If you’ve ever watched a Taylor Sheridan show, chances are you’ve seen a cowboy stare into the horizon like it owes him something. But Sheridan’s universe is not just dust and denim. It is a massive, genre-bending empire that stretches from Yellowstone to Mayor of Kingstown and beyond. Since Yellowstone debuted in 2018, Sheridan has built a TV dynasty that’s rooted in a Western aesthetic but layered with crime, politics, and legacy. His spin-offs (1883, 1923, and the upcoming 1944) trace the Dutton family’s journey, while Special Ops: Lioness and Lawman: Bass Reeves prove he’s just as comfortable in espionage and historical drama.
Then came Tulsa King in 2022, a show that felt like a curveball and a homerun all at once. Starring Sylvester Stallone as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a New York mob capo exiled to Oklahoma after 25 years in prison, it’s a fish-out-of-water comedy with a dash of mob drama and neo-Western swagger. Critics greatly praised Stallone’s performance and the show’s offbeat tone, and because it’s a Sheridan production, Tulsa King naturally features familiar faces from his other shows.
These are actors who have already proven they can thrive in Taylor Sheridan’s morally complex, character-driven worlds. From mobsters to cowboys to conflicted fathers, these characters bring subtle continuity to the Sheridan-verse. Here are 6 recurring Taylor Sheridan actors who appear in Tulsa King.
Domenick Lombardozzi
Charles “Chickie” Invernizzi in ‘Tulsa King’
Domenick Lombardozzi is best known for his role as Herc on The Wire, and it’s the one performance that cemented him as a go-to for tough, streetwise characters with a hint of vulnerability. His face itself is gritty, expressive, and authentic enough, but his resume, stacked with crime dramas like Boardwalk Empire, Ray Donovan, and Breakout Kings, tells the true story.
In Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe, Lombardozzi appears as a masked assailant and a force against the Duttons when they’re facing off against the Beck brothers. It’s a brief role in Season 2, Episode 7, but it marked an entry point for him and hinted at the kind of menace Sheridan would later tap into more fully.
In Tulsa King, Lombardozzi plays Charles “Chickie” Invernizzi, the heir to the New York mob throne and son of Pete “The Rock” Invernizzi. Chickie is a man who inherited power but never earned respect, and the actor leans into that tension with a performance that’s volatile and tragic. From the moment Dwight (Sylvester Stallone) steps back into the fold, Chickie is threatened by his refusal to play the old game. His arc culminates in his downfall at the hands of Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo) in Season 2’s finale, which makes it clear that Lombardozzi won’t show up in Tulsa King Season 3, but his nuance made Chickie more than just a foil. He represents the old guard and his presence forces the show to reckon with its own roots.
Barry Corbin
Babe Keller in ‘Tulsa King’
Born in 1940 in Texas, Barry Corbin boasts a decades-spanning career of cowboy grit and small-town wisdom. From Lonesome Dove to Northern Exposure (which earned him two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations), he has played sheriffs, ranchers, and generations with the kind of lived-in authenticity that cannot be faked. When it comes to Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone, Corbin appears in Season 4 as Ross, a seasoned cowboy at the Four Sixes Ranch who offers guidance to Jimmy Hurdstrom (Jefferson White) as he tries to adapt to the Texas way of life.
Corbin’s role is brief but poignant. Ross does not lecture or nudge. Instead, he offers a quiet mentorship that’s the hallmark of Sheridan’s storytelling. In Tulsa King, he plays Babe Keller, Mitch’s (Garrett Hedlund) uncle and a fixture of the Bred2Buck bar before it transforms into Dwight’s casino. His presence tells you that he’s Tulsa through and through. He is a man who’s seen the town change and isn’t impressed by flash.
Though absent in Season 2, Babe returns in Season 3 when Mitch brings Cleo Montague to his house for protection from Jeremiah Dunmire and his son Cole. Corbin’s return in 2025 is not fan service; it’s a tonal reset as Tulsa King eases back into its neo-Western roots and explores the old Tulsa that existed before Dwight’s empire.
Graham Greene
Old Smoke in ‘Tulsa King’
There’s a certain intensity to Graham Greene’s performances that makes him unforgettable, even in limited screen time. The late actor spent decades portraying Indigenous characters with dignity and nuance, right from his Oscar-nominated turn in Dances with Wolves to his role as Ben, the tribal police chief in Taylor Sheridan’s Wind River. Then, in the Yellowstone spin-off titled 1883, Sheridan cast Greene as Spotted Eagle, a Crow elder who guides James Dutton (Tim McGraw) to the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch.
It’s a pivotal moment for the Dutton legacy as it sets the tone of the series, and Greene’s presence alone adds so much emotional weight to Sheridan’s vision of the American West. It’s apparent that Greene is a recurring character in Sheridan-verse because he also shows up in Tulsa King Season 2 as Old Smoke, an Indigenous elder who attends the funeral of Jimmy (Glenn Gould) and later gives Dwight a tomahawk. He pledges his alliance in a way that quietly shifts the power dynamic in Dwight’s favor.
Green plays his character with spiritual authority, and looking at him, you don’t even need a backstory. You see how his scenes help Dwight understand the deeper stakes of his presence in Tulsa. And at this point, it’s not even about screen time. Greene’s characters, in Taylor Sheridan’s universe, have served as cultural anchors or a moral compass, and Old Smoke is no exception.
Michael Beach
Mark Mitchell in ‘Tulsa King’
Michael Beach has long been one of those actors who elevate every scene he’s in. He’s had standout roles in Third Watch, Soul Food, and Aquaman. But it is his work in Taylor Sheridan’s Mayor of Kingstown that marks his entry into Taylor Sheridan’s own little universe. He plays Kareem Moore, a prison guard turned warden, and delivers a harrowing arc across three seasons. It is a brutal and layered performance that demonstrates his acting chops.
Interestingly enough, Beach is the only actor who appears as a regular in both Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa King. In the latter, he plays Mark Mitchell, father to Tyson (Jay Will), Dwight’s loyal driver and protégé. Mark is a working-class man with a strong sense of justice. He is not just a concerned father, but also a man watching his son get pulled into a world he doesn’t trust. His scenes with Tyson are tense and occasionally heartbreaking.
In Season 2, as Dwight’s empire expands, Mark’s skepticism deepens, and Beach shifts from wary observer to reluctant participant. It’s this contrast that makes Beach’s presence in Tulsa King so effective. In the middle of all the mob politics and criminal manipulations, Mark reminds you of the real world. He’s the one paying the bills, taking responsibility, and facing consequences.
Neal McDonough
Cal Thresher in ‘Tulsa King’
The Massachusetts-born actor, Neal McDonough, has a knack for playing men who smile with a glint of evil behind their eyes. He’s built a career on roles that combine charisma and intimidation, and it’s been visible from Lieutenant Hawk in Band of Brothers to Dum Dum Dugan in the Captain America films. But his turn as Malcolm Beck in Yellowstone Season 2 is an easy standout. Beck, a ruthless businessman and one of the Duttons’ most formidable foes, orchestrated the kidnapping of Tate and nearly broke the family. There’s precision in the role, and even though his character was presumed dead, McDonough insists otherwise: “No one saw him actually die,” he told Collider in 2025.
In Tulsa King, McDonough trades Montana’s wide plains for Oklahoma’s underworld by stepping into the role of Cal Thresher, a slick and calculating businessman with ties to Dwight’s growing empire. Cal isn’t a mobster or a villain in the traditional sense. He’s more of a corporate shark who doesn’t mind swimming in murky waters. He sizes up Dwight’s operations and pulls the strings from behind.
The role is vital to Tulsa King because it acts as a reminder that danger isn’t always loud and violent. His character brings sophistication to the series, forcing Dwight to navigate not just street-level threats but boardroom politics. Moreover, McDonough is on both sides of that coin, and that’s probably why Sheridan keeps bringing him back.
Garrett Hedlund
Mitch Keller in ‘Tulsa King’
Another important and easily recognizable star of Taylor Sheridan’s shows is Garrett Hedlund. Born in Minnesota in 1984, Hedlund broke out with Troy and Friday Night Lights, and later earned acclaim for Mudbound and Tron: Legacy. His entry into the Sheridan-verse began with Tulsa King in 2022, but it expanded in 2023 when he joined Lawmen: Bass Reeves as Garrett Montgomery, a posse man hired by Bass for his riding skills and local knowledge.
A small arc for a gambler with debts and a dangerous streak of ambition is all it took for viewers to understand the importance of Hedlund, because later, he only turned on Bass in a moment of greed and desperation. He’s an archetype. A man cornered by circumstance. In Tulsa King, Hedlund steps into the boots of Mitch Keller, a former bull rider whose glory days are long behind him.
Mitch is Dwight’s first real ally in Tulsa. He helps the man set up shop in the Bred2Buck bar and later becomes a member of the crew. But he’s still not a sidekick. Mitch has seen too much to be impressed, but he’s still loyal enough to stand by Dwight’s side when things get messy. His scenes with Babe Keller (Barry Corbin) and Cleo Montague in Season 3 also show Mitch as someone trying to protect others even when he’s barely hanging by a thread himself. Garrett Montgomery in Bass Reeves is all ambition and no anchor. Mitch Keller in Tulsa King is the opposite. And Hedlund plays both roles well.
- Release Date
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November 13, 2022
- Network
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Paramount+