Even if you've been watching Yellowstone since day 1, you might have forgotten that there was actually a fourth Dutton child who was killed off in the pilot episode -- Lee Dutton. Played by actor Dave Annable, Lee was his father John's favorite so it was a real surprise when he didn't survive the first episode. Fans have recently been speculating that Lee's story is far from over and that we might get to see more of him in flashback episodes in the new season.
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Here's everything we know about Lee Dutton and the actor who plays him, Dave Annable.
Read More: 'Yellowstone' Finally Releases First Look at Upcoming Season 4
Who is Dave Annable?
If you watch TV, odds are you've seen the New York native before. Some of Annable's best-known performances are Justin Walker on Sally Field's ABC drama Brothers & Sisters, Henry Martin on ABC's 666 Park Avenue, Pierce Harrison on NBC's Heartbeat, Dr. Adam McAndrew on FOX's Red Band Society, and recently Dr. Ian Harris on the Netflix miniseries What/If. He's also appeared in guest star roles on shows like Ben and Kate, The Mick, and This is Us. Annable's filmography even includes a few films -- Little Black Book, You May Not Kiss the Bride, and Armed Response.
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Outside of work, Annable has been married to actress Odette Yustman (now professionally known as Odette Annable) since 2010 and they have a sweet little family with their daughter Charlie Mae. Dave and Odette Annable have been very open with fans on social media regarding their pregnancy loss journey as they have attempted to expand their family multiple times during their 11 years of marriage.
Lee Dutton
Lee Dutton was the oldest of the Dutton family, making him John Dutton's heir to the family business. It was a major shock that so early on in the show, Lee gets killed in an attempt to rescue their stolen cattle from Broken Rock Reservation. But as Annable explained to the Hollywood Reporter, he knew that his time on the show would be short-lived.
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"It came across from [Yellowstone co-creator, writer, and director] Taylor Sheridan. I read the script and fell in love with it, but there was this other thing that I was supposed to do, and I ended up passing, saying the timing wasn't going to work. And he called back and was like, 'What are you an idiot? You need to come out here.' So of course, I listened, and any chance you get to work with Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner [is great]. And then I found out I got the part and I was so excited.
"I knew my character was going to die right away and I was OK with that. But as we were shooting and practicing and I was at cowboy camp and learned to ride horses and we were in Montana, I thought, there is no way I want to die on this show. It was just one of the best life experiences that I've ever had. And to have that on such a high-level project was really special.
"It was like my second day of work when I died. I was laying in Kevin Costner's groin, and he was like petting my hair and giving me kisses on my forehead and [I was] hearing this beautiful performance....I was so starstruck. It was really so awesome."
Yellowstone plot hole
Leave it to the Reddit community to pick up on a recurring plot hole over the past three seasons of Yellowstone. One particularly observant fan noticed that Lee was noticeably absent from family photos in the Dutton home that only seem to include the younger three siblings -- Jamie, Beth, and Kayce. In flashback scenes, Lee has also been absent when he was obviously still alive which makes us wonder, is there more to Lee's story than we originally thought?
While some Reddit users responded by saying that it seemed like sloppy writing or production errors, we think that creator Taylor Sheridan is way too sharp for something like that to get overlooked. So we can only assume all of Lee's absences were on purpose. We do know that he was older than his siblings when the photos were taken so maybe he was at school, working, or as one user put it, behind the camera.
A recent pic that Annable shared on Instagram has Yellowstone fans going wild, thinking that maybe Lee is finally coming back to clear some things up in flashback scenes. The actor is dressed for winter, getting a COVID test, and he makes a couple of vague hints as to what the project is.
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"Back to work baby!!! Hint: It's cold here. Another hint: The beard is staying 🤠😉"
Does the cowboy hat mean Yellowstone?! We know it's cold in Montana where the series films so that would definitely make sense. Not to mention, Annable posted about the show again a few months later leading up to the Yellowstone marathon over Memorial Day weekend. What does all of this mean?? Hopefully, we'll find out this fall when season 4 comes back!
Now Watch: Who Plays Beth Dutton on 'Yellowstone'? Kelly Reilly Brings the Series' Toughest Character to Life
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