Melanie Olmstead did not appear for a second on Yellowstone, and yet, she has an episode dedicated to her. The Taylor Sheridan-created Yellowstone is set to conclude with season 5 part 2 in late 2024, and the story of the Yellowstone Ranch and the cowboys, landowners, Native Americans, and other speculators interested in the valuable tract of land will be told. The Sheridanverse includes three shows set in the same universe — Yellowstone, 1833, and 1923 — but it’s Yellowstone that will be remembered as the crowning achievement of the showrunner’s works.
Yellowstone and its sister series have great characters played by talented actors. Still, as these types of shows with on-location filming, live animals, and multiple film crews, the behind-the-scenes employees are just as critical to Yellowstone as Cole Hauser or Kelly Reilly. The season 2 finale makes special mention of one of these behind-the-camera people. It’s an explosive ending with John wiring Rip into his will, a major character dying, and Beth and Rip’s relationship blooming. It also marks the passing of a real-life friend of the show.
Melanie Olmstead Was A Film & TV Driver (Though Yellowstone Isn’t Part Of Her Credits)
Melanie Olmstead Worked On Many Utah-Based Projects
Season 2, episode 10, “Sins of the Father”, closes on a card dedicating the episode to the memory of Melanie Olmstead, “In memory of Melanie Olmstead 1968-2019”. Olmstead worked as a driver on a number of movie and TV productions throughout her career. Her role was not in front of a camera but behind the wheel of a car. After her first Hollywood job working as a location assistant on the 2000 Billy Baldwin film Primary Suspect, Olmstead’s career comprised solely of driving duties. Her credits include Wind River (another Sheridan production), John Carter, and Hereditary.
What most of Olmstead’s films and TV shows have in common is that many of them are filmed in Utah. Surprisingly, Yellowstone is not listed on her IMDb page, though some publications like Express have reported her as working on the show. Yellowstone is filmed in Utah, so it’s likely having a knowledgeable and veteran driver who worked on many filming locations in the state would be a valuable aid, even if Melanie Olmstead did not do so in an “official” capacity.
Olmstead Shared The Yellowstone Characters’ Love Of Horses
Horses Are Probably What Attracted Olmstead To The Show In The First Place
Melanie Olmstead kept a private life and, beyond that she was born in 1968 and passed away in 2019, very little is known about her. She does have a notable Facebook post from June 12, 2018, about a year before she died, espousing her love for horses. In the post, she shares a picture of her horse, “Mahogany”, and writes,
“My love affair with horses started about the time I learned to walk, but I didn’t get my first “just mine” horse until I was an adult. This beautiful, amazing girl has been with me since college and recently celebrated her 37th birthday—for my non-horsey friends, that’s over 100 in human years—and she’s still doing great!
Happy birthday, Mahogany, and thanks for being my oldest friend.”
If Melanie Olmstead loved horses, working on Yellowstone must have been a dream come true. Horses play an important role in the series; many characters have delivered or received Yellowstone’s best lines from the saddle of a horse. John Dutton, Rip, and Lloyd are often seen riding one of their beloved animals. Melanie Olmstead meant enough to the show that a season finale was dedicated to her. Hopefully, she was able to get her fill of horse riding on set right up until she was gone.