His Work Ethic
Only a handful of Hollywood stars really share Sam’s unique upbringing of growing up in the wilderness and maintaining a good work ethic. Sam’s youth has a lot to do with how he became an industrious, tough guy. And he hasn’t been too reserved about it. He revealed how he grew up hanging around his father and that his dad’s friends “were all men’s men and outdoorsmen.”
So when it came to the result of Sam Elliott as a professional man, I guess we can assume that it was as much nurture as it was nature that made him into what he is. Sadly, his father never got to see the fruits of his son’s labor. But chances are, he would have been proud.