There aren’t many great actors still around today who can boast film and television credits that go back to the ’60s. In 1962, the legendary actor and Western aficionado Sam Elliot left behind a major in English and Psychology to opt for a career as an actor instead. It proved to be a fortuitous decision as he went on to have a celebrated career, winning a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to being nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globes, and Emmy Awards to date. By the end of the ’60s, he was already making small appearances in iconic Western films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Around the same time, he began making appearances in TV shows and slowly building up his reputation. Fast-forward to the present day and Elliott is still acting. His filmography now includes over 150 appearances, including more than 50 feature films. While he’s best known for Western roles, Elliott has distinguished himself as a great actor with a wide range of skills. He’s also been a part of some great series over the years, bringing characters to life that many fans have come to love. His major films and other notable appearances aside, these are the best TV series that Sam Elliott has been in.
The Felony Squad
Back in the late ’60s, Sam Elliott was given his first role in a television show. That show was the crime drama, The Felony Squad, a show that followed the exploits of a seasoned detective and a younger officer he’s partnered with. A popular show, it ran for three seasons and featured over 70 episodes.
While a much younger Sam Elliott back then wasn’t a part of the main cast, he did appear in three episodes of the show. Elliott played different people, including a character named Jack, and appeared in episodes titled “Kiss Me, Kill You,” “The Fatal Hours,” and “Blind Terror.” It may not have been a major role, but the show was a good one, and it will forever be remembered as the first TV series Elliott ever appeared in. It certainly wouldn’t be the last.
MacGruber
Will Forte’s hilarious action-comedy show MacGruber is a parody of the classic MacGyver show, which was later remade with Lucas Till playing the title character. Unlike the original shows, which were more serious and followed the adventures of a brilliant protagonist who uses his genius intellect to take on bad guys, MacGruber is a spoof of sorts that features Will Forte as a bumbling version of the original character.
The show was a spin-off from a character Will Forte regularly played during his time on Saturday Night Live. The show was well received, as the character had already been featured in a MacGruber film. Peacock picked up the show for a season, with a second season possibly on its way. Sam Elliott plays MacGruber’s father on the show and is a part of the main cast. The role is a memorable one for the veteran actor and aptly displays his range as an actor since he’s as funny as anyone on it.
The Yellow Rose
By the ’80s, Sam Elliott was cast in the main role of The Yellow Rose, a soap opera-style show that took place on a ranch and had a notably Western theme. Elliot played the main role in the show, a character named Chance McKenzie, an ex-con who returns to a family ranch that his father won in a bet.
The show was packed with drama and also featured the likes of Cybill Shepherd, who played the widow of Chance’s father, but was not his mother since he was an illegitimate son. The show ran for one season and was later canceled. Nevertheless, it was one of Elliott’s earliest standout roles as a television actor and added to the cowboy credentials that would go on to define so much of his career.
Grace and Frankie
Playing a character named Phil Milstein, Elliott made four appearances in the comedy series, Grace and Frankie. The show was co-created by Martha Kauffman (Friends) and featured Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, who form a unique friendship after their husbands reveal they are in love with each other and want to get married.
The show also featured many notable actors such as Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen. It proved popular with audiences and ran for a total of seven seasons, with Lily Tomlin being nominated for a Primetime Emmy. Sam Elliott made recurring appearances in four episodes of Season 2, once again showing that he was just as adept at comedic roles as he was at serious ones.
Once an Eagle
Back in the mid-70s, Sam Elliott was also renowned for playing the main role in the miniseries Once an Eagle. A brilliant show, it followed the careers of two soldiers from their time in the military from World War I until the aftermath of World War II.
Elliott played the title role of Sam Damon in the show. It was based on a book of the same name by best-selling author, Anton Myrer, who served in the US Marine Corps. It received much acclaim, including nominations for Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe.
Mission Impossible
Many fans of Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible films may not realize that they were actually a remake of an espionage TV series from the ’60s. The original Mission Impossible show followed a group of covert agents who worked for a task team known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The show won a host of awards, including Emmys, and was widely praised for its innovation that went on to influence other uses in TV shows and movies. It ran for seven seasons, later being revived for two more by a different network.
The show’s popularity and legacy led to many subtle throwbacks in the films that would later revive the franchise. Between 1970 and 1971, Sam Elliott appeared in 13 episodes of the show, playing the character, Dr. Douglas Robert (Lang). Dr. Douglas was a medical doctor who later joined the IMF, using his medical skills to assist them whenever needed. He was known as a confident and very smart character who often used the alias, Lang, for unknown reasons.
Family Guy
The famous animated adult sitcom Family Guy created by Seth MacFarlane has proven to be an immensely popular show and is now in its 21st season. It is, however, reported to conclude soon. It has left behind an amazing legacy, despite all its controversy and criticism for its crude humor that often pokes fun at very serious issues.
The show has had many notable cameo and guest voice stars over its history, including A-list actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Liam Neeson. Between 2019 and the current seasons, Sam Elliot has lent his voice to the show in fifteen episodes to date, playing a hilarious character in it known as Wild West, as well as himself.
The Ranch
In one of Sam Elliott’s most memorable performances in recent times, he played a starring role in Netflix’s hit dark comedy show, The Ranch. The show revolved around the patriarch of a family of ranchers and his fractious relationship with his sons. The show was acclaimed for its raw and gritty style as a sitcom that featured some pretty adult themes and a lot of hardcore cursing.
It was also a rare hit as a show that unashamedly espoused conservative values. Elliott starred in it alongside Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson. Between 2017 and 2020, the show was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards and won three of them. It ran for four seasons and was highly popular, but was also mired in controversy when Danny Masterson was accused of sexual assault and written out of the show.
Elliott was widely regarded as one of the funniest and most popular characters in the show as he played a hardline conservative dad who struggled with family, financial, and legal troubles throughout the show.
Justified
Over the course of Sam Elliott’s amazing career, the veteran star has gained a stellar reputation as a Western actor. His most famous film roles have been in notable Western movies such as Tombstone and The Quick and the Dead (1987). In that time, Elliot cemented himself as one of the prestige Western actors of a generation. It was no surprise then when he landed the role of Avery Markham in Season 6 of the neo-western drama series, Justified.
The FX show was a hit and revolved around a Deputy US Marshall who often resorts to old-school style lawman tactics to take down criminals. The show won a 2010 Peabody Award and eight Primetime Emmy Awards. Although the main actor from the show is Timothy Olyphant, Elliott’s significant role in the last season cemented him as a memorable part of the show’s legacy. There is currently a spin-off show, Justified: City Primeval, in the works and set for release later this year.
1883
Having already proven his credibility as a stellar actor in conservative, Western-theme roles, Sam Elliott was given the main role in 1883, the spin-off show from the highly rated and highly popular Yellowstone TV franchise. The show follows the journey of the famous Dutton family from Yellowstone as they make their way across states, eventually settling in Montana where the main legacy of the family begins.
A fictionalized chronicle of Western expansion, the show depicts the struggles that many families experienced back then in search of a better life than the ones steeped in poverty they were forced to leave behind. Sam Elliott is electric in the show as he plays Shea Brennan. A former Captain of the Union Army, Brennan is one tough old man since he also has Civil War credentials to his name. The role is a seminal one for Elliott and one that he seems born to play. Varietyhad this to say about Elliott in their review of 1883.
“The cast is uniformly great, with Elliott lending natural authenticity and gravitas with his weathered mien and marble-mouthed delivery.”
Like Yellowstone before it, 1883 is proving to be a huge hit with audiences and is highly acclaimed. Acting as a prequel, it expands the franchise, eventually crossing over with Yellowstone’s other spin-off show, 1923.