5 Facts “Marshals” Fans May Not Know About Brecken Merrill, The Actor Who Plays Tate Dutton
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If you’re a Yellowstone fan, then you’ve been watching Brecken Merrill for the past eight years. He reprised his role as Tate Dutton in the new spin-off series Marshals, and viewers can’t believe how grown-up he is now.
Although millions of people recognize Brecken, there are still a few things fans don’t know about the young actor. Keep scrolling to learn five fun facts about his life and career!
Fact #1 – Yellowstone Premiered On Brecken Merrill’s 10th Birthday
Brecken was born on June 20, 2008. Coincidentally, the first season of Yellowstone premiered on June 20, 2018…Brecken’s 10th birthday.
Now that’s quite the birthday present!
Fact #2 – Brecken Merrill Made His Acting Debut In Yellowstone
Many young actors get their start playing small (and often uncredited) roles in TV shows or movies. But Brecken’s career had a remarkable start when he made his acting debut as Kayce and Monica Dutton’s son, Tate Dutton, in Yellowstone.
Of course, Brecken and the other cast members had no idea that Yellowstone would become such a juggernaut, drawing millions of viewers each week. Nor could then-10-year-old Brecken have ever imagined he’d still be playing Tate Dutton eight years later in a spin-off series.
Fact #3 – He Appeared In The Final Season Of This Is Us
Season 4 of Yellowstone ended in January 2024, and Season 5 didn’t start until November of that year. In between the two seasons, Brecken appeared in the second TV show of his career.
He played Nicky Jr., the son of Justin Hartley’s character, Kevin Pearson, in the emotional NBC drama series This Is Us. Brecken starred in two episodes, including the series finale, which aired on May 24, 2022. Did you realize that was him at the time?
Fact #4 – Brecken Merrill Has Only Ever Been In One Movie (So Far)
Brecken landed his first role in a feature film when he was cast in Lifeline. The mystery-thriller movie had a limited theatrical release in 2025.
The film starred Josh Stewart, Judah Lewis, Craig Stark, Charlene Amoia, Luke Benward, August Maturo, and Casey Simpson. Brecken played a younger version of Josh Stewart’s character, Steven Thomas.
Fact #5 – One Question From Kevin Costner Caused Brecken To Develop A Deeper Passion For Acting
Brecken Merrill got the chance to learn from one of the best in the business, as Kevin Costner played Tate Dutton’s grandfather, John Dutton, on Yellowstone.
During an interview with ET in 2023, Brecken recalled a particularly difficult day on set. They were filming a scene that required him to get into the cold water, and the weather was quite chilly.
When Kevin saw a then-nine-year-old Brecken rubbing his hands together, he turned to him and asked a question that changed his life.
“Kevin says, ‘Do you really, like, wanna do this? Is this what you really wanna do?'” Brecken remembered.
Brecken said he thought about Kevin’s question for the next month. Before then, he thought acting was just something fun to do. But Kevin’s question made him realize he wanted to turn it into a career.
“…he kind of guided me to that area of, yeah, this is what I wanna do,” Brecken said. “This is my career. This is my passion. It’s super cold. It’s zero degrees, but I’m loving it. I wanna be here. I just wanna thank Kevin.”
You can now catch Brecken Merrill on Marshals, which airs every Sunday at 8 PM ET on CBS. Check out the video below to see him, Luke Grimes, and some of the show’s other stars in behind-the-scenes footage from Season 2.
