A Promising Start
His father’s death forced Sam to reevaluate his priorities. Shortly after his passing, Sam chose to drop out of college. Elliott has later spoken about his father’s death, saying that “He died thinking, ‘Man, this kid is going to go down the wrong path.’ And I think on some level that was either hard on me or made me more focused in my resolve to have a career.”
Photo by Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock.com
Sam Elliot got an early gig in a local production of Guys and Dolls. Kind words and encouragement can go a long way, and Sam needed some at that point. He was still in college in Vancouver at the time. The city’s local newspaper singled out Elliott’s performance in a review, commenting on how he should consider becoming a professional actor.