As not only a spinoff but also a direct sequel to “Yellowstone,” the hit Paramount+ drama “Dutton Ranch” firmly centers the characters of Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler. The two are obviously once again played by returning stars Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, respectively. But the vast majority of the cast is made up of franchise newcomers playing brand-new characters, from Ed Harris as Everett McKinney to Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson, who “loved” being a part of her character’s storyline in the first season. And that’s not even taking the supporting cast into account.

One such recurring character is Dwight White, a local rancher who’s noteworthy for owning a pet leopard, and is played by Ray McKinnon (no relation to comedian Kate McKinnon). If you found yourself watching him and wondering, “Where have I seen this guy before?” don’t despair. McKinnon was actually a natural fit for “Dutton Ranch,” since he’s no stranger to appearing in Western and (neo-Western) TV dramas. The prolific performer portrayed Assistant U.S. Attorney Lincoln Potter in Season 4 of “Sons of Anarchy,” and subsequently reprised his role in spinoff show “Mayans M.C.”

McKinnon also had a recurring role as Reverend H.W. Smith on “Deadwood,” appeared in a Season 1 episode of “FX’s Justified,” as the character Mr. Duke, and even featured in an episode of Dolly Parton’s Netflix show “Heartstrings.” Beyond Western, and Western-adjacent, TV, the actor has also appeared in episodes of “Designing Women,” “The X-Files,” and “Fear the Walking Dead,” as well as in films like “Ford v Ferrari,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “The Blind Side,” and Ron Howard’s Oscar-winning ’90s classic “Apollo 13.”

Ray McKinnon has also worked behind the camera

While his role on “Dutton Ranch” was limited to just two episodes during the Texas-set “Yellowstone” sequel’s debut season, Ray McKinnon’s portrayal of Dwight White was undeniably memorable. After all, it’s hard to be boring when you have a pet leopard. During a May 2026 interview with Film Inside, main cast member Finn Little, who reprises his role as Carter Green from “Yellowstone,” opened up about the excitement that came with working opposite McKinnon. “There’s some scenes in Episode 3 and 4 with Ray McKinnon, who plays Dwight, and I got to work with a exotic animal — let’s say that — and that was pretty awesome. That was pretty awesome to see,” Little enthused.

But while his “Dutton Ranch” co-stars seem to love having McKinnon, and his animal companion, on the show’s Texas set, it’s actually Georgia that the “Apollo 13” star calls home. While McKinnon is perhaps best known as an actor, he’s also made his name as a filmmaker, primarily through Sundance TV series “Rectify,” which he created, co-wrote, and co-directed. McKinnon unsurprisingly shot it in Georgia, and has had plenty to say about the film industry boom that his home state has experienced in recent years.

“A lot [has changed],” McKinnon told Carvd N Stone in May 2025, adding, “I mean, maybe Burt Reynolds would do a movie once a year, and now it’s, what, the second or third-largest movie-producing, television-producing place in the country. […] It’s like night and jobs.”