Actor Sam Elliott was born in Sacramento, California and later moved to
Oregon with his family during his teenage years. He graduated from David
Douglas High School in Portland and attended Clark College in Vancouver,
Washington, where he completed a two-year program. Elliott began his
career as a character actor; his appearance and bearing were ideally
suited to Westerns. One of his first film roles was as ‘Card Player #2’ in
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969).

In 1970-71, Sam Elliott starred as Doug Robert in the popular TV series
Mission: Impossible in 1970 to 1971, and played the lead character Sam
Damon in the NBC miniseries Once an Eagle (1976-1977). Sam was also 
the oldest brother in the made-for-TV NBC miniseries The Sacketts which 
also starred Tom Selleck.

 

Sam Elliott in Tombstone (1993)

Sam Elliott played "The Stranger" (above), a character narrating
the story of The Big Lebowski (1998).