SAM ELLIOTT

'Samuel Pack Elliott' (born August 9, 1944) is an American film and television actor. He is usually recognized by his tall, thin, rough-hewn physique, a thick handlebar moustache and a gruff speaking voice.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Personal

Career

Selected filmography

External links

Biography

Early life

Elliott was born in Sacramento, California. He moved from California to Oregon with his family during his teenage years, where he graduated from David Douglas High School. Elliott is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at the California State University, Los Angeles and worked in construction while studying acting in Los Angeles. Elliott lived for a short while in Princeton, West Virginia.

Personal

He has been married to actress Katharine Ross since 1984. Although Ross starred in the 1969 film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' in which Elliott had a very small role, the two did not meet and begin dating until 1978 when they both starred with Roger Daltrey in ''The Legacy''. He and Ms. Ross had a daughter, Cleo Rose, on September 17, 1984.

Career

Elliott began his career as a character actor, but his appearance is naturally suited to Westerns. In fact, his debut role in film was a bit part (Card Player #2) in 1969's ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''.
During 1970-71, Elliott starred as Doug Robert in the hit TV series '' and later played a wife killer in the miniseries ''Murder in Texas'' (1981) and ''A Death in California'' (1986). He has made guest appearances on shows such as ''Felony Squad'', ''Gunsmoke'', ''Lancer'' and ''Hawaii Five-O'' and has been featured in many TV movies; for instance, he played Wild Bill Hickock in ''Buffalo Girls'' (1995). The young Elliott was often cast for his masculine appeal. In his early movies—''The Games'', ''Frogs'', ''Molly and Lawless John''—he performed a number of scenes without his shirt. In 1975's ''Lifeguard'', he appeared in much of the movie wearing nothing more than a pair of swim trunks. In 1978's''The Legacy'', he shed all his clothes for a nude scene. As late as 2003, when he was in his late 50s, Elliott still managed to retain his sex appeal as he stripped to the waist for a scene in ''Off the Map''.
In 1998, Elliot was named the parade marshal of the Calgary Stampede parade and rode in it in front of 300,000 spectators.
Some of his more well-known film roles include:

★ Pickett Smith in ''Frogs'' (1972)

★ Sam Damon in ''Once an Eagle'' (1976) (television mini-series)

★ Rick Carlson in ''Lifeguard'' (1976)

★ Gar in ''Mask'' (1985)

★ John Riggs in ''Prancer'' (1989)

★ Wade Garrett in the cult film ''Road House'' (1989)

★ Virgil Earp, in ''Tombstone'' (1993)

★ General John Buford in ''Gettysburg'' (1993)

★ Kaa the Python in the animated film ''The Jungle Book'' (1996)

★ The Stranger in ''The Big Lebowski'' (1998)

★ Oklahoma Lawman Bill Tilghman in ''You Know My Name'' (1999)

★ Sergeant-Major Basil L. Plumley in ''We Were Soldiers'' (2002)

★ General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in ''Hulk'' (2003)

★ Lorne Lutch in ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2006)

★ Carter Slade / The Caretaker in ''Ghost Rider'' (2007)

★ Lee Scoresby in '' (2007)
In 2006, he starred in the TNT TV movie ''Avenger''.
Elliott's voice can be heard in as the voiceover narration for commercials from time to time. In the past, he has lent his voice to campaigns for Chevy, IBM, Union Pacific, and, most notably, took over as the voice of the American Beef Council after Robert Mitchum died. In 2007, Toyota hired Elliott to perform voice-overs for the new Toyota Tundra truck commercials, playing on the rich and gravelly delivery of his voice. [1]

Selected filmography

Year	Title
2008	''Madagascar 2'' ''John Rambo
2007	''Ghost Rider'' ''
2006	'' ''The Final Season'' ''Thank You for Smoking''
2005	''The Alibi''
2003	''Hulk''
2002	''We Were Soldiers''
2000	''The Contender''
1999	''You Know My Name'' (TV movie)
1998	''The Big Lebowski'' ''The Hi-Lo Country''
1995	''The Desperate Trail'' (direct to video film)
1993	''Tombstone'' ''Gettysburg''
1991	''Rush''
1991	''Conagher'' (TV movie)
1990	''Sibling Rivalry''
1989	''Prancer'' ''Road House''
1988	''Shakedown''
1987	''Fatal Beauty''
1985	''Mask''
1978	''The Legacy''
1975	''Lifeguard''
1969	''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''

External links

★

★ Tribute to Sam Elliott'', fansite

★ ''Where have you gone, Grizzly Adams?'', an ''LA Times'' article on the Sam Elliott cowboy stereotype