Years later it would come out that Sam Elliot was smitten by Katharine Ross way back on the set of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969. It seems almost unimaginable given Elliot’s preternatural confidence and charisma, but he had actually been too afraid to make the first move back then. It can be a lesson for all of us; if someone as ruggedly handsome and magnetic as Sam Elliott is too afraid to approach a woman, what hope to the rest of us have? On second thought, maybe that’s not such a good lesson.
After many years had passed, Sam would say of their first meeting from afar, “I didn’t dare try to talk to her then. She was the leading lady. I was a shadow on the wall, a glorified extra in a bar scene.”
Blossoming TV Career
While Sam didn’t stop auditioning for movie roles, and occasionally landing some nice supporting roles, most of his work in this period was in television. And his roles started to get juicier too. He had a recurring role for 13 episodes of Mission: Impossible. And then in 1974 he got a big break playing the title role in the biographical TV film Evel Knievel.
From 1976 to 1977, Elliott was a the top of his early career playing the lead role in the seven-part miniseries Once an Eagle, based on the bestselling war novel.
Love Connection
You read a few pages ago that Sam Elliott and Katharine Ross both appeared in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Ross was one of the stars, but the unknown Elliott had little more than a cameo, and the two shared no scenes. Almost a decade later in 1978 they co-starred in the 1978 horror movie The Legacy.
The Legacy was a turning point for Sam in more ways than one. It was his first starring role in a major motion picture, and he also started dating his lovely costar. Before long, Hollywood would be hearing wedding bells.
Showing Off His Assets
Working on The Legacy proved to be a game changer for Sam in more ways than one. It was his first leading role in a major film. It was where he meaningfully met the woman he would eventually marry. And it was the first time he ever exposed his buttocks on screen. “The Bare Facts”, a printed guide to nudity in film, gave his “performance” three out of three stars.
You often hear about women actors having to “bare it all” for a big career break. Men, not so much. But it seems like there’s an exception to every rule. One wonders what Katharine might have had to say, or think, about millions of people looking at her paramour’s butt.
Katharine Fell For Him
The world wonders: what made Katharine fall in love with her The Legacy costar? Was it his rugged good looks? His deep voice? His straight-shooting personality. The mustache?? What was the clincher for her? On that point, Ross has been particularly reticent. All she would say is, “Probably all that and more. We were working together and one thing led to another”.
In truth, it’s often hard to pinpoint what makes one person love another. A person is a package. And love can be triggered by a complicated combination of factors. So it is eminently believable that “all that and more” is what did it for Katharine.