Against Dad’s Wishes
Sam Elliott was born on August 9th, 1944, in northern California to a father who was a government employee and a mother who was a high school teacher and fitness instructor. At the time, his father worked in the wilderness mostly as an animal control specialist. From a young age, Sam already set his sights on becoming an actor. He thought it was his calling.
Source: 1962 David Douglas High School Yearbook p.40 / Classmates.com
But his father didn’t share the same vision and thought it was too unrealistic. Instead, he insisted that Sam embarks on a more traditional career path, which included getting a college degree. This ended up becoming a lifelong father-son conflict, one that would ultimately damage their relationship. And one that would never get a chance to be resolved…