Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an actor from the United States. He has received a National Board of Review Award and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Samuel Pack Elliott was born on August 9, 1944, at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento, California, the son of Glynn Mamie (née Sparks), a physical training instructor and high school teacher, and Henry Nelson Elliott (1911–1966), a Department of the Interior predator control expert. Elliott’s parents are from El Paso, Texas, and he had an ancestor who was a physician during the Battle of San Jacinto. When he was 13, he and his family relocated from California to Portland, Oregon.
Elliott grew up in northeast Portland and graduated from David Douglas High School in 1962. After high school, Elliott attended the University of Oregon for two terms as an English and psychology major before dropping out. He returned to Portland and attended Clark College in nearby Vancouver, Washington, where he completed a two-year program and was cast as Big Jule in a stage production of Guys and Dolls. Elliott re-enrolled in the University of Oregon after graduating from Clark in 1965 and pledged to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He dropped out again before completing his studies as his father died of a heart attack.
Sam Elliott has publicly apologized for his critique of the highly acclaimed Western film “The Power of the Dog,” following a barrage of criticism for statements that many saw as homophobic.
During an appearance on the podcast “WTF with Marc Maron,” the Hollywood veteran made news last month when he stated Jane Campion’s Oscar-winning picture was a “piece of s**t” and not a genuine Western.
Elliott addressed the topic at a Deadline conference to promote the “Yellowstone” prequel series “1883” on Sunday, saying he felt “awful” about how his words were taken and apologized to the director and actors.
On Sunday, the 77-year-old actor apologized, more than a month after making disparaging remarks about the film on Marc Maron’s “WTF” podcast. “First and foremost, don’t go do a podcast with the call letters WTF,” Elliott joked at Deadline’s Contenders TV event on Sunday. He went on to say that “The Power of the Dog” “touched a nerve” with him. “I told ‘WTF’ podcaster [Maron] that I felt Jane Campion was a fantastic filmmaker, and I apologize to the cast of ‘The Power of the Dog.'” “They’re all fantastic performers,” Elliott said. “Especially Benedict Cumberbatch.” All I can say is that I’m sorry, and I am. “Yes, I am.”
Elliott apologized on Sunday, adding that his comments were not “particularly eloquent.”
He also apologized to the homosexual community for the statements, which were seen as homophobic by many.
“I said certain things that harmed people, and I’m sorry,” he admitted. “Throughout my career, the homosexual community has been amazing to me. And I mean my entire career, dating back to before I moved to this place. Until today, I’ve had friends at every level and in every job description. I’m sorry if I offended any of those friends or someone I cared about. And anybody else, based on the terms I used.”
“I wasn’t clear about it. I didn’t express myself very properly “He stated this during the occasion. “And I said certain things that harmed people, and I’m sorry for that.”
Elliott, whose prolific playing career includes roles in several Western films such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “Tombstone,” went on to say that the homosexual community had been “wonderful” to him throughout his career.
“I mean my entire career, dating back to when I first arrived in this place. Until today, I’ve had friends at every level and in every job description “He said. “I’m sorry if I offended any of those friends or someone I cared about. And everyone else who was influenced by the language I used.”
During his appearance on “WTF with Marc Maron,” Elliott complimented Jane Campion as a “great director.”
“I can only say I’m sorry, and I am,” he continued.
“The Power of the Dog,” based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name, is set in 1920s Montana and explores the troubled relationship between closeted rancher Phil Burbank and his brother George, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons, respectively. Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and KodiSmit-McPhee also star.
Campion won the Oscar for best director last month after receiving 12 nominations for the picture at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Elliott had stated his dislike for the film’s “allusions” on the “WTF” podcast, telling presenter Marc Maron that he was not thrilled with the film’s “allusions.”
“Would you like to talk about that piece of s**t?” he said. “That’s how all the f**king cowboys in that movie looked.” They’re all running about in chaps and no shirts, and there are several references to homosexuality throughout the f**king film.”
Elliott’s remarks garnered criticism after the “WTF” episode aired, with Cumberbatch calling the reaction “quite weird.”
Campion previously responded to Elliott’s comments, telling Deadline: “I think it’s incredibly tragic and sad for him because he’s struck the trifecta of misogyny, xenophobia, and homophobia.” That bothers me. I believe he was being a bit of a b-i-t-c-h. Plus, he’s not a cowboy; he’s an assassin.
Elliott moved to Los Angeles in the late 1960s to pursue a career in acting, something his father had discouraged him from pursuing, instead of pressing him to get a college degree. “He told me, ‘You have a snowball’s chance in hell of having a career in (Hollywood),'” Elliott said. “My father was a realist. He was a dedicated worker. He modeled my work ethic after him, and I am grateful to him every day.” Elliott worked in construction while studying acting and was a member of the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing (the Hollywood Guard) at Van Nuys Airport until it relocated to Channel Islands Air National Guard Station.
