Sam Elliott has become one of the most iconic Westerns actor of the last half-century, with his wiry frame, bushy mustache and rumbling drawl.
None of which was apparent in his first movie, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” He was “Card Player #2” in the opening scene—with just a couple of lines and no facial hair.
Fifteen years later, he married “Etta Place” actress Katherine Ross. Ironically, they never met during filming—and didn’t actually act together until 1978

True West May/June 2025
In This Issue:
Features
- Historic Hotels of the American West
- A Journey Through Wyoming’s Outlaw History
- A Journey Through Washington’s Wild Frontier
- Blazing The Oregon Trail
- Journey Through Time
- Did Brigham Young Order a Massacre?
- Mountain Meadows Scapegoat John D. Lee VS. A Firing Squad
- Mormons in the Movies
- An Indigenous Consultant Ensures Accuracy
- The Battle Axe And A Raw Deal
- Showdown: Bridger VS. Brigham
- The Mountain Man and the Mormon Moses
- The Ghosts of Mountain Meadows
- The War Before the War
- Mountain Meadows