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| Sam Elliott as Virgil Earp in Tombstone, released in December, 1993. |
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| Sam Elliott |
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Forecourt Ceremony held on Monday, January 7, 2019 |
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Born: August 9, 1944, in Sacramento, California
Age at the time of the ceremony: 74 |
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Sam Elliott is one of our greatest character actors. Whenever a production needs someone with horse sense, all they need to do is hire Elliott, who, with his unmistakable voice and looks, takes ahold of almost any scene he is in.
Originally from El Paso Texas, Sam Elliott's mother was a high school PE teacher, while his father worked for the Department of the Interior as a pest control specialist. Born in Sacramento, Sam moved with the family to Portland Oregon when he was 13.
After graduating from high school, Sam attended the University of Oregon studying English and psychology, but dropped out.
Attending Clark College in Vancouver found him in a lead role in Guys and Dolls; a newspaper reviewer suggested that the tall lanky lad become an actor. Elliott graduated from Clark in 1965.
Attending the U of Oregon once more, Elliott was forced to drop out when his father died of a heart attack. While young Sam patterned himself after his dad's work ethic, his father disapproved of his son's acting ambitions. Elliott moved to Los Angeles, worked construction jobs, studied acting and served in the California Air National Guard, working out of the Van Nuys Airport (as did Jack Nicholson, a few years earlier).
After a few roles in television, Elliott got a bit part as a card player in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (which played the Chinese in September 1969, with Paul Newman; he played "medical expert" Dr. Doug Robert for 13 episodes of Mission: Impossible aired over CBS from October 1970 to September 1971.
Elliott played Detective Charlie Bronski in one of the first television mini series, The Blue Knight aired over CBS in November 1973 with William Holden, and followed that up by playing legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, aired over CBS in March 1974 with Gary Barton. The TV Movie was a pilot for a series, but it was not picked up.
He played a Army Captain in a telling of the story of Chief Joseph and his Nez Perce Tribe in I Will Fight No More Forever aired over ABC in April 1975. Chinese Theatre owner Ted Mann produced what has to be considered Elliott's only "beefcake" role in Lifeguard (released in July 1976) with Anne Archer.
It was while filming the horror movie The Legacy (released in September 1979) that Elliott met and married co-star Katherine Ross. They are still married. Trying to capture some of the Dallas audience, Elliott was cast as Chance McKenzie in the prime-time soap opera The Yellow Rose aired over NBC in October 1983, with Cybil Shepard. The show only got 22 episodes in the can before NBC cancelled it.
Elliott played Sam Houston in Houston: Legend of Texas AKA Gone to Texas aired over CBS in November 1986, with Claudia Christian. He played motorcycle-riding Gar in Mask (released in March 1985) with Cher, and has a role in Fatal Beauty (released in October 1987), with Whoopi Goldberg.
Elliott played sidekick to Patrick Swayze in Road House (released in May 1989). For director Carl Reiner, he played a one night stand in Sibling Rivalry (released in October 1990), with Kirstie Alley.
The actor then had a string of historical films, playing Brigadier General John Buford in Gettysburg (released in October 1993) with Tom Berenger; he played Virgil Earp in Tombstone (released in December 1993), with Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp; and he played Wild Bill Hickok in Buffalo Girls aired over CBS in April 1995, with Anjelica Houston as Calamity Jane.
The Coen Brothers had Elliott narrate as The Stranger in The Big Lebowski (released in March 1998) with Jeff Bridges, then played Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley in the Vietnam War film We Were Soldiers (released in which played the Chinese in March 2002), with Mel Gibson.
In Thank You for Smoking (released in April 2006) with Aaron Eckhart, Elliott plays a cancer-stricken actor who played the Marlboro Man in commercials. He played an aeronaut in The Golden Compass (released in December 2007), with Nicole Kidman, and played a super low-key Wyoming sheriff in the rom-com Did You Hear About the Morgans? (released in December 2009), with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker.
He played a pot grower in The Company You Keep (released in April 2013), with Robert Redford (who directed); similarly, Elliott played Ron Dunn on three episodes of Parks and Recreation aired over NBC ending in February 2015.
Elliott played Beau Bennett for 60 episodes of The Ranch streaming over Netflix from April 2016 to December 2018, with Ashton Kutcher.
At 71, Elliott played Phil, a long-lost love of Jane Fonda's (who is four years older) in four episodes of Grace and Frankie aired over Amazon Prime in May 2016. Elliott got rave notices for his role as Bobby (formerly the Adolphe Menjou / Charles Bickford / Gary Busey role, in A Star Is Born (released in October 2018 and played the Chinese in December 2018), with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. He provided the voice for Trust in the remake of Lady and the Tramp (released in November 2019). Of course he would have a role in the Yellowstone prequel series 1883 with streaming over Paramount+ beginning in December 2021.
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| TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, Hollywood, California. Sam Elliott Forecourt Block. Executed by Unknown. Monday, January 7, 2019. 20 x 30 inches. |
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| TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX®, Hollywood, California. Sam Elliott Forecourt ceremony. Monday, January 7, 2019. Sam Elliott makes a point while signing his name in the cement. |
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