Tall, thin, wiry Sam Elliott is the classic picture of the American cowboy. The only difference would be that he looked old. Elliott began his acting career on the stage and his film debut was in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. His appearance was little more than a shadow on the wall, but he made enough of an impression on co-star Katharine Ross that they were soon married. Over the years there would be few opportunities to act in feature westerns, but it would be television that gave him that opportunity, in The Sacketts, The Shadow Riders and The Yellow Rose, among others. He would also work in non-westerns, usually as a tough guy, as in Lifeguard and Road House. In the 1990s after getting through two questionable films, Elliott was back on the western trail, playing everyone from Brig. Gen. John Buford in the film Gettysburg to Wild Bill Hickok in the made-for-TV movie Buffalo Girls. In 1991 he wrote the screenplay and co-starred with his wife in the made-for-TV western Conagher.


1976: Listed as one of twelve "Promising New Actors of 1976" in John Willis' Screen World, Vol. 28. In his book, "Shirtless! The Hollywood Male Physique", Donald Reuter refers to Elliott as a "super bod" and gives him a full-page color photograph from his 1976 movie, Lifeguard (1976/I). Illness forced him to drop out of the 1982 TV-movie, The Ambush Murders (1982) (TV). He was replaced by James Brolin. For his role on Tombstone (1993), he worked with renowned Hollywood Gun Coach Thell Reed, who has also trained such actors as: Val Kilmer, Kurt Russell, Bill Paxton, Girard Swan, Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. Had not read any of the 'His Dark Materials' books, before he was asked to take the role as Lee Scoresby, in The Golden Compass (2007). He chose first to read the books by Philip Pullman, and then to read the film's script. After portraying General Ross in Hulk (2003) he wanted to reprise the role in the reboot The Incredible Hulk (2008), but the part was given to William Hurt.