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David Yost

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For persons of a similar name, see David Yost (disambiguation).

David Yost
Yost at GalaxyCon Richmond in 2022
Born
David Harold Yost

(1969-01-07) January 7, 1969 (age 55)
Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
EducationAmador Valley High School
Alma materGraceland University (BA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
Years active1993–present

David Harold Yost (/joʊst/; born January 7, 1969) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for portraying Billy Cranston in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury.

Early life

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Yost was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[1] He moved around the United States while winning many national gymnastics competitions, most notably the state championships in Iowa and Montana. In 1987, he graduated from Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California. In 1991, he graduated from Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and dramatic arts.[1]

Career

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Yost moved to California with hopes of becoming an actor,[1] and won the part of Billy Cranston (Blue Power Ranger) in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers three months after arriving. He starred in almost 200 episodes of the show's first four seasons. He was the only cast member to appear in every single episode of the original series; his character never changed his colors or passed on his power coins to successors like the rest of the original cast. Yost's most high-profile work was his appearance in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995),[2] which took in over $60 million at the box office. The film served as a non-canonical alternate opening for the third season.

After the show ended and Power Rangers Zeo began in the fourth season, Yost stayed on as Billy, but Billy's role within the show changed. Instead of his previous role as a Power Ranger, he became a technical advisor to the others. When asked about the change in a 2010 interview, Yost was evasive about how he'd personally felt about this but said he understood why the production team did it; he stated that Haim Saban was interested in the cast turnover of Super Sentai and believes that this was part of it.[3] Yost left the show toward the end of the Power Rangers Zeo season. His character's final episode employed footage from previous episodes and voice work from an uncredited actor to conceal the fact that Yost was not present during the taping.[citation needed] A tribute to his character was seen in the closing credits of this episode.

While it was originally believed that he had left the series due to insufficient pay, Yost later revealed in a 2010 interview that he left because he could no longer handle harassment by members of the production crew who targeted him over his sexual orientation. According to Yost, he was often called a "faggot", and the producers frequently questioned other cast members in private about his sexuality. Yost left late in the fourth season after a week of contemplation and thoughts of suicide instead of continuing work another six months into the second film. He stated that the co-workers involved with writing, filming, and producing the show considered him "not worthy" to be where he was and that he "could not be a superhero" because of his homosexuality.[4][5]

Scott Page-Pagter, a producer of the show starting with Power Rangers Zeo,[6] responded through TMZ that Yost actually left over a pay bonus being dropped but did not elaborate further or dispute any of Yost's claims about the outside reasons for leaving the show. Saban Entertainment made no official statement regarding the subject.[7] After Yost left the show, he attempted to change his sexual orientation with conversion therapy for two years. Eventually, he had a nervous breakdown that resulted in his psychiatric hospitalization for five weeks. After he checked out, he moved to Mexico for a year and eventually accepted his sexuality.[5]

Yost starred as Josh White in the film Scene of the Crime (1996). He portrayed a Playboy photographer in the television film After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped (2000). He was an associate producer for another television film, The Mary Kay Letourneau Story (2000). He first tried producing in 2001, working on the series Alien Hunter and Temptation Island. He worked as the director of production for Sci-Fi Lab, headed by the Sci-Fi Channel. He then became the manager of licensing for Geneon, where he sold television shows and films to such networks as Showtime, Starz, Encore, and Cartoon Network.

In 2002, Yost performed in a play called Fallen Guardian Angels in Los Angeles for AIDS Project Los Angeles. The play was about six actors dealing with HIV in various situations. The proceeds went to benefit The Children's Hospitals AIDS Center. The entire production raised over $25,000 and Yost himself raised $5,000 for the hospital, as well as receiving good reviews from LA Weekly Theater. In 2004, he worked as a field producer for the English documentary series You Are What You Eat. He appeared at the Anime Festival Orlando in Florida in August 2010.[8] He has participated in the NOH8 Campaign.[9] He appeared at Power Morphicon 2012 and 2014 in Pasadena, California along with his former co-stars.[10] Yost appeared alongside his friend and former Power Rangers co-star, Amy Jo Johnson in one of Johnson's Stageit webcast shows in 2014.[11] As of 2015, Yost remains on the convention circuit.

In 2016, Yost became co-owner of Affirmative Clothing along with Harlingen, Texas entrepreneurs Mason and Cris Andrade. Named after one of Billy's catch phrases, Affirmative has apparel with designs mostly inspired by Power Rangers, which Yost and the Andrade brothers first sold on conventions they attended.[12]

In 2017, he starred in the short film The Order alongside other former Power Rangers co-stars.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

In May 2018, shortly after Hasbro acquired the Power Rangers franchise, Yost (via Twitter) expressed his desire to help produce a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reunion film for Netflix.[20] In September 2022, it was announced that Yost was returning to the Power Rangers franchise for a 30th-anniversary special, accompanied by original Black Ranger actor Walter Emanuel Jones as well as former co-stars Steve Cardenas, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, and Catherine Sutherland. The special titled "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always" was released on April 19, 2023.[21][22]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1995 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Billy Cranston / Blue Power Ranger
1996 Scene of the Crime Josh White Television film
2000 After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped Playboy Photographer Television film
Associate producer
2010 Degenerate Marcus Television film
2010 Who Ever Told You It Was Okay to Dream Anyway...? Father at Picnic Table Short film
2017 The Order James
2023 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always Billy Cranston / Blue Power Ranger 30th Anniversary Special

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1993–1995 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Billy Cranston / Blue Power Ranger Starring role (153 episodes)
1994 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Alpha's Magical Christmas Video short
1996 Power Rangers Zeo Billy Cranston Starring role (40 episodes)
1999 Power Rangers: The Lost Episode Billy Cranston / Blue Power Ranger Special episode (archival footage)
2000 The Mary Kay Letourneau Story Associate producer
2001 Alien Hunter Producer
2001 Temptation Island Associate producer
2004 You Are What You Eat Field producer
2010 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Segment producer
2023 Power Rangers Cosmic Fury[23] Billy Cranston / Blue Power Ranger Starring role (10 episodes)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Brummer-Clark, Courtney (July 7, 2017). "Council Bluffs native got his break as the Blue Power Ranger". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  2. ^ "David Yost | Schauspieler | Regisseur | Drehbuch". moviebreak.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  3. ^ Interview with David Yost Part 2. YouTube. 25 August 2010. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  4. ^ Brad Wete (2010-08-26). "Original Blue Power Ranger reveals that he was harassed on set for being homosexual - EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-08-26. [dead link‍]
  5. ^ a b "Interview with David Yost Part 3". No Pink Spandex. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
  6. ^ A Zeo Beginning Part 1
  7. ^ "Morphin' Producer -- Blue Ranger Was 'Pain in the Ass'". TMZ. 2010-08-26.
  8. ^ "Anime Festival Orlando". Anime Festival Orlando. August 2010.
  9. ^ "Familiar Faces". noh8campaign.com.
  10. ^ "David Yost". Power Morphicon 5 ~ 2016. 25 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Amy Jo Johnson & David Yost's Stageit Show". YouTube ~ 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  12. ^ Garcia, Raul (March 18, 2017). "'Affirmative:' Harlingen duo team up with Power Ranger". Valley Morning Star.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "The Order film 2017 on henshinjustice.com". Archived from the original on 2016-10-22.
  14. ^ "Primer tráiler de 'The Order', el sorprendente reencuentro del reparto de la serie 'Power Rangers'".
  15. ^ "[Movie] The Order". www.houston-imports.com.
  16. ^ Jefferson, Corey (19 May 2016). "'The Order,' Cast Entirely With Former Power Rangers, Is Basically 'Power Rangers: Civil War'".
  17. ^ "A Dream Team Of Former Power Rangers Assemble For A Dark New Action Movie 'The Order'". ScienceFiction.com. 31 May 2016.
  18. ^ "The Power Rangers are Back in "The Order" - Ace of Geeks". 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  19. ^ "The Order - Atores de Power Rangers em novo filme". 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Power Rangers: Original Blue Ranger Offers To Help Create Netflix Reunion Film". Power Rangers. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  21. ^ "Power Rangers: Mighty Morphin Legends David Yost and Walter Jones to Return for 30th Anniversary - the Illuminerdi". 30 September 2022.
  22. ^ Gomez, Patrick (17 January 2023). "Original 'Power Rangers' stars reunite for 30th anniversary Netflix special". EW.com. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  23. ^ MacCary, Julia (March 22, 2023). "'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Original Cast Reunites to Fight Rita Repulsa in 'Once & Always' Trailer on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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