduring CBS hit CSI: Miami. There’s one constant in his career — perseverance. Linn never forgot advice from the late actor Roy Scheider. Scheider and Linn had just wrapped up Night Game in Galveston, Texas. “All I wanted was Roy Scheider’s autograph since it was the first time in my career that someone really gave me a chance,” says Linn. Linn got the autograph (he still has it at his Sherman Oaks, Calif., home) and solid wisdom from Scheider, who told him, “One of the things I realize about you is that you listen and that’s important for an actor to do. I can tell you’re raw, but you have a lot of talent. Just remember, it doesn’t matter what coast you’re on, perseverance is the key.” Linn now gives the same advice to new actors. “Hit the street and do whatever you can. It’s the toughest business you can be in.” Linn talks easily about Hollywood and the many actors (he doesn’t like calling them movie stars) he has worked with over the years. However, thoughts of Oklahoma pepper his conversation. Recently, Linn returned to help pack the belongings at his dad’s home in the Waterford community in Oklahoma City. James Paul Linn died at the age of 83 on Oct. 24, 2009. The Luckiest Guy on the Planet “I buried my hero, so these have been a tough few months,” Linn says of his dad who was a trial attorney representing clients who included rock star David Bowie, the former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos and former OSU football coach Jim Stanley. ON SAFARI In 1956, Rex Maynard Linn, the third child of James Paul and Darlene Linn, was born in Hansford County, Texas. In 1969, the elder Linn moved the family from Spearman, Texas, to Oklahoma City, so he could practice law. When 5 years old, Linn wanted to be three things when he grew up — an actor like Boris Karloff who played Frankenstein or Lon Chaney Jr. who played Wolf Man, a football player at the University of Texas and a veterinarian. Linn’s come close to reaching those goals but not without a few detours. He hasn’t forgotten his first day at Heritage Hall School, a private prep school in north Oklahoma City. “I walk into a classroom with a flattop and red grease in my hair wearing penny loafers and white socks. This one guy, Anthony Meyers, wearing his T-shirt and tie-died jeans with long hair says to me, ‘What planet you from, dude?’” Meyers and Linn became lifelong friends. In the summer of 1970, Linn met Greg Curtis when they both worked at the Oklahoma City Zoo. Linn worked in the concession stand. While behind the counter, Linn would peek out and observe the tram drivers. On breaks, he would walk down to the herpetarium — the snake house. “All I wanted to do was be around the animals,” he says. By the third summer, Linn donned a zoo uniform and safari hat to give a 25-minute tram tour of the 110-acre zoo. Both he and Curtis memorized 23 pages of dialogue. “Now that I think about it, memorizing the long spiel helped me in acting a lot,” Linn says. His passion for animals didn’t completely overshadow Linn’s mischievous side or forestall the dubious activities of racing the trams or overstaying a break at the herpetarium when a new shipment of snakes arrived. The zoo fired and rehired Linn and Curtis four times in five years. “Greg and I had the coolest job in the state of Oklahoma, but we got in more trouble than you could imagine. Working at the zoo is one of the highlights of my life,” he says. “Except for getting fired.” CONTINUES STORY BY Lorene Roberson Hickey ’84
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