Landman’s Sam Elliott Shares a Sobering Update on His Physical Health: “I’m Paying for It Now”

The legendary actor says decades of physical labor are finally starting to catch up with him

For decades, Sam Elliott built a career playing rugged cowboys, ranchers and tough guys you definitely don’t want to cross in the wild. These days, though, the 81-year-old actor says some of the physical struggles facing his latest character feel a little less fictional.

In an interview with Variety shared on Tuesday, May 26, Elliott opened up about portraying T.L. Norris on Landman and admitted that one especially emotional storyline from Season 2 hit a little too close to home.

“The truth of it is, [that scene] is very true to where I am at this point in my life physically,” Elliott shared. “Not mentally, but physically. I’ve had a hard life. I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I’ve been a laborer all my life, and I’m paying for it now.”

The moment he referenced came during one of the show’s most heartbreaking scenes, when T.L. becomes trapped in a swimming pool after realizing he can no longer pull himself out on his own. As his son Tommy Norris (played by Billy Bob Thorton) rushed to help him, T.L. tearfully admitted, “It’s a curse my mind is sharp. I get to sit here and process all the ways my body is failing me.”

For decades, Sam Elliot built a career playing rugged cowboys, ranchers and tough guys you definitely don’t want to cross in the wild. These days, though, the 81-year-old actor says some of the physical struggles facing his latest character feel a little less fictional.

In an interview with Variety shared on Tuesday, May 26, Elliot opened up about portraying T.L. Norris on Landman and admitted that one especially emotional storyline from Season 2 hit a little too close to home.

“The truth of it is, [that scene] is very true to where I am at this point in my life physically,” Elliot shared. “Not mentally, by physically. I’ve had a hard life. I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I’ve been a laborer all my life, and I’m paying for it now.”

Over the last six decades, Elliot has quietly become one of the most recognizable actors in the business thanks to his unforgettable roles in The Big Lebowski, Roadhouse and A Star Is Born, which earned him his first Academy Award nomination in 2019. And while he admits aging has changed the types of roles he can play, he sounds more reflective than bitter about it these days.

“I’m not going to go out and play the young leading, dashing man at this stage,” Elliot told the outlet. “The fact that there’s a part that I can get into and really enjoy doing, it’s a wonderful thing.”

That perspective is something he developed early in his career. Rather than chasing every paycheck that came along, Elliot said he intentionally tried to build a career with longevity in mind.

“I determined early on that if I wanted to have a long career, I couldn’t work for the dollar and do anything that came along,” he explained. “I had to be selective and judicious about what it was that I got involved with.”

Despite opening up about the physical toll aging has taken, it sounds like Elliot still approaches work with the same dedication he’s always had.

According to his Landman co-star, the veteran actor is practically impossible to get off set. Actress Kayla Wallace told People in December 2025 that Elliot “never leaves” during filming, even when he’s not scheduled to shoot scenes himself.

“He’ll find a place to sit—a bench, an apple box, whatever. He’s not fussy,” Wallace explained. “He’s just happy to sit there and be a part of it and watch all of us perform.”

That kind of dedication is hard to find nowadays, but it may also explain why Elliot has managed to remain such a respected presence on screen for more than 60 years. He just wants to keep doing the work he loves.

Sam Elliott reveals tally of health issues he got from working on Taylor Sheridan’s 1883

The Landman actor opened up about his experience on the Yellowstone spin-off, and what made him return to the Sheridanverse for another series

It appears Taylor Sheridan was adamant about having Sam Elliott join him on another show of his.

The A Star is Born actor, 81, has returned to the Sheridanverse for the second go for the second season of Landman, four years after he first starred in the Yellowstone prequel 1883, led by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.

Now, he is giving insight into what made him come back, despite the range of health issues he had to deal with between filming the two shows.

Speaking with Deadline alongside his Landman co-star Billy Bob Thornton, Sam first gushed: “1883 was one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been handed. Know what I mean? Taylor’s a gifted man. He’s got a lot of really talented people around him.”

Then, giving insight into his initial hesitation over coming back to another Western-esque show, and the fact that he hadn’t worked since 1883, save for voicing a few episodes of Family Guy, Sam explained: “I didn’t work, after 1883. I hadn’t done anything. Is that by choice? Yeah, sure. I mean, I got offers to do stuff, and they’re not always great offers. They’re easy to turn down.”

“But I got offered stuff that my agents would like to have seen me do,” he went on, before revealing: “I had a number of physical things I was dealing with, some of them directly because of my experience on 1883, and some I had before that reared back up on me after shooting.”

“That show beat the [expletive] out of me,” he confessed, and further shared: “I had a fall. I’ve got two torn tendons in my hip that are aren’t going to heal up.”

Moreover, he said: “I can’t hear anything anymore, because of all the [expletive] gunfire. We were using these full loads, all the way through the show. I’ve been around that [expletive] all my life.”

So, as for what made him come back, he said: “Billy Bob, and another chance. I talked to Taylor, and he asked me what I’ve been doing. I said, nothing, man. I just, nothing being home and enjoying it, being with my family, being with my girls and having a good time. And dealing with all this other [physical] stuff. And he said, well, I’m going to put your ass back to work.”

Sam has been married to The Graduate actress Katharine Ross since 1984, and the couple share a daughter, Cleo Rose Elliott, born three months after their wedding.

“I said, great,” he added of when Taylor called him up. “I didn’t know what he was talking about. And then he finally reached out to my agent and they started working on this deal, but I still haven’t seen any material. I’m one of those guys, I got to see it. I got to see something.

“I kept asking Taylor about it, even knowing that he’s turned out great material. He finally sent me the first couple of episodes. There were the two scenes you watched, me sitting there looking at the sun, and just talking. Then it was, when do we start?”

Happy 82nd Birthday, Sam Elliott! See the Actor’s Life in Photos

Known for his work in Westerns, gravelly voice and distinctive mustache, the Oscar-nominated actor, who turns 82 on Aug. 9, 2026, has a career spanning six decades

Sam Elliott has a filmography that goes back nearly 60 years.

The actor, who celebrates his 82nd birthday on Aug. 9, 2026, worked his way from small parts to leading roles, starring alongside Hollywood icons like Farrah Fawcett, Cher, Patrick Swayze and Melanie Griffith. Over the years, he established himself as a renowned character actor, and in 2018, he had a critical breakthrough in Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s A Star Is Born. For his performance as Bobby Maine, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Away from the screen, he has been happily married to his wife, retired actress Katharine Ross, since 1984, and the couple shares one daughter.

Ahead, see Elliott’s accomplished life in photos, from his early days in the industry to his current role in Landman.

Sam Elliott’s Early Life

Sam Elliott was born in Sacramento, Calif., on Aug. 9, 1944. When he was 14 years old, he moved with his parents to Portland, Ore., where he spent the majority of his youth.

He studied psychology and English at the University of Oregon for two semesters before transferring to Clark College, where he was cast in a theater production of Guys and Dolls. He dropped out of school after his father died of a heart attack.

Sam Elliott’s Breakthrough Role

Paramount/Getty

After dropping out of college, Elliott moved to Los Angeles to take on acting — a pursuit his father was not supportive of.

Throughout the 1960s, Elliott established himself as a character actor. He made a name for himself in the Western genre, specifically, with his memorably smoky, deep voice.

His first television credit came in 1969 when he landed a minor role in ABC’s Judd for the Defense. While Elliott nabbed several stints on the small screen throughout the early 1970s, his film breakthrough came with the role of Rick Carlson in 1976’s Lifeguard.

Sam Elliott in ‘Mask’

In 1985, he starred in his first commercial success, the acclaimed biographical drama Mask, playing opposite Cher and Eric Stoltz.

Sam Elliott’s Marriage to Katharine Ross

Elliott wed Katharine Ross in 1984, and they welcomed daughter Cleo Rose Elliott in September of that year. They’ve resided in a home by the beach in Malibu, Calif., since the 1970s. Elliott also has property in Willamette, Ore.

Sam Elliott’s Roles in Louis L’Amour Adaptations

Elliott was cast in several screen adaptations of books written by Louis L’Amour, an American novelist primarily known for his Western work.

The first was 1979’s miniseries The Sacketts, followed by TV films The Quick and the Dead in 1987 and Conagher in 1991.

The latter earned him his first Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a miniseries or television film. He also starred alongside his wife.

Sam Elliott’s First Emmy Award Nomination

Elliott made guest appearances in various shows throughout his early career, such as Gunsmoke, Lancer and Hawaii Five-O. But his continued work with TV movies earned him his first Primetime Emmy Award nod, specifically for Buffalo Girls in 1995.

For his work in the role of Wild Bill Hickok, Elliott was nominated in the outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie category.

His work in Buffalo Girls also earned him his second Golden Globe nomination in the same category.

Sam Elliott’s Supporting Roles in the Early 2000s

After dabbling in voice roles, like narrating the story of The Big Lebowski in 1998, he began taking roles in major films throughout the 2000s.

In 2002, he portrayed Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley in We Were Soldiers. The following year, he played General Thaddeus Ross in 2003’s Hulk.

In 2007, he played Carter Slade in the comic book adaptation of Ghost Rider. The film was a box office success, with Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes as leads.

Sam Elliott’s Netflix Work

After carving out a successful career across TV and film, Elliott ventured into the streaming space in 2015 when he joined the cast of Netflix’s The Ranch.

He became a series regular, playing Beau Bennett opposite Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson. The series was released in 2016, wrapped in January 2020 and produced eight seasons in between.

Sam Elliott’s Academy Award Nomination

2018 was a monumental year for Elliott, who received critical acclaim for his work in A Star is Born — the role that landed him his first, long-awaited Academy Award nomination the following year.

The actor played Bobby Maine, the elder half-brother of Bradley Cooper‘s Jackson Maine. He starred alongside Lady Gaga, who took home the Oscar for Best Original Song for “Shallow.”

Sam Elliott’s National Board of Review Honor

The National Board of Review also recognized Elliott for his work in A Star is Born, honoring him with their prestigious award for best supporting actor.

Sam Elliot’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

Elliott was honored with his very own hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in California on Jan. 8, 2019. Costars Cooper and Gaga stood alongside him for support.

Sam Elliott’s Recent Work

1883, a spinoff of the hit neo-Western Yellowstone. He then took on a leading role in another Taylor Sheridan project, Landman, for its second season in 2025. In the drama, he portrays T.L. Norris, the father of Billy Bob Thornton’s character.

In an interview with Variety, Elliott shared that T.L.’s physical struggles with age hit close to home.

“I’ve had a hard life. I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I’ve been a laborer all my life, and I’m paying for it now,” he said.

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