There is no doubting that professionally Sam Elliott is an actor above all else. And a fine one too. But that is by no means the whole story of his Hollywood career. He has, at times, dabbled in production, writing, and even, on at least one memorable occasion, singing. Sam is a true Renaissance man!
Elliott produced 18 episodes of the Netflix series The Ranch, in which he also stars. He also sang a cover of the Tom Petty song “I Won’t Back Down” for the 2006 hit animated feature Barnyard, a film which prominently featured his voice work.
The Mustache Man
There’s no question that one of Sam Elliott’s most distinguishing features -- maybe even the most! -- is his mustache. Sure, he’s been clean shaven in a few movies, especially back in the 1960s and 70s, but for the past 30 or 40 years, he’s virtually never seen without the thick impressive ‘stache. He was even an inaugural inductee into the International Mustache Hall of Fame back in 2015!
Oh the horror of being judged by your physical appearance! Poor Sam Elliott. Isn’t it what’s inside that counts? But I’m sure he has a good personality.
Family Heritage
Anyone who knows anything about Sam Elliott sees that his Hollywood career is inextricably linked with Westerns. Obviously, it has a lot to do with his impressive physique and bold attitude that lend themselves to that tough-guy genre. But there’s more to it than that. There is also some significant and poignant family history behind Sam’s love of the Old West.
“My family had a relative in the Alamo,” Elliott has been quoted as saying. “I’ve got history in Texas.” The Battle of the Alamo, though it was a defeat, was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution that resulted in The Republic of Texas gaining independence from Mexico.
Love That Lasts
In the beginning, fans and friends could be forgiven for expressing a healthy dose of skepticism over the long term prospects of a relationship between Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross. Ross had, after all, already been married four times before she got together with Elliott. She was even still married to her fourth husband when she and Sam started dating. But history has proven the doubters wrong. After an amazing 33 years, their love and marriage are stronger than ever!
Elliott doesn’t deny that they have had problems at times; he merely says that when they arise, the two of them work at solving them. “We have a common sensibility, but we also work at being together”, is how he puts it.
He’s Got It All
There can be no happiness in life without gratitude, and Sam Elliott displays both in abundance. “The two things that I wanted in my life were to have a movie career and to be married, to have a family,” Sam has said. “And it’s an embarrassment of riches that I’ve got both.” He started out building a successful acting career in the cut-throat Hollywood system. But when he met the love of his life, he didn’t let his career get in his way of finding true meaningful happiness.
Of course, with his beautiful and beloved wife at his side, his career has only gone from strength to strength in the meantime. And with an equally beautiful and loving daughter at his other side, an “embarrassment of riches” is no exaggeration.