“Yellowstone” star Barry Corbin has revealed a recent “difficult” battle with oral cancer that cast a shadow over his career.
“There was a spot in the inside of my cheek that didn’t go away. It came back that it was cancer,” the 82-year-old real-life cowboy opened up to People recently.
“I already knew what it was. I hadn’t discussed it with anybody, but I knew,” the “One Tree Hill” and “Anger Management” alum noted.
He confessed that physicians warned him he could have lost his husky, native-Texan drawl.
“They told me there was a possibility my vocal cords would be impacted and that would cause a big disruption in my business,” said Corbin, who stars as Four Sixes Ranch cowboy Ross on the popular Paramount Network western.
He wound up taking a two-week leave from filming for surgery and recovery — without telling showrunners why he was taking the break.
“I didn’t realize how much it would knock me out. I was sleeping 12 to 14 hours a day,” Corbin added. “It was a little difficult, but we got it done.”
His wife, Jo, also opened up about her concerns regarding her husband’s illness.
“My big fear going into this wasn’t his looks,” she explained. “But Barry makes his living off his face and his voice, the two things they told us might be the most affected.
“He did have some fear that he would not look the same when he returned to work after the surgery. He says he put his trust in the make-up people to make him presentable,” she continued — before sharing an ominous potential outcome.
“And if that wasn’t possible, he thought he might be written off the show,” she added.
“Yellowstone” centers around the Dutton family, herded over by Kevin Costner’s patriarch John, who juggles conflicts while running a cattle ranch.
The show’s cast recently spoke about having a lack of award nominations for their hit series.
“I personally don’t think awards validate anything,” Wes Bentley, who plays Jamie Dutton, revealed recently. “It’s an honor, as they say, but as far as it saying whether we are doing something good or not, that’s not what that is.
“Many, many shows don’t get that recognition that deserve it, and many do get it that don’t deserve it,” the “Hunger Games” actor continued. “It’s just the matter of opinion of each particular academy. I know we are a success because the people are watching it.”
Corbin will next be seen in Taylor Sheridan’s Paramount+ series “Tulsa King,” which stars “Rocky” and “Rambo” icon Sylvester Stallone and premieres Sunday, Nov. 13.
He is also slated to appear in Martin Scorsese’s 2023 film “Killers of the Flower Moon.”