Full disclosure…I’ve got a thing for following the Oscars. Not necessarily the pageantry of the ceremony itself, which is almost always too long with too many musical performances and/or montages dedicated solely to the “greatness of the movies.” What I truly love is when a long tenured actor or actress, most of whom would fall into the broad category of being a “character” actor/actress, get their first nomination. While there is a short list of talent that you can count on to pretty much see their names on the final cut every 2-3 years (looking at you Meryl…), it is always refreshing when fresh blood can break through. In some cases, seeing these individuals grab a nomination can seem as satisfying as if you had been following a favorite athlete from the time they were in high school up through college and the pros, and finally get to see them break through on a championship team in the twilight of their careers. These types of nominations can cover a variety of different circumstances, from the former star recovering from past troubles to provide a later career triumph (see: Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”), to comedians who at first you would be surprised to see at the ceremony until you looked closer at their work (Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids” and Jonah Hill for “Moneyball”), to older actors who have more than put in their dues and are finally being recognized (Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” and June Squib in “Nebraska”) to, my personal favorite, those who have been in so many projects over the years that you could identify them immediately by face but most likely did not know their actual names until their Oscar nominations (most recently the case for John C. Reily in “Chicago,” JK Simmons in “Whiplash” and Sam Rockwell in “Three Billboards”). This year, the individual who clearly fits this role best is none other than Sam Elliott, nominated for his role as Bobby Maine, older half-brother and manager to Bradley Cooper’s Jackson Maine in this year’s remake of “A Star is Born.” With a career spanning over 50 years, a voice that seems like it was dubbed straight out of a Marlboro commercial voiceover and a face that most closely resembles if Sam the Eagle became human, grew a mustache and moved to Montana. It is likely that you have seen or heard him before even if you wouldn’t trust yourself to know his name in a game of Jeopardy. Case in point, when I mentioned the subject of this piece to my fiance, she asked me who Sam Elliott was. I listed three of what I would have thought were his most iconic roles only to receive a blank stare back at me. When I showed him her picture, she immediately recognized him from his recurring role as “Ron Dunn” in Parks and Recreation. I kicked myself for not using that as one of my initial examples, but that speaks to just how perfectly he fits into the category of the character actor finally being given his due. When asked for his thoughts on his first time Oscar nomination, according to Deadline he was quoted as responding “About fucking time,” before graciously and more seriously deflecting the praise to his co-stars and director. In honor of his achievement I felt it would only be appropriate to pay tribute by listing his top 5 roles, in chronological order. Unfortunately, despite my aforementioned love of the Oscars, I have yet to see “A Star if Born” and therefore it will not be on the list. Regardless, Sam provided a full enough back-catalog to provide more than enough worthy additions to a “best of” list (warning: mild spoilers to follow): 1. Road House – Wade Garrett – 1989
What can be said about this movie that hasn’t already been covered in numerous good/bad movie write-ups, podcasts and YouTube clips? All I will add is that it takes a lot of talent to not only make it believable that there is a world where professional bouncers, or “Coolers” as the movie refers to them, exist and defend local businesses like super-heroes, but also that these Coolers operate on a system of mentors/mentees, like your average Samurai or Jedi Knight. And it takes even more charisma to pull off the impression of mentoring Patrick Swayze’s James Dalton while he was in peak “Patrick Swayze mode.” But as Wade Garrett, Sam Elliott made it seem like he could put his arm around you to reassure you and provide wisdom while simultaneously throat kicking a hired goon sneaking up to sucker punch you. “I love you, Mijo” indeed. 2. Tombstone – Virgil Earp – 1993
This movie boasts an all-time loaded cast: Kurt Russell, an all-time performance from Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Billy Bob Thornton, Thomas Hayden Church, Michael Biehn, Jason Priestley, Michael Rooker, Stephen Lang, Billy Zane and Charlton Heston, with Robert Mitchum thrown in as the narrator. While Virgil Earp, brother to Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp, is not the showiest role in bunch, Sam was still able to make him stand out. He provided Virgil with a doomed sense of chivalry in his need to sign on as a deputy in a lawless town despite his brother’s pleas to not get involved. And, as one of the four men involved in the iconic walk towards the gun fight at the OK Corrall, it should be noted that you only get the sense that one of them could walk off set and still look like he belonged in the time period itself when the cameras stopped rolling. 3. The Big Lebowski – The Stranger – 1997
Another hall of fame cast of both actors and characters, from Jeff Bridges’ “The Dude” to John Goodman’s “Walter Sobchak”, The Jesus, Donny, the Nihilists, Jackie Treehorn, Brandt, Bunny Lewbowski (a pre-Sharknado Tara Reid!) and the Big Lebowski himself. But it should be noted that the voice welcoming us both in and out of this 90’s set L.A. stoner-dreamscape version of a Raymond Chandler mystery is none other than Sam Elliott himself as “The Stranger.” Despite all the craziness that transpires in the Dude’s journey, The Stranger is there to reassure us that in the end, it’s good knowing that The Dude is still out there, and despite the film’s ups and downs, it was still a pretty good story. We hope The Dude makes the finals too. 4. Thank you for Smoking – Lorne Lutch – 2005
Sam was finally given the role he was born to play as Marlboro Man stand-in Lorne Lutch in this 2005 satire. In the world of the movie, the Marlboro Man unsurprisingly develops cancer. After being forced into retirement by the cigarette companies that used his image to sell their product for years, he is living out the remainder of his life in seclusion while consistently providing negative sound bytes to the press railing against his former employers. Enter Aaron Eckhart’s “Nick Naylor,” the lobbyist who is sent to transparently bribe the old Cowboy into hushing up. Rather than trying to lie to the man, Naylor flat out admits what he is there to do and seemingly begins to talk Lutch into sticking it to the Tobacco companies by donating the money to charity during a big news event. What transpires between Naylor and Lutch is a master class in reverse psychology subtly showing how even the noblest of goals can falter in the face of the very real and human desire for wealth and security for ones family. In a film of exaggerated arguments and caricatures, Elliott’s Lutch put a heartbreakingly real face on what to that point in the film had simply been Nick Naylor owning anyone foolish enough to question the consequences of smoking. 5. Parks and Recreation – Ron Dunn – 2013-2015 (3 episodes)
When the towns of Pawnee and Eagleton are merged in a noble, though much reviled by the public, attempt to save Eagleton from financial disaster, everyone’s favorite Park and Recreation department is flooded with their counterparts from the former Eagleton’s government. Enter Ron Dunn, first introduced as a potential friend of Ron Swanson due to their low-key and plainspoken first encounter. However, Ron Swanson quickly learns that first impressions can be deceiving. Ron Dunn is almost what Ron Swanson’s worst case “what if” would be come to life, wherein his secluded and self-sufficient upbringing led him down the path to making hemp clothing and promoting Vegan living as opposed to carpentry, a whole-hearted love of capitalism and wrapping Turkey-Legs in bacon (known as a “Swanson”). Whether it was identifying Ben Wyatt’s spirit animal (baby snow owl) or exuding the benefits of hallucinating on blueberry wine, Ron Dunn made quite the impression in just three episodes worth of appearances. On a show as beloved as this one, filled with a seemingly endless cast of wacky one-off guests, that was quite the accomplishment.
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