Who Is Zane in ‘1923’? Is He a Dutton & Who Plays Him?

Little by little, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone Universe became one of the most popular TV franchises today. It began with Yellowstone, through the first prequel, ‘1883’, and now continues with the epic new series called ‘1923’. Now, everyone knows the Ranch needs a good Foreman, a person who manages day-to-day ranch duties. So, who is Zane in ‘1923’, and who plays him?

Zane is the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch Foreman in 1923 who is very close to Jacob Dutton and is essentially his right-hand man at the ranch.  He’s very loyal to the Duttons and manages the day-to-day ranch duties. Zane is played by Brian Geraghty.

One could compare the character of Zane to that of Rip Wheeler from the show Yellowstone. He is also very loyal to the Duttons and handles all the dirty work for them. I love Zane’s character so far, so let’s dive a bit deeper and see who Zane is, how connected to the Duttons he is, and take a closer look at Brian Geraghty, the actor behind Zane.

Who is Zane in 1923?

Zane Davis is one of the cowboys working at the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in Montana in the prequel series, ‘1923.’ He is incredibly loyal and close to Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford), the ranch leader and the patriarch of the Dutton family, through this particular period in the history of the Dutton family.

Not a lot is known about Zane’s backstory or how he came to live and work at the ranch. The actor portraying Zane, Brian Geraghty, spoke to Decider about it and shared that he never worked with Taylor Sheridan on Zane’s backstory but rather came up with his own:

“Zane goes beyond the title of Ranch Foreman. It makes sense to me that Jacob really helped Zane out. Zane’s parents weren’t around, and Jacob gave Zane an opportunity to have a decent life. Zane and Jacob have one big thing in common: they love the cowboy way of life. 

During this time period, when there are all these technological and societal advancements, Jacob and Zane are both curious but just fine with life on the ranch. No car needed. Just a horse.”

We get to meet Zane much better throughout the first few episodes of the show. We see that he’s always there when needed and that he handles the day-to-day operations on the ranch while Jacob handles the big-picture stuff. He works closely with John Dutton Sr., and his son, Jack Dutton, showing Jack the ropes and requirements of living that cowboy life.

When the Duttons decide that it’s time to take the cattle up the mountain to feed them, Zane accompanies Jacob, John, and Jack. When Jack is attacked by the sheepherders, led by Banner Creighton, Zane rushes to help alongside Jacob and John, fights the herders, and wins.

Then, when Jacob decides to take away their sheep, Zane is the one to take them to a nearby Native American reservation and gives them the sheep on Jacob Dutton’s behalf.

Overall, Zane Davis is a loyal worker at the Yellowstone Ranch who clearly has a lot of history and respect towards the Duttons – so much so that he’s willing to risk his life for the benefit of the ranch and do the ‘dirty work’ if needed.

It kind of reminds me of Rip Wheeler – the Ranch Foreman in Yellowstone and the right-hand man on John Dutton III (Kevin Costner). Rip eventually married into the Dutton family after he marries Beth, John’s daughter. 

Another similar character to Zane from the Yellowstone series might be Lloyd. He’s also a ranch hand who’s loyal to the Duttons and has been around for years, but his backstory and how he got to work at the ranch for so long were never really explored.

Is Zane a Dutton?

His full name is Zane Davis, so it’s quite clear that he isn’t a Dutton. In fact, Zane isn’t really a part of the Dutton family – at least not biologically. He was never adopted by Jacob and Cara, although, as Geraghty said in the before-mentioned interview, they gave him an opportunity for a better, decent life.

Zane is extremely close and loyal to Jacob and Cara, and they more-or-less see him as a son. Therefore, even though Zane isn’t actually a Dutton, he could very well be considered a part of the family because of the bond and the undying fidelity he shares with Jacob and Cara, the ranch, and the Dutton family in general.

Who plays Zane in 1923?

Zane is portrayed by Brian Geraghty, an American actor whose acting career began more than two decades ago.

Geraghty was born in 1975 in Toms River, New Jersey, where he went to High School. After that, though, Geraghty moved to New York City, where he decided to pursue an acting career and has completed his studies of professional acting at the well-known, respected Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre.

After that, Brian moved to Los Angeles in hopes of new acting opportunities, and it paid off, as not much later, he landed a role on NBC’s Law & Order in 1999. It was a minor role that marked his acting debut, followed by several other minor yet prominent roles – for instance, in one of the best mafia-related series ever, The Sopranos.

Some of Brian Geraghty’s most well-known roles include those in Jarhead (2005), The Hurt Locker (2008), Flight (2012), True Blood (2012), Chicago Fire & Chicago P.D. (2014-2020), The Alienist (2018), Big Sky (2020-2022), and many others. 

‘1923’ marked Geraghty’s first western role, and he had to go through Taylor Sheridan’s ‘cowboy camp’ that all the actors of the Yellowstone Universe had to go through. Brian described the cam in the Decider interview:

“It was crucial for all of us. Taylor, a real cowboy, wanted the cast to get as good at cowboying as we possibly could with the time that we had. It was just so important. It was also fun, terrifying, demoralizing, and joyous [laughs]. We had all the feelings of adults really trying to become proficient at something difficult in a short amount of time. I felt a lot of childhood regression there.”

Lastly, Geraghty is about 5’10’’ (178 cm), and in his free time, the thing he enjoys the most is surfing – he used to work as a surf instructor.