Sam Elliott(I)
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Tall, thin, wiry Sam Elliott is the classic picture of the American cowboy. Elliott began his acting career on the stage and his film debut was inButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).Although his future wife,Katharine Rossco-starred in the film, the two did not meet until they filmedThe Legacy (1978)together. Over the years there would be few opportunities to act in feature westerns, but it would be television that gave him that opportunity, inThe Sacketts (1979),The Shadow Riders (1982)andThe Yellow Rose (1983),among others. He would also work in non-westerns, usually as a tough guy, as inLifeguard (1976)andRoad House (1989).In 1985 he playedCher's love interest Gar in the dramaMask (1985),and he was in some cop movies such asFatal Beauty (1987)andShakedown (1988).In the 1990s, Elliott was back on the western trail, playing everyone from Brig. Gen. John Buford in the filmGettysburg (1993)to Wild Bill Hickok in the made-for-TV movieBuffalo Girls (1995).In 1991 he wrote the screenplay and co-starred with his wife in the made-for-TV westernConagher (1991),and two years later he played Wyatt Earp's brother Virgil inTombstone (1993),withKurt Russellas Wyatt. In 1995 the starred as John Pierce the tense thrillerThe Final Cut (1995),as a former head of a Bomb Squad who must to stop a dangerous bomber. In 1998 he was the narrator of the hilarious comedyThe Big Lebowski (1998),playing him as The Stranger, and returned to the Western in the dramaThe Hi-Lo Country (1998),closing the 20th century with another western, the TV movieYou Know My Name (1999).
Sam Elliott started the 21st century with theStephen Frears' TV movieFail Safe (2000)playing Congressman Raskob, andThe Contender (2000)as Kermit Newman, at the side ofJoan Allen,Jeff BridgesandGary Oldman,and inWe Were Soldiers (2002)as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley, togetherMel Gibson.In 2003 he played Gen. Thunderbolt Ross in theAng Lee's pre-MCUHulk (2003),repeating in another Marvel superhero movie as Caretaker inGhost Rider (2007).After participating in the fantasy movieThe Golden Compass (2007)and made a stellar cameo inUp in the Air (2009),Elliott played Clay Wheeler in the box office flop comedyDid You Hear About the Morgans? (2009),starringHugh GrantandSarah Jessica Parker,and in 2012 he was a supporting character as Mac Macleod inRobert Redford'sThe Company You Keep (2012).After the playing Coach Moore in the sport dramaDraft Day (2014)In 2015 Elliott was hyperactive, appearing in seven different productions including cinema and TV:Digging for Fire (2015),I'll See You in My Dreams (2015),Sam Elliott,the sixth season ofJustified (2010)as Avery Markham, andThe Good Dinosaur (2015)voicing Butch. Two years later was absolute star in the dramaThe Hero (2017)as Lee Hayden, and in the sci-fi movieThe Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)as Calvin Barr, to shine again as supporting character playingBradley Cooper's brother Bobby in the multi-nominated Cooper's directorial debutA Star Is Born (2018),sharing scenes withLady Gaga,coming back again to the western in the TV series1883 (2021)as Shea Brennan.
Sam Elliott started the 21st century with theStephen Frears' TV movieFail Safe (2000)playing Congressman Raskob, andThe Contender (2000)as Kermit Newman, at the side ofJoan Allen,Jeff BridgesandGary Oldman,and inWe Were Soldiers (2002)as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley, togetherMel Gibson.In 2003 he played Gen. Thunderbolt Ross in theAng Lee's pre-MCUHulk (2003),repeating in another Marvel superhero movie as Caretaker inGhost Rider (2007).After participating in the fantasy movieThe Golden Compass (2007)and made a stellar cameo inUp in the Air (2009),Elliott played Clay Wheeler in the box office flop comedyDid You Hear About the Morgans? (2009),starringHugh GrantandSarah Jessica Parker,and in 2012 he was a supporting character as Mac Macleod inRobert Redford'sThe Company You Keep (2012).After the playing Coach Moore in the sport dramaDraft Day (2014)In 2015 Elliott was hyperactive, appearing in seven different productions including cinema and TV:Digging for Fire (2015),I'll See You in My Dreams (2015),Sam Elliott,the sixth season ofJustified (2010)as Avery Markham, andThe Good Dinosaur (2015)voicing Butch. Two years later was absolute star in the dramaThe Hero (2017)as Lee Hayden, and in the sci-fi movieThe Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018)as Calvin Barr, to shine again as supporting character playingBradley Cooper's brother Bobby in the multi-nominated Cooper's directorial debutA Star Is Born (2018),sharing scenes withLady Gaga,coming back again to the western in the TV series1883 (2021)as Shea Brennan.