Western films and television series are an important part of American entertainment history. The genre, which features cowboys and gunslingers, is well-known for its action and drama. Sam Elliott is an accomplished character actor best recognized for his work in the Western genre. Among his most well-known roles are The Stranger in “The Big Lebowski” and Virgil Earp in “Tombstone.” The actor is also recognized for his trademark mustache, deep, powerful voice, and towering stature.
Elliott started his film career as a supporting actor in films such as “The Way West” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” His television credits include “Gunsmoke,” “Murder in Texas,” and “The Shadow Riders.” The actor’s breakthrough role came in the 1976 drama “Lifeguard,” one of his rare non-Western movies.
Elliott got a Critics’ Choice Television Award for his role on the show “Justified” in 2015. He started appearing in the Netflix comedy series “The Ranch” the following year. Elliott co-starred in the 2017 film “The Hero” with his wife, Katharine Ross. The story revolves on an old Western actor who spends his time smoking and reminiscing his glory days until he is stricken with cancer. In the film, Ross plays Elliott’s ex-wife.
The film “The Hero” was not Elliot’s first collaboration with his wife. Ross appeared in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” but Elliott was simply an extra, so they didn’t meet until 1978, when they were both placed in lead parts in “The Legacy.” The pair wedded in 1984 and had a daughter together. Continue reading to learn more about Elliot and Ross and their 37-year marriage.
Early Years
Elliott was born in Sacramento, California, on August 9, 1944, to Glynn Mamie and Henry Nelson Elliott. His dad worked for the Department of the Interior as a predator control specialist, and his mom was a high school teacher and physical education instructor. Elliott’s parents grew up in El Paso, Texas, but the family relocated to Oregon when he was 13 years old.
Growing up in Southeast Portland, Oregon, the actor attended David Douglas High School and graduated in 1962. Elliott studied in a two-year program at Clark College in Vancouver, Washington after dropping out of the University of Oregon after two terms. He was chosen as one of the leads in a theatre performance of “Guys and Dolls” when he was here.
Elliott decided to pursue acting as a profession after receiving positive feedback for his performance as Big Jule in the production of “Guys and Dolls.” Sadly, his father did not anticipate him relocating to Hollywood. He heard his father make the typical remark about, ‘He’s got a snowball’s chance in Hell of having’ a career in that place,’ Elliot stated.
Elliot’s dad always encouraged him to complete his college degree, which he accomplished after his dad died of a heart attack. He stated about his father that his dad was a realist. He was a dedicated worker. Elliot modeled his work ethic after his dad, and he is grateful to him every day.
In the late 1960s, Elliott relocated to Los Angeles. He studied acting and worked in construction before joining the California Air National Guard. Before his unit relocated to Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, he worked at Van Nuys Airport.
Career
Elliot has done a lot of voice acting in commercials in addition to participating in films and television programs. He has worked on advertising for a variety of corporations, including Dodge and IBM, but his most notable client is the American Beef Council. Elliot discussed his experience doing voice work. He did beef advertising for nearly eight years since he enjoyed the individuals in that profession, and a number of individuals make a livelihood in the cattle world. Ranchers, mostly. Those advertising drove the market for beef up significantly but when they continued asking for various perspectives, different cuts, different transactions one can be involved with he started to rebel at it.
Voice work and commercials provided a consistent stream of income for the actor, allowing him to pick and choose which film and television acting roles he would accept. He went on to say that his security is based on the fact that he’s never worked for pay. The business sector provides him with a certain sense of stability, which permits him to reject dramatic, theatrical, or acting jobs. However, he’s always made his own decisions. And he believes he did quite well. He has folks that give him input, give him views, and keep him on course. But it’s all about what’s on the page for him. It’s not about making money. It’s just something hee’ve desired to do since he was a child.
Elliott has been in show business for 55 years and has seen the industry change for the better and for the worst. “The game has completely changed.” Developments in the technology world have altered the film industry on practically every level. There are some constants that will never change. But from a technological sense, it’s a whole other universe, Elliottt explained.
Elliott stated in an interview that he does not feel limited to cowboy parts because of his voice and appearance. He remembered an incident that occurred on set- he doesn’t believe he ever had issues with his voice in terms of what people expected of him as an actor. But he did work on a film called ‘Lifeguard’ in 1976 with a director named Dan Petrie, who did some amazing stuff. ‘Let’s do it again, and this time, let’s be a little less south in the mouth,’ he’d say every now and again. That always makes him laugh.
There is one sort of part, though, that Elliott does not love performing. According to the actor, he portrayed terrible people a few times and didn’t like it. He simply does not want to go there. There’s already too much negativity in the world. He ‘d prefer to make people happy, or make them weep, or make them look inside themselves and realize they’re not alone.
A Working Relationship
Elliot met Ross in the beginning of the gothic-horror film “The Legacy” in 1978, and they rapidly hit it off and started dating. They married four months before the birth of their daughter, Cleo Rose Elliott, in 1984.
According to the celebrity, his wife, Katharine Ross, and he both worked on ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ but he didn’t dare to approach her at the time. She was the star of the show. He was a glorified extra in a bar scene, a shadow on the wall. They didn’t truly interact until they made ‘The Legacy.’ They have a sensibility, but they also work hard to be together. One works through the (thing), not away from it. That is how relationships survive.
The pair collaborated once more on the television film “Conagher,” an adaptation of the Louis L’Amour novel. Elliott was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his performance. In an interview, he said of the film, working with Katharine is great for him. It’s always been like that. He considers their time on ‘Conagher’ to be one of the high points of his profession. He is sure he’ll always feel that way.
When questioned what the key is to a long and happy marriage, Elliot said, the key to a long and happy marriage is….The bottom line, in his opinion, is that one must desire to be married. One must be in love with whoever it is, and one must be prepared to work for it since it is a two-way street. Once you find it out, the rest is just like riding the storm. Ross joked one simply rides the roller coaster – and grabs on tight.
A Look At Katharine Ross
Ross was born in Hollywood, California on January 29, 1940. Her family moved to Walnut Creek, California, and she graduated from Las Lomas High School in 1957. She was pals with rodeo rider Casey Tibbs and enjoyed horseback riding. Ross opted to pursue acting in San Francisco after graduating from high school. She then attended The Actors Workshop, where she was able to appear in a variety of theatre performances.
The star shared her experience at The Actors Workshop and on the set of “Twinkling of an Eye.” She stated, she is not even sure they opened. It was there that she discovered she had been struck by the acting bug. However she learnt a lot since they all did everything on the set, from acting to ticket-taking to props.
Ross initially became acquainted with the realm of television while studying acting in San Francisco. She was aware of a casting call for the TV show ‘Sam Benedict.’ They were filming in San Francisco and intended to cast someone from the area. She had two pretty beautiful sequences with the actor, Edmond O’Brien, so that’s not bad, Ross explained.
In an interview, the actress discussed her profession in further depth. Ross elaborated, she started working in the 1960s, when there were a number of television Westerns being made, and she was lucky enough to get roles in several of them. And she got to work with a number of fantastic character performers.
Ross was honored into the National Cowboy Museum’s Hall of Great Western Performers in 2014, following in the footsteps of her husband, who received the accolade seven years earlier. She stated, If she could ride a horse, she’d do anything. She is a Western gal, and is pleased to be among those inducted into the Great Western Performers Hall of Fame.
When asked if it was Elliot’s voice, mustache, or rugged good looks that drew her in, Ross replied, most likely all of that and more. They were collaborating, and one thing led to another. And now they’re here. The duo has collaborated on several projects over the years and maintains a solid and happy marriage. Their love story is a wonderful Western fairytale, and they wish them the best of luck in the future.
Elliot and Ross spend so much time working together that it is a gift that it just strengthened their bond. Are you a fan of Western movies? Have you watched any of the films or TV episodes starring Ross and Elliot?
