His first acting gig in the movie industry became his breakout role and has since made him a fan favourite in the kiddies’ entertainment world. The talented American actor, David Yost, is best known for his main role as Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger, in the 90s children superhero television series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
Upon leaving the Power Rangers franchise in 1996, Yost continued to work in the industry as an actor, producer, and location manager. He has featured in a number of other notable works including Scene of the Crime and Degenerate.
David Yost Bio (Age)
David Harold Yost was born on January 7, 1969, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the U.S. Growing up, Yost loved to read a lot of literature and plays but was highly athletic too. He is a talented and accomplished gymnast, winning many national gymnastics competitions; most notably, the state championships in Iowa and Montana.
Yost attended Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, California, where he graduated from in 1987. He studied communication and dramatic arts in Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1991. Upon the completion of his studies, David Yost left for California.
Soon after relocating, he snagged the part of the Blue Power Ranger, Billy Cranston in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993-1996) television series. He appeared in every single episode of the original series through its first four seasons whereas other cast members either have their characters change colour or passed their power coins to successors.
His expertise as a former gymnast equally came in handy for the role which practically shot him into the limelight. Yost also reprised his Blue Ranger role in the commercially successful film adaptation of the series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995). After the show ended, Power Rangers Zeo (1996) began; Yost still played Billy but his role changed from a Power Ranger to a technical advisor to the others.
After he left the show, he starred in Scene of the Crime (1996) and After Diff’rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped (2000). Other films and TV production he has to his credits include Degenerate (2010), Who Ever Told You It Was Okay to Dream Anyway…? (2010), and The Order (2017).
David Yost has also worked behind the scenes in different capacities. He was the associate producer for the TV film, The Mary Kay Letourneau Story (2000) and Temptation Island (2001). He worked as a producer on such shows as Alien Hunter (2001) and a segment of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in 2010. Also, Yost was the field producer for the British Channel 4 documentary series, You Are What You Eat.
He was also the manager of licensing at Geneon Entertainment where he sold TV shows and films to networks such as MTV, Showtime, Cartoon Network, Starz, and Encore.
While Yost was on the Power Rangers show, his character Billy was known for one of his catchphrases, “Affirmative”. He co-owns the clothing line, Affirmative Clothing Company along with the Andrade brothers, Mason and Cris since 2016. Their brands are mostly inspired by Power Rangers and push a positive image about affirming, embracing, and believing in oneself.
Boyfriend or Husband, Is He Gay?
David Yost revealed that he had to battle with accepting his sexuality during his time on the Power Rangers series. Although it was originally believed that he left the show due to insufficient pay, the actor revealed in a 2010 interview that it was because he could no longer handle harassment by members of the production crew who targeted him because he was gay.
The interesting part, however, is that it was not only the crew members that could not come to terms with who Yost is, he also could not seem to face the fact that he is gay. Thus, he made attempts to change his sexual orientation by embracing conversion therapy for two years. After several failed attempts which resulted in frustration and a nervous breakdown, Yost made the ultimate move toward accepting who he is and being at peace with it.
He checked in to a psychiatric hospital for five weeks and then moved to Mexico for a year after which he finally embraced his sexuality and came out of the closet.
Though he made headlines for being gay, nothing has been heard about his partner. It is unknown whether he is married or single.
David Yost’s Height
Yost may not be a giant but his superhero role really captivated hearts, affirming that it takes more than height to be a hero. He stands at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m).
