Forrie J. Smith embodies the spirit of the wild west so well in the western drama, “Yellowstone.” Smith plays the gritty cowboy and ranch hand, Lloyd, on the hit show so well, because the Montana man is actually a real rancher.
Before he became the actor that “Yellowstone” fans have grown to love, Forrie J. Smith was roping, riding, and even competing as a real-life cowboy. By the time he was 8-years-old, Smith was competing.
“I was on my second pair of chaps already – I wore one out riding at home. My granddad rodeoed when they circled the cars and snubbed the horses,” Forrie J. Smith remembers. “I was drawn to it. I’m known as a horseman. I’ve started a lot of warmbloods for the equestrian people.”
Smith’s rodeo career just progressed from there. “I was raised in the back seat of a station wagon. My dad was winning checks until he was 52 in the RCA,” he continues. Both his mother and father were ranchers and riders, too.
“I started working the labor list when I was eight-under guys like Sonny Linger, Reg Kesler, and the Big Bend Rodeo Company. I’ve been on 17 horses in one day and 11 head of bulls in one day. Everything good in my life was because of rodeo.”
Forrie J. Smith Shows Off on Social Media
The cowboy turned actor still stays true to his roots. Forrie J. Smith shows off his western way of life on Instagram to his near 90-thousand followers.
While this photo might look like something from the gorgeous natural Montana set of “Yellowstone,” it’s actually Smith saddled up on his own time. The photo shows the cowboy ponying a horse behind him.
Now in his sixties, Forrie J. Smith calls San Acacia, New Mexico, home. As a matter of fact, there’s nothing he loves more than returning to his own ranch.
“I like sleeping in my own bed, petting my own dogs, and saddling my own horses,” he tells RodeoNews. “It’s getting better around home about going out and having a meal and not getting interrupted. I’m not complainin’ – it’s so cool – the excitement and joy you bring people with just a hug and a picture. Without them, I wouldn’t have a show. It’s kind of wild.”
Smith might enjoy spending time at his home ranch, but that doesn’t mean that he’s slowing down. The cowboy is thankful and considers himself a blessed man.
“Thank God to the movie business I’ll have a decent retirement through the teamsters guild. As long as I can stick my feet in the stirrup, I’ll always do day work and I’ll still do movies,” he says.
Smith is Still Rodeoing
Forrie J. Smith is not only an actor and cowboy but also a stuntman. So when he’s not performing stunts that involve high-risk horse-related situations, he’s saddling up to take on bucking broncs. Forrie first filled his rodeo permit in 1982. As a result, Smith started competing in professional rodeos.
Smith was a member of the National Senior Pro Rodeo Association. He joined in 2006 when he was 47-years-old. Smith might’ve never won the championship title at the Finals, but he did win his circuit twice and did take the average at the National Senior Pro Rodeo Association Finals.
“I was raised to make money – if I didn’t make money rodeoing, I didn’t do it,” Forrie J. Smith adds. And as his “Yellowstone” character says, “When a cowboy needs extra money, he wins it.”
This photo Smith shares on social media shows him bearing the American flag for the grand entry.
“I am an American first and foremost if you were born here so are you,” he writes. “So let’s love our country the only one, America, we can lead the lives we live God Bless America.”
Get Along Little Doggie, Real Life Cattle Drive
Forrie J. Smith isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Smith says he’s the “cow boss” on “Yellowstone,” and apparently he’s the cow boss in real life.
This snap from 2019 shows Smith leading a herd of long-horned cattle. He sits atop a beautiful gray horse and dons a black cowboy hat.
Smith says, “I’m a very blessed man – I thank God and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that I’m still on the ride. It ain’t over yet.”
As for what can we expect from Smith’s “Yellowstone” character, Lloyd Pearce, in season 4. Maybe fans will finally learn why he has the oldest brand on the Dutton ranch.
“Well, there’s not much that I can tell, except that he’s been there a long time,” Smith tells TVFanatic. “The second episode, when they exposed my brand and introduced me in the script, it said that my brand was older than anybody else in the room. So whatever I did to get there happened a long time ago.”
To check out all of Forrie J. Smith’s Instagram posts click here. Season 4 is premiering this June. Until then, stick with us at Outsider.com for all the latest on our favorite show.
