Sam Elliott is an award-winning actor who was born in Sacramento, California, on August 9, 1944. At age 14, the Hollywood veteran relocated to Portland, Oregon, with his parents.
It is there that Sam spent much of his youth. The renowned television star went on to study Psychology and English at the University of Oregon. However, he was only there for two semesters as he was later transferred to Clark College.Sam’s father, Henry Nelson Elliott, and mother, Glynn Mamie Sparks, are from El Paso, Texas. He worked as a predator control specialist while she was a physical training instructor and a high school teacher.
The couple crossed paths when they were both lifeguards in El Paso. Their famous son once said during a June 2017 interview, “I’m a sixth-generation Texan, even though I was born in California.”
Sam Elliott’s Dad Was Not Supportive & Forced Him to Enrol in College
While growing up, Sam spent most of his time with his father, Henry, and his friends. They all went fishing together. During his appearance on “The Off Camera Show” in June 2017, the two-time Emmy nominee recalled being brought up in the company of his father’s friends:
“They were all pretty hardcore. They were gentlemen. They were nice men, but they were hardcore. They were hardworking men.”
When Henry worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service, he took his son to see many other places. He wanted the best for his child even though he discouraged him from his dream of becoming an actor.
Although he never graduated from college himself, Henry wanted that experience for Sam, leaving the father and son duo at odds with each other. “The Ranch” alum divulged in May 2018:
“He gave me that proverbial line, ‘You’ve got a snowball’s chance in hell of having a career in (Hollywood).’ He was a realist, my dad. He was a hard worker. He had a work ethic that I’ve fashioned mine after, and I thank him for that every day.”
Despite his father’s skepticism about having a shot in Hollywood, it was at Clark College that his acting journey began. Sam, who ran both the 120-yard-high and 360-yard intermediate hurdles, appeared in the college’s production of “Guys and Dolls.”
After graduating with a two-year degree in 1965, the future movie star enrolled at the University of Oregon and pledged to the SAE fraternity with the hopes of obtaining a four-year degree. But he was not that much invested in his academics.
Despite his father’s remarks about not wanting him to be an actor, Sam used that to motivate himself. And even though they were at loggerheads when he was younger, he still cannot stop singing his dad’s praises, saying:
“My father was a good, practical man, but he came from a different time.”
Sam’s Father’s Death “Killed” Him at 18 & He Became a Builder
Henry sadly passed away at age 54 from a heart attack. He left behind his wife, his then-18-year-old son Sam, and a daughter named Glenda. Of his tragic passing, his famous child said:
“That killed me.”
Sam revealed his beloved father took his last breath in his wife’s arms in their living room in Portland, Oregon. Meanwhile, his mother, Sparks, went on to live until the age of 96 and passed away in 2012 in Portland. Sam is now the owner of the family home in northeast Portland.
He admitted that was a difficult period in his life as his dad believed he was a fool for wanting to be an actor. Even so, Henry made an effort to see his son in action despite thinking otherwise about what he was passionate about growing up. Sam disclosed:
“He saw only a play or two of mine before he died. I think he’d be proud that his kid became the actor I did.”
When asked whether he tried to prove something even after he lost his dad, the “Ghost Rider” star said it did not have anything to do with proving he could eventually succeed in acting but that he just wanted his parent to be proud of him as an individual.
The Academy Award nominee further explained that not having his father alive to witness his success now is disappointing. Sam eventually found his footing in Tinseltown and became known for his memorable cowboy roles.However, before attaining immense success in Hollywood, he worked construction in Los Angeles, which was the opportunity that opened doors for him on the big screens.
It all began with a family friend whose home was at the bottom of a hill. Sam was concerned about the possibility of having water run down the property, which would cause damage to the foundation – and so he offered his expertise.
He went to the house and built a small dam from “concrete and steel, probably that I absconded with off the job, used the rebar and stuff to go do it,” the “Road House” star explained.
To his luck, the said family friend happened to be an assistant director in show business. He knew that Sam had a keen interest in pursuing a career in showbiz, so he invited him to spend time around sets.
Sam remembered the friend telling him that the door was open if he wanted to see what was happening on set. He gladly took him up on that offer and went there. “My big break — pouring cement,” the Screen Actors Guild Award winner proudly revealed in a September 2015 interview.
Soon after, Sam quit his construction job. His debut film role was in the 1969 western, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and he played the part of Card Play Number 2 in the movie’s opening scene.
The esteemed star went on to star in several projects including, “Tombstone,” “The Quick and the Dead” and “The Shadow Riders,” alongside actor Tom Selleck.