Sam Elliott | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

Possessing rugged good looks and a rich, deep voice, Sam Elliott went from playing the quintessential cowboy to portraying thoughtful, sage characters throughout his long career. Born in Sacramento, California, he spent most of his youth in Portland, Oregon. After dropping out of college, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. Roles in television shows such as "The Felony Squad" (ABC, 1966-69) and "The F.B.I." (ABC, 1965-74), as well as a bit part in the Paul Newman-Robert Redford vehicle "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), soon followed. He landed a recurring role on the hit "Mission: Impossible" (CBS, 1966-73) that kicked off a long period of steady work. Elliott made regular guest appearances on many of the police dramas of the '70s, including "Hawaii Five-O" (CBS, 1968-80) and "The Streets of San Francisco" (ABC, 1972-77). He experienced his first true breakthrough with the film "Lifeguard" (1976), playing a beach bum who reevaluates his life after attending his high school reunion. The actor also took advantage of the television miniseries craze, starring in "Once an Eagle" (NBC, 1976) and "Aspen" (NBC, 1977). His looks, including his trademark thick mustache, made him a natural for cowboy roles. He teamed with Tom Selleck for a pair of TV films based on Louis L' Amour books, "The Sacketts" (NBC, 1978) and "The Shadow Riders" (CBS, 1982), which became some of his most memorable roles in the genre. Not one to be boxed in, he diversified his resume by playing Farrah Fawcett's abusive husband in "Murder in Texas" (NBC, 1981) and Cher's love interest in "Mask" (1985). He added another archetype to his repertoire - the elder, male mentor - when he joined Patrick Swayze for the surprise hit "Road House" (1989). He continued mixing roles in Westerns like "Tombstone" (1993) and "Buffalo Girls" (CBS, 1995), with more traditional dramas such as "Rush" (1991). The Coen brothers found a perfect use for Elliott's voice and persona when they cast him as The Stranger, the narrator of their classic Jeff Bridges comedy "The Big Lebowski" (1998). The actor branched out into other genres as well with roles in the superhero films "Hulk" (2003) and "Ghost Rider" (2007), in addition to the fantasy epic "The Golden Compass" (2007). He continued making appearances on television, taking memorable roles on "Parks and Recreation" (NBC, 2009-15), "Grace and Frankie" (Netflix, 2015-), and "Justified" (FX, 2010-15), the latter of which earned him a Critics' Choice Award. He stepped into a series regular role when he joined Ashton Kutcher and Debra Winger for "The Ranch" (Netflix, 2016-) playing the irascible patriarch of the show's ranching family, Beau Bennett. Bradley Cooper tabbed Elliott, along with Lady Gaga, for his directing debut "A Star Is Born" (2018). The actor played the older brother of Cooper's spiraling singing star. The role earned Elliott his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.