All About Rex Linn’s Most Recognizable TV and Movie Roles Before Happy’s Place

You definitely recognize the Happy’s Place actor from a list of popular shows.

Rex Linn is such a widely known and respected actor, currently starring in NBC’s Happy’s Place with his IRL girlfriend Reba McEntire, it’s hard to believe he had a few wildly different careers before he moved to Hollywood at the age of 34.

How to Watch

Watch Happy’s Place Fridays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock.

“In 1989, I had sold my house and broken up with my girlfriend, and my dad said, ‘If you’re going to pursue your dream of acting, now would be the time do it,’” Linn shared in an interview with his alma mater, Oklahoma State University. “I had been a banker. I was in the oil business. Then, I had a hunting guide service. For that decade, I had been talking about acting. … So, I packed all my stuff in a U-Haul and headed west on I-40.”

RELATED: Rex Linn Reveals the Cute PDA He Shows Reba McEntire on the Happy’s Place Set

Since he made that decision, Linn has become a staple in Hollywood, starring in popular sitcoms, thrilling dramas, and several blockbuster movies. So what has Linn acted in over the years? Read on to take a look back at the actor’s long and impressive career in show business.

Rex Linn stars in NBC’s Happy Place

Tokala Black Elk, Belissa Escobedo, Melissa Peterman, Reba McEntire, Rex Linn, and Pablo Castelblanco at the NBCU Portrait Studio in July 2024. Photo: JSquared Photography/NBCUniversal

NBC’s Happy’s Place is about a woman named Bobbie (Reba McEntire) who inherits her late father’s bar, and also finds out she has a half sister she never knew about until after his passing. On the sitcom, Linn plays Emmett, the tavern’s longtime short-order cook who tends to keep to himself in the kitchen, yet always comes through with sage advice when needed.

In real life, Linn told TODAYhe can’t personally relate to his character’s quiet nature. “I think Emmett kind of navigates the ship from the kitchen, I think he was Happy’s best friend,” he said. “He is a man of few words in the show.”

But one thing they do have in common? Cooking. “We cook together, but [Linn is] the type that will find a recipe and cook for three days. I’m like, ‘What’s in the refrigerator?’ I just pile it all together,” McEntire told TV Insider.

While Linn appears to be very methodical in the kitchen, the actor showed off Emmett’s cooking style on TikTok by ripping up a whole cucumber with his bare hands and using a meat thermometer as a fork.

Happy’s Place also stars Melissa Peterman, Belissa Escobedo, Pablo Castelblanco, and Tokala Black Elk.

Rex Linn played a key character in the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul

Rex Linn appears on the TODAY Show on Monday, April 17, 2023. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC

From 2016 to 2022, Linn played Kevin Wachtell in Better Call Saul, a spinoff prequel series to Breaking Bad. Linn appeared in a total of 13 episodes as Kevin Wachtell, the CEO of Mesa Verde Bank. Better Call Saul focuses on Jimmy McGill, played by Bob Odenkirk in both series, “as he transforms into morally challenged lawyer Saul Goodman,” the show’s synopsis reads.

In a 2021 interview on Inside The Gilliverse podcast, Linn revealed that he was initially signed on to do only one episode, but that ultimately extended to over a dozen. “I have loved Better Call Saul so much,” Linn said. “The writing’s been there … Everything they’ve written for me has been fantastic.”

If you want to quickly revisit Linn’s role as Kevin Wachtell, Better Call Saul’s official TikTok page made a clip of his first and last lines in the series.

What else has Rex Linn acted in?

With over 100 acting credits to his name, Linn’s filmography dates back to the ‘80s. In addition to Happy’s Place and Better Call Saul, Linn is also known for his role as Sgt. Frank Tripp in CSI: Miami and Principal Tom Peterson in Young Sheldon.

Linn has also appeared in Tin Cup, Rush Hour, JAG, Nashville, The Fugitive, Cheaper by the Dozen, Django Unchained, and Big Sky. 

Before any of those roles, however, Linn met his future girlfriend and Happy’s Place co-star on the set of The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. Linn and McEntire both had roles in the 1991 western drama, but didn’t start dating until 2020. They shared the screen once again in the TV movie Reba McEntire’s The Hammer and when McEntire guest-starred on Young Sheldon. 

Rex Linn and Reba McEntire attend a reception for NBCUniversal’s Summer Press Tour for “Happy’s Place” in Pasadena, Calif. on July 14, 2024. Photo: Todd Williamson/NBCUniversal

How to watch Rex Linn in Happy’s Place

Catch new episodes of Happy’s Place on Fridays at 8/7c on NBC. Past episodes from Season 1 are available on Peacock and new ones arrive the day after they air on TV.