To several Western fans, Sam Elliott is the personification of cowboy acting. His deep voice and iconically thick and bushy mustache have assured him roles in everything from sitcoms to classic westerns, and his is a resume that goes back to the 1960s.Elliott does have range, he is not necessarily typecast as a cowboy or a Western actor, he just excels in the genre or as cowboy characters. But the actor has also been in cult-classic horror films like Frogs (where you can see him before he grew his famous facial hair) and The fantasy film The Golden Compass. Along with those and others, these are Elliott’s 10 most iconic roles.
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
Elliott was only listed as “Card Player #2” in the credits of this iconic western starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. But whenever his resume is brought up the film is always mentioned because it was the first legit film credit of his career. Elliott also had one off-camera line but admits that it might have not even been him who said the line. Either way, the film marked the beginning of his tenure as a go-to cowboy for Hollywood’s casting agents.
A Star Is Born
One of his more recent roles showing his range was in Bradley Cooper’s remake of the classic rags to riches film A Star Is Born starring Lady Gaga. In the film, he plays Bobby, the manager and half-brother to the lead (Cooper), a struggling country music star.
Hulk
Although the film was critically panned it does remain one of Elliott’s most high-profile parts. In the film he plays Thunderbolt Ross, the Colonel who forbids David Banner from his experiments, setting off the tragic series of events that eventually creates the Hulk.
Thank You For Smoking
By the time Elliott joined the ensemble cast of this satirical film about Washington lobbyists he was already a notorious cowboy actor and Western icon. So he was the perfect choice to play the Marlboro Man, the once iconic cowboy mascot for Marlboro cigarettes. In the film, Elliott plays the former mascot as a whistleblower who is suffering from cancer caused by cigarette smoking.
Mask
Mask is a heart-wrenching film about Rocky, a boy who suffers from craniodiaphyseal dysplasia, a condition that causes radical disfigurements. In the film, Elliot plays Gar, a motorcycle tough who acts as a peacekeeper with Rocky’s mother (played by Cher) and his protector.
The Ranch
Once again playing a rancher/cowboy type, Elliott played the patriarch Beau Bennett in the Netflix sitcom The Ranch starring Danny Masterson and Ashton Kutcher, who had previously worked together on That ’70s Show. The show aired from 2016 to 2020. The show found itself in a bit of difficulty when Masterson was implicated in a horrific sex scandal.
1883
Elliott is now a part of the Yellowstone universe thanks to his role in the limited-run Paramount+ series 1883. The show is a prequel, telling the story of how the Dutton family came to be the owners of Yellowstone Ranch. Elliott plays Shea Brennan, the loner leader of the wagon train that brings the Duttons to the West.
Tombstone
Elliott has been in too many Westerns to count. Some of his popular roles include The Shadow Riders, Conhager, The Ranger The Cook and The Hole In The Sky, The Quick and the Dead, and Gone To Texas. But his role in Tombstone might be his most critically acclaimed Western. The film tells the story of the famous gunfight in Tombstone, Arizona, AKA The Gunfight At The O.K. Corral. The infamous bloodbath left several stars of the old west dead, including Tom and Frank McLaury. In the film, Elliott plays Virgil Earp, the brother of the famous lawman Wyatt Earp.
Roadhouse
Roadhouse might be one of Patrick Swayze’s most famous movies, but Elliott is owed due credit for making the film as big as it is too. In the film, Elliott plays Wade Garrett, a fellow bouncer who both guides and offers wisdom to Swayze’s character, John Dalton. His character is the elder, a more calm and more collected foil to Dalton’s cocksure and somewhat proud character. Fun fact, like many of Elliott’s films this one takes place in Texas when in real life Elliott was born and raised in Sacramento, California.
The Big Lewbowski
Once again, Elliott was called on to put on his cowboy hat in the Coen Brother’s cult classic The Big Lewbowski. Elliott plays both the narrator and “the stranger” who tells the dude’s story and sits in amazement at the simple philosophy of the dude. “The dude abides, I don’t know about you but I take comfort in that. Knowing that he’s out there, taking it easy for all us sinners out there,” were some of the stranger’s final lines. Elliott’s deep voice makes him a favorite go-to for narration and voice-over work. He has also done those popular “Beef, it’s what’s for dinner!” commercials, as well as truck and whiskey commercials. He is also now a recurring character on Family Guy, and yes, he plays a cowboy there too.