Despite everything he had going for him, Sam Elliott did not exactly become a Hollywood superstar overnight. He has a modest start in show business with an uncredited role in the Kirk Douglas western ‘The Way West’. This was followed with supporting roles in several episodes of the television police procedural Felony Squad. Other minor TV and movie roles would follow over the next couple years.
These early roles would serve as a solid foundation, both in terms of honing his skills as well as getting him noticed by the right people, to take the next step in Elliott’s acting career. The future was looking bright for Sam Elliott.
Working For A Living
When you think of an unemployed actor taking a job to keep from going broke, the stereotypical choice is to become a waiter. But given Sam’s rugged outdoor upbringing, he was open to other possibilities. While studying acting and between auditions, he worked in construction to make ends meet. California was booming at the time, so if you were willing to do the work, construction jobs were there for the taking.
No doubt his employment choices at that time would affect the acting roles he would become famous for. Tough, strong, and more often than not outdoors. That’s Sam Elliott, alright.
Military Man
Among the roles Sam Elliott has played over the course of his career have been a number of military men. His tall imposing frame and commanding presence have certainly helped with that. If you were a casting agent, he would seem like a natural choice for a soldier (when he was young) or an officer (in his later years).
But there’s some reality behind the art, too. Around the same time he was in college and working construction, Sam also served a stint in the California Air National Guard. He considers his time in the military to be critical in developing his leadership skills and discipline.
Big Screen Debut
Sam Elliott’s first notable role in a movie of real significance was still a pretty minor one. The movie was the classic Paul Newman and Robert Redford action western movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The role played by Elliott didn’t even have a name; he was just “Card Player #2”. But it was still a big break for the rising young actor, since the movie was a smash hit and his face was being seen by millions of people.
Coincidentally, one of the leads in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was played by a certain woman named Katharine Ross, who would go on a few years later to be the wife of none other than Sam Elliott. She and Sam shared no scenes in the movie, and wouldn’t really get to know each other for almost another decade before finally marrying in 1984.
Small Roles Continue
As the years went on and the decade turned from the 1960s to the 70s, Sam managed to keep finding steady work in front of Hollywood cameras, but the breakout role that would make him a star never did come his way during that period.
Among the television shows he appeared in during that time were episodes of The F.B.I, Land of the Giants, Bracken’s World, and three episodes of Lancer. He also appeared in the movie The Games.