When the third season of Yellowstone kicked off, fans were introduced to a man standing knee-deep in a river, fly-fishing with the kind of relaxed confidence that usually signals trouble. That man was Roarke Morris. If you found yourself staring at the screen thinking, "I know those dimples from somewhere," you aren't alone.
Josh Holloway is the actor who plays Roarke on Yellowstone.
If you grew up in the mid-2000s, he’s probably burned into your brain as James "Sawyer" Ford from the cultural phenomenon Lost. Seeing him trade a tropical island for the rugged mountains of Montana was a trip, but he fit into Taylor Sheridan’s world like a custom-made Lucchese boot.
The Man Behind the Hedge Fund: Josh Holloway’s Performance
Roarke Morris wasn't your typical Yellowstone villain. He didn't come at the Duttons with a gun or a badge. Instead, he came with a multi-billion dollar checkbook and the backing of Market Equities. Holloway brought a specific kind of "corporate cowboy" energy to the role—someone who is just as comfortable in a boardroom as he is on a trout stream.
Honestly, it's a bit of a departure from his most famous role. While Sawyer was a dirty, soulful con man with a heart of gold (eventually), Roarke was pure shark. He was the personification of the "inevitable march of progress" that John Dutton hates so much.
Holloway has actually talked about this. He’s a big fan of the show in real life and even knew Taylor Sheridan before being cast. They used to ride horses together. Holloway apparently begged Sheridan to let him be a cowboy. Instead, Sheridan told him, "Nope. You’re a Wall Street guy."
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It worked. Watching him verbally spar with Beth Dutton (played by the incomparable Kelly Reilly) was a season highlight. There was this weird, toxic chemistry between them that made you think, for a split second, they might actually be a match. Then you remembered Beth would literally burn the world down before letting a guy like Roarke take an inch of her father's land.
Why Roarke Morris Left Such an Impression
Most villains in the Yellowstone universe tend to meet a messy end, but Roarke’s exit is legendary. If you haven't seen the Season 4 premiere, look away now.
Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) eventually catches up with Roarke while he’s out fishing. In one of the most "don't mess with Montana" moments in TV history, Rip pulls a rattlesnake out of a cooler and tosses it right at Roarke’s face.
It was brutal. It was fast. And it was peak Yellowstone.
Holloway actually fought with Taylor Sheridan about the logistics of that scene. He told USA Today that he argued he wouldn't die that fast from a snake bite. Sheridan’s response? "It looks better here." Hollywood logic usually beats out biological accuracy on cable TV, and the result was one of the most talked-about deaths in the series.
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Beyond the Ranch: Where Else Have You Seen Him?
Josh Holloway has had a pretty wild career path. Before he was the guy everyone wanted to see get bitten by a snake, he was a high-fashion model. He worked for brands like Calvin Klein and Dolce & Gabbana. You might even spot a very young, long-haired Holloway in the 1993 Aerosmith music video for "Cryin’"—he’s the guy who tries to steal Alicia Silverstone’s purse and gets kicked out of a car.
Here is a quick look at the roles that defined him before (and after) his time in Big Sky Country:
- Lost (2004–2010): The big one. He played Sawyer for six seasons and won a Saturn Award for it.
- Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011): He played Hanaway, the IMF agent who gets taken out in the opening sequence.
- Colony (2016–2018): He starred as Will Bowman in this sci-fi drama about an alien-occupied Los Angeles.
- Intelligence (2014): He played a high-tech agent with a microchip in his brain.
- Duster (2025): His most recent major project on Max, where he plays a getaway driver in the 1970s.
The Roarke Legacy
Even though Roarke Morris is no longer roaming the rivers of Montana, his character changed the trajectory of the show. He was the one who introduced the threat of Market Equities—a villainous force that proved to be much harder to kill than a single man.
Roarke represented the shift from local range wars to global corporate takeovers. He wasn't just trying to steal cattle; he was trying to build an airport. That scale of ambition forced the Duttons to play a game they weren't entirely prepared for.
If you’re looking to dive deeper into Holloway’s work or catch up on the fallout of his character's death, here are a few things you can do:
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Re-watch Season 3, Episode 1: Watch the "meet cute" between Beth and Roarke in the river. It’s a masterclass in how to establish a rivalry with just a few lines of dialogue.
Check out "Duster" on Max: If you miss Holloway’s screen presence, his new series is a great way to see him in a lead role again, trading the fishing gear for 70s muscle cars.
Follow the "Yellowstone" Prequels: If you like the themes Roarke brought to the table—land rights and the death of the Old West—shows like 1883 and 1923 explore the origins of those very conflicts.
Roarke Morris might be gone, but the actor who played him remains one of the most charismatic presences to ever step foot on the Yellowstone ranch.