Sam Elliott‘s rugged good looks and sonorous voice helped make him a movie star, and there are seven films that defined his career on the big screen. Across seven decades thus far, Elliott has established himself as a go-to actor for western roles, but he is a unique performer who has been able to branch out into other genres too.

Getting his start in the late 1960s on TV, Elliott spent the bulk of his first decade in Hollywood making appearances on shows like Mission: Impossible and Gunsmoke. His talents in the western genre were apparent from day one, but his TV credits helped him stretch his range as well. However, movie stardom evaded him.

Across his earliest movie roles, it was clear that Hollywood wasn’t sure what to do with Elliott. He bounded from one disparate part to the next throughout the ’70s and ’80s, turning in excellent performances that were usually in less-than-stellar flicks. While on the small screen, he had finally found his niche in TV movie westerns and cop dramas.

Thankfully, Elliott’s years of hard work paid off, and he finally began landing juicy parts in movies. The big screen was where he could truly expand his repertoire, and Elliott blossomed beyond the swaggering cowboy roles that he was being typecast in. Even if he made better movies, some of Elliott’s films helped define who he is as a performer.

Lifeguard (1976)

After a decade of work, Sam Elliott’s first starring movie role came in the underrated 1976 drama, Lifeguard. Though a lot of the promotional imagery for the movie made it look like an exaggerated beach movie, Lifeguard actually played around with deeper themes. It explored the big comedown after the highs of the hippie generation, and was also quite romantic.

Elliott stars as Rick Carlson, an experienced lifeguard who finds himself at a crossroads. His high school reunion has him questioning his choices, and whether he should leave the beach behind. Elliott naturally had the rugged charm to pull off the part, but it was the emotional complexity that helped make Carlson his breakout role.

Lifeguard is not a perfect movie, and its 53% Rotten Tomatoes score is a pretty accurate ᴀssessment. The bulk of the cast (except for Elliott) is somewhat unremarkable, and it struggles with tone as it tries to juggle its more morose elements. However, Elliott’s starmaking performance is well worth the price of admission, and he’s sincere and deep.

The gamble of placing Elliott in the leading role paid off, and Box Office Mojo notes that Lifeguard was a decent financial success when it grossed $5 million against a budget under a million. Sadly, Elliott didn’t immediately become a movie star, and the success of Lifeguard faded quickly. However, it proved the big screen was where he belonged.

Mask (1985)

Peter Bogdanovich’s tragic coming-of-age film Mask tapped Sam Elliott to play a supporting role, but it’s still one of his best movies. The film tells the true story of Rocky Dennis, a teenage boy with a rare genetic disorder that affects his facial appearance. Despite his grave prognosis, Rocky is a happy-go-lucky kid who enjoys his bohemian lifestyle.

Cast opposite Cher, Elliott plays Gar, Rusty’s boyfriend who has a soft spot for Rocky. After two decades in the business, Elliott was perfect for the part of Gar because he was one of the few Hollywood actors who could convincingly pull off a rugged biker without looking phony. His performance is down-to-earth, which balances Cher’s exaggerated turn as Rusty.

Mask was one of the best drama films of the 1980s, but has largely faded to the background in the modern day. That is not an indication of the movie’s overall quality, and Bogdanovich deftly mixed traditional melodrama with coming-of-age tropes to do the true story justice. It’s also worth watching for a strong early performance from Laura Dern.

The movie earned a few accolades, including an Oscar win for Best Makeup, but Elliott was overlooked during award season. However, Elliott deserves a lot of credit for his performance in Mask, and he is one of the emotional anchors of the entire piece. In the midst of his western success, Elliott proved he could do drama just as well.

Road House (1989)

Chock-full of 1980s cheese, Road House is still one of the most beloved action films of the decade. Set within the confines of a rowdy bar, the story follows Patrick Swayze’s James Dalton, a philosophical bouncer who keeps law and order. Unfortunately for Dalton, he also angers a local tycoon who will stop at nothing to get his way.

Joining the movie after the conflict has already kicked off, Sam Elliott steals the show as Dalton’s mentor, Wade. Practically unrecognizable without his signature mustache, Elliott gets the opportunity to play a character that’s in his wheelhouse but still different from his usual roles. Wade is humorous and tough, but he’s also charming and kind.

Road House is an important turning point in Sam Elliott’s career, and where he started to lean into his legendary status. His acting was getting better and his starpower was finally pulling in crowds. He had spent years honing his craft on the small screen, and when given the chance to truly shine, Elliott didn’t waste the opportunity.

Tombstone (1993)

By the 1990s, the western genre had mostly been relegated to TV movies. However, films like Tombstone arrived to correct the course and get the genre back into the mainstream for the remainder of the decade. The film concerns Wyatt Earp and his efforts to clean up the тιтular Arizona town along with his brothers and allies.

Perfectly cast as Wyatt’s stentorian older brother, Virgil, Elliott is the most accomplished western actor in the cast, and he lends the film genre credibility. He has great chemistry with co-stars like Kurt Russell, and his prowess as a supporting player is evident. Virgil is a rich and interesting character without pulling focus away from the main narrative thrust.

Tombstone did something many contemporary westerns couldn’t, and it managed decent reviews alongside a strong box office performance. It’s only grown in reputation in the decades since, and is now one of the most popular westerns ever. It’s stylized and slightly anachronistic approach hearkens back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, but it’s just cynical enough to feel modern.

TV fans were already well aware of Sam Elliott’s skills in westerns, but Tombstone represented the pinnacle of his career in the genre. Earlier projects had prepared him for a project like Tombstone, and he’s one of the myriad reasons the film is beloved today. Elliott’s reputation enticed moviegoers back to westerns after years away.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Appearing in what was ostensibly a cameo role, Sam Elliott’s turn in The Big Lebowski showed the legendary actor had a sense of humor. The movie follows an aging hippy who gets wrapped up in a case of mistaken idenтιтy. It’s a throwback to classic detective stories, but with a buffoon in the lead role instead of a dashing gumshoe.

Elliot’s deep voice is put to good use as The Stranger, the narrator character who also interacts with the characters. His cowboy garb is hilariously juxtaposed with The Dude’s hippie duds, and Elliott is legitimately funny. While he wouldn’t do too much comedy in the course of his career, The Big Lebowski showed he was actually pretty good at it.

The Hero (2017)

The Hero might not be the most famous movie that Sam Elliott ever made, but the iconic actor has proclaimed it to be his favorite movie from his extensive career. Elliott stars as an over-the-hill western star who gets a dour cancer diagnosis and decides to make something out of the remaining days of his life.

It’s a bittersweet dramedy, and Elliott is able to give arguably the best performance of his career. No actor could play Lee as convincingly, and it’s clear that the role was personal. Though it pᴀssed by with little fanfare, The Hero is noteworthy because it is a rare glimpse into the full depths of Elliott’s prowess as an onscreen performer.

A Star Is Born (2018)

The 2018 remake of A Star is Born is not the type of film one would expect to see Sam Elliott, but the musical drama got the actor at his very best. Like previous versions, the story concerns an alcoholic musician who mentors a young singer and finds a new lease on life in the process.

Elliott plays the supporting role of Bobby, the manager and older brother of Bradley Cooper’s Jackson. Gone is the swaggering cowboy bravado. Instead, Sam Elliott is vulnerable and real, something many viewers had never seen. He earned his first-ever Oscar nomination, and A Star is Born stands as the perfect exclamation point in a legendary Hollywood career.