Sam Elliott has one of the most recognizable voices in movie history.
That voice, his roles, hell even his commercials, have made the actor the icon he is today. But, it didn’t come easy and it required a ton of work and perseverance.
He was asked what “being a man” meant to him on The Off Camera Show, and he went in-depth.
“I can only speak of the men that were in my life…my dad and his friends.”
Sam grew up doing quite a bit of fishing.
Speaking of those men, Elliott says “They were pretty hardcore…they were gentlemen, they weren’t assholes, but they were hardcore.”
His dad worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, spending all of his time outdoors, and taking Sam on a ton of trips before tragically dying of a heart attack in his mother’s arms.
Not surprisingly, his dad was a bit of a hardass and hated the idea of Elliott taking his shot at acting – it was a big motivator.
“I never thought about it as having a need to prove something to him, other than I wanted him to be proud of me.”
“He knew I could catch more trout than him or any of his friends….he was proud of that.”
Here’s the full clip.
