By Nadine Bubeck
His career spans nearly 50 years . Often seen sporting a cowboy hat , Sam Elliott is a veteran actor with pop and pizazz . In addition to his vast resume , the Hollywood A-lister continues to indulge in new projects , including co-starring with Ashton Kutcher in The Ranch , and a recurring role in the series Grace and Frankie .
So how has he maintained such success and longevity in the notoriously youth-obsessed entertainment business ? Well , simply put –– his mustache stands out .
Elliott was born Aug . 9 , 1944 . He landed his debut role in 1969 , appearing in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . Through the 70s , he found steady work on TV shows like Gunsmoke , and then earned serious fans with 1989 ’ s Road House . You ’ ll likely remember his role in the 1998 film The Big Lebowski . Throughout his career , he has played cowboys on TV and in films , including The Quick and the Dead , Tombstone , and The Golden Compass .
The native Californian grew up in Oregon , often playing outdoors or watching movies . According to the website , biography . com , he decided on an acting career at 9 years old .
Surely , that came with skepticism .
Elliott ’ s father , a worker for the U . S . Fish and Wildlife Service , was concerned about his son ’ s chosen profession . The two were unable to resolve those differences before his dad died of a heart attack when Elliott was 18 years old .
Actors Jeff Bridges , left , and Sam Elliott in the 1998 cult classic The Big Lebowski .
“ He died thinking , ‘ Man , this kid is going to go down the wrong path ,’” Elliott said in a later interview . “ And I think on some levels that was either hard on me or made me more focused in my resolve to have a career .”
But Elliott ’ s burning desire for Hollywood was overwhelming . After moving to Los Angeles , he scored a role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , co-starting Robert Redford and Paul Newman . As luck would have it , that ’ s where Elliott met Katharine Ross , who was cast as Redford ’ s lover . Nearly a decade later , Elliott and Ross crossed paths again , fell in love and started a family .
Through the 1970s , Elliott did a lot of TV work , acting in shows such as Mission : Impossible , Gunsmoke , and Hawaii Five-O . He also played Evel Knievel in a TV biopic about the legendary motorcyclejumping daredevil . While Elliott ’ s good looks could have placed him in the heartthrob category , he didn ’ t quite form a conventional Hollywood career . In fact , he often refused leading roles , instead maintaining what would become his signature long hair and handlebar mustache .
“ I don ’ t want to be known as a sex symbol ,” he told Playgirl magazine in 1976 . “ There ’ s a great stigma that goes with that tag . I want to be a Sam Elliott .”
And that he was .
Continued , next page
DENTON COUNTY Living Well Magazine | JULY / AUGUST 2016
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