The Landman Star You Might Not Have Known Was The Voice Of Smokey Bear

If there's one thing America loves when it comes to raising awareness about social or environmental issues, it's a mascot. Woodsy Owl first called on the public to give a hoot and not pollute in the '70s, while McGruff the Crime Dog came on the scene to take a bite out of crime in the '80s. However, few mascots can hold a candle to Smokey Bear (and definitely shouldn't hold a candle if they're in the woods).

Smokey Bear has been taking a stand against forest fires since the 1940s. Given the character's longevity, it should come as no surprise that numerous voice actors have portrayed him over the years. That being said, something you may not know is that one of the most prominent voices behind Smokey is someone you ought to recognize if you're a fan of the show "Landman."

Indeed, from 2008 to 2023, Smokey's primary voice actor was none other than Sam Elliott, who portrays T.L. Norris — father of Billy Bob Thornton's Tommy Norris – on "Landman." Of course,  Elliott is also known for his parts in films and TV shows like "Tombstone," "Hulk," "The Big Lebowski," and "Justified," just to name a few. Not only that, but Elliott's role as Smokey almost seems like it was destined to be.

Created by the U.S. Forest Service (among other organizations), Smokey made his big debut in print form on Aug. 9, 1944 — which just so happens to be the exact same day Elliott was born. Back in those early days of the ad campaign, Smokey was voiced by prominent Washington, D.C., radio personality Jackson Weaver, who first landed the gig in 1947, and held it in some form or fashion up until his death in 1992. As such, much like Elliott himself, Smokey has had quite the transformation over the years.

Sam Elliott and Jackson Weaver are hardly the only two individuals who have voiced Smokey Bear. Over the decades, numerous other actors and personalities have also lent their voices to the environmental mascot for varying lengths of time, with tenures sometimes overlapping across different mediums and ad campaigns. Elliott, specifically, first took on the role in 2008 amid a larger initiative meant to endear Smokey to a new generation of audiences, complete with social media integration. To that end, the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" alum certainly seems to have some thoughts on how Smokey's depiction and characterization have evolved.

For the longest time, Smokey was a bear of few words. In fact, if you know anything about Smokey, it's most likely his iconic catchphrase, "Only you can prevent forest fires" (which itself has been tweaked once or twice). More recent ads and PSAs, however, have given the iconic bear a bit more in the way of dialogue. "What's interesting is, I've been doing that voice for a long time. Not the commercials they're doing now. Now he's very talkative," Elliott told Deadline in May 2026, adding, "He's like everybody today. He's got something to say."

After Elliott's tenure as the primary voice of Smokey Bear came to an end in 2023, fellow actor Brian Tyree Henry — of "Atlanta" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" fame – took on the role for the character's 80th anniversary in 2024. "Smokey called. I had to answer. Voicing this icon was [the] stuff of legends. Thank you for your decades of care," Henry wrote on Facebook at the time to mark the occasion.