David Yost
Encyclopedia
David Harold Yost is an American
actor and producer known for his role of Billy Cranston
on the television series
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
and Power Rangers Zeo.
and moved around throughout the United States
, winning many gymnastics
competitions nationally, most notably the state championships Iowa
and Montana
. In 1987, he graduated from Amador Valley High School
in Pleasanton, CA. In 1991, graduated from Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa
with a B.A. in communication and dramatic arts. He moved to California
with hopes of becoming an actor
and auditioned for a role in the Power Rangers series only three months after arriving. He won the part of Billy Cranston
, the computer-literate Power Ranger.
, playing the part of the Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston
, with the power of the Triceratops
, the Unicorn
in season 2, and later the Wolf in season 3. Yost's most high-profile work was his appearance in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
, which took in over thirty million dollars at the box office in 1995. The movie was in theaters between the second and third seasons of M.M.P.R. and served as a non-canonical alternate opening for the third season.
After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
ended and Power Rangers: Zeo
began in the fourth season, Yost stayed as Billy Cranston, but Cranston'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 says Haim Saban
was interested in Super Sentai
' 's cast turnover and believes this was part of it.
Yost eventually left the show toward the end of the Power Rangers: Zeo
season. While it was originally believed that he had left the series due to insufficient pay, Yost later revealed in an interview that he left the series because he could no longer handle co-worker harassment that targeted his sexual orientation. He was often called a "faggot" and the producers would ask the other actors questions about Yost's sexuality. Scott Page-Pagter
, a long time producer of the show, responded to these remarks saying that Yost did not leave the show for this reason and issued a statement, "[Yost] and two of the other actors were all getting a bonus on top of their salary. When the other two left the show, production wanted to stop giving him the bonus, and that’s ultimately what led to his departure from the show." Pagter denied the allegations of homophobia, saying, "I don’t know why he’s saying this, but he was the only one no one got along with...he was a pain in the ass." The character's final episode, "Rangers of Two Worlds", employed footage from previous episodes as well as vocal work from a separate, uncredited actor, to conceal the fact that Yost was not present during the taping. A tribute to the Blue Ranger and Billy was seen in the closing credits
of this last Billy episode.
which resulted in his psychiatric hospitalization for five weeks. After Yost checked out, he moved to Mexico
for a year and eventually accepted his sexuality.
In 1996, Yost had a minor role in the movie Ladykiller as Josh White. In 2000, he portrayed a Playboy
photographer in the made-for-television movie After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped. He was an associate producer for another made-for-television movie, The Mary Kay Letourneau Story
, that same year. In 2001, he first tried his hand at producing, working on the series Alien Hunter
and Temptation Island, but he had not acted in front of the camera in some four years, at least since 1997. He worked as the director of production for Sci-Fi Lab, headed by the Sci-Fi Channel
. Yost was then the manager of licensing for Pioneer Entertainment, where he sold completed 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 at "the complex" located in Los Angeles for A.P.L.A. (A.I.D.S. 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 and received good reviews from LA Weekly Theatre. In 2004, he worked as a field producer for a U.K. documentary series called You Are What You Eat
.
David appeared at the Anime Festival Orlando in Florida in August 2010.
Yost has participated in the NOH8 Campaign
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and producer known for his role of Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He is the Blue Ranger in the series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, portrayed by actor David Yost. Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series, and is the third longest-serving Ranger overall...
on the television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger...
and Power Rangers Zeo.
Early life
Yost was born in Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
and moved around throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, winning many gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
competitions nationally, most notably the state championships Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. In 1987, he graduated from Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School
Amador Valley High School is a public high school in Pleasanton, California, USA, a city east of San Francisco. Amador Valley is one of four high schools in the Pleasanton Unified School District, which includes Foothill High School, Village High School, and Horizon High School. The school was...
in Pleasanton, CA. In 1991, graduated from Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa
Lamoni, Iowa
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,444 people, 818 households, and 428 families residing in the city. The population density was 761.1 people per square mile . There were 904 housing units at an average density of 281.5 per square mile...
with a B.A. in communication and dramatic arts. He moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
with hopes of becoming an actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and auditioned for a role in the Power Rangers series only three months after arriving. He won the part of Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He is the Blue Ranger in the series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, portrayed by actor David Yost. Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series, and is the third longest-serving Ranger overall...
, the computer-literate Power Ranger.
Power Rangers
Yost starred in more than two hundred episodes of the show's first four seasons. He was the only Ranger to appear in every single episode of the original series, Mighty Morphin Power RangersMighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, playing the part of the Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He is the Blue Ranger in the series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, portrayed by actor David Yost. Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series, and is the third longest-serving Ranger overall...
, with the power of the Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
, the Unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
in season 2, and later the Wolf in season 3. Yost's most high-profile work was his appearance in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger...
, which took in over thirty million dollars at the box office in 1995. The movie was in theaters between the second and third seasons of M.M.P.R. and served as a non-canonical alternate opening for the third season.
After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
ended and Power Rangers: Zeo
Power Rangers: Zeo
Power Rangers Zeo is an American superhero television series and the second installment of the Power Rangers franchise that is a continuation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that aired in 1996. It is based on the Super Sentai series Chōriki Sentai Ohranger...
began in the fourth season, Yost stayed as Billy Cranston, but Cranston's role within the show changed. Instead of his previous role as a Power Ranger, he became a technical advisor
Technical advisor
A technical advisor is an individual who is expert in a particular field of knowledge, hired to provide detailed information and advice to people working in that field...
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 says Haim Saban
Haim Saban
Haim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:...
was interested in Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
Yost eventually left the show toward the end of the Power Rangers: Zeo
Power Rangers: Zeo
Power Rangers Zeo is an American superhero television series and the second installment of the Power Rangers franchise that is a continuation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that aired in 1996. It is based on the Super Sentai series Chōriki Sentai Ohranger...
season. While it was originally believed that he had left the series due to insufficient pay, Yost later revealed in an interview that he left the series because he could no longer handle co-worker harassment that targeted his sexual orientation. He was often called a "faggot" and the producers would ask the other actors questions about Yost's sexuality. Scott Page-Pagter
Scott Page-Pagter
Scott Page-Pagter is a voice actor and television producer known for his work producing over 450 episodes of the Power Rangers television series.-Biography:...
, a long time producer of the show, responded to these remarks saying that Yost did not leave the show for this reason and issued a statement, "[Yost] and two of the other actors were all getting a bonus on top of their salary. When the other two left the show, production wanted to stop giving him the bonus, and that’s ultimately what led to his departure from the show." Pagter denied the allegations of homophobia, saying, "I don’t know why he’s saying this, but he was the only one no one got along with...he was a pain in the ass." The character's final episode, "Rangers of Two Worlds", employed footage from previous episodes as well as vocal work from a separate, uncredited actor, to conceal the fact that Yost was not present during the taping. A tribute to the Blue Ranger and Billy was seen in the closing credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
of this last Billy episode.
Post-Power Rangers work
After Yost left Power Rangers, he tried to get rid of his homosexuality with "conversion therapy" for two years, but this failed. Eventually Yost had a nervous breakdownNervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
which resulted in his psychiatric hospitalization for five weeks. After Yost checked out, he moved to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
for a year and eventually accepted his sexuality.
In 1996, Yost had a minor role in the movie Ladykiller as Josh White. In 2000, he portrayed a Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
photographer in the made-for-television movie After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped. He was an associate producer for another made-for-television movie, The Mary Kay Letourneau Story
The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All-American Girl
The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All-American Girl is a 2000 television movie based on the real-life story of high school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, played by Penelope Ann Miller.-Plot:...
, that same year. In 2001, he first tried his hand at producing, working on the series Alien Hunter
Alien Hunter
Alien Hunter is a 2003 science-fiction-thriller film, directed by Ron Krauss and stars James Spader, Carl Lewis and Leslie Stefanson.-Plot:...
and Temptation Island, but he had not acted in front of the camera in some four years, at least since 1997. He worked as the director of production for Sci-Fi Lab, headed by the Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. Yost was then the manager of licensing for Pioneer Entertainment, where he sold completed television shows and films to such networks as Showtime, Starz/Encore and Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
.
In 2002, Yost performed in a play called Fallen Guardian Angels at "the complex" located in Los Angeles for A.P.L.A. (A.I.D.S. Project Los Angeles). The play was about six actors dealing with HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
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 and received good reviews from LA Weekly Theatre. In 2004, he worked as a field producer for a U.K. documentary series called You Are What You Eat
You Are What You Eat (UK TV Show)
This article is about the UK television programme. For the 1968 film, see You Are What You Eat .You Are What You Eat is a dieting programme aired in various forms between 2004 and 2007 on British broadcasting company Channel 4, and presented by Gillian McKeith...
.
David appeared at the Anime Festival Orlando in Florida in August 2010.
Yost has participated in the NOH8 Campaign
NOH8 Campaign
The NOH8 Campaign is a silent protest photo project against California Proposition 8. The campaign features photographs portraying people in front of a white backdrop wearing white t-shirts, their mouths taped shut and "NOH8" painted on their cheek. The campaign was created on February 1, 2009, by...
.
Film
- After Different Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped (2000) (TV) .... Playboy Photographer
- Ladykiller a.k.a. Scene of the Crime (1996/I) .... Josh White
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MovieMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The MovieMighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is a 1995 American superhero action fantasy based on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Fox Kids. It featured the characters and actors from the series itself, and used the zords from Ninja Sentai Kakuranger...
(1995) .... Billy Cranston/The Blue Ranger
TV
- Power Rangers: ZeoPower Rangers: ZeoPower Rangers Zeo is an American superhero television series and the second installment of the Power Rangers franchise that is a continuation of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, that aired in 1996. It is based on the Super Sentai series Chōriki Sentai Ohranger...
(1996) TV Series .... Billy Cranston - Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (1993–1996) TV Series .... Billy Cranston/The Blue Ranger
Producer
- The Real Housewives of Beverly HillsThe Real Housewives of Beverly HillsThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is an American reality series for the Bravo cable network. The sixth installment in the network's The Real Housewives of... franchise, production for the Evolution Media series began in March 2010. The show premiered on October 14, 2010...
(2010) TV Series (segment producer) - You Are What You EatYou Are What You Eat (UK TV Show)This article is about the UK television programme. For the 1968 film, see You Are What You Eat .You Are What You Eat is a dieting programme aired in various forms between 2004 and 2007 on British broadcasting company Channel 4, and presented by Gillian McKeith...
(2004) TV Series (field producer) - Temptation Island (2001) TV Series (associate producer)
- Alien HunterAlien HunterAlien Hunter is a 2003 science-fiction-thriller film, directed by Ron Krauss and stars James Spader, Carl Lewis and Leslie Stefanson.-Plot:...
(2001) TV Series (producer) - After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped (2000) (TV) (associate producer)
- The Mary Kay Letourneau StoryThe Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All-American GirlThe Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All-American Girl is a 2000 television movie based on the real-life story of high school teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, played by Penelope Ann Miller.-Plot:...
(2000) (TV) (associate producer)