Sam Elliott Has Some Very Famous Friends: Inside His Relationships With Hollywood Heavyweights

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Known for his rugged look, horseshoe moustache, baritone voice, and down-to-earth demeanor, Sam Elliott is one of the most respected figures in Hollywood. His TV and movie career has endured for decades, allowing him to forge solid bonds with some of his peers along the way. Which of these industry friendships deserves closer attention? Let's dive into his relationships with Tom Selleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Bradley Cooper, and other household names.

Elliott's extensive filmography spans various genres, from Westerns to comedies, war dramas, romance, and horror. He has earned many accolades, including the 2018 William Holden Lifetime Achievement Award, an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for "A Star Is Born," and an Actor Award (formerly a SAG Award) for outstanding performance by a male actor for the "Yellowstone" prequel miniseries, "1883." More recently, he has joined the cast of Paramount+'s modern Western drama "Landman" as estranged patriarch T.L. Norris. He'll also voice The Dragon in the upcoming fantasy drama "Grendel" opposite Bryan Cranston, Jeff Bridges, and Dave Bautista. Basically, it looks as though the beloved octogenarian has no intention of slowing down in the near future. With that in mind, let's revisit his most meaningful friendships in Hollywood over the years.

Tom Selleck, of "Three Men and a Baby," "Magnum, P.I.," "Friends," and "Blue Bloods" fame, has known Sam Elliott since 1969, when they appeared on the same episode of the Western show "Lancer." The mustache buddies grew even closer when they co-starred as brothers in two more Western projects: the 1979 miniseries "The Sacketts" and the 1982 TV movie "The Shadow Riders." In his 2024 memoir, "You Never Know," Selleck simply described Elliot (via Country Living) as "a lanky guy with a deep voice" who always "knew what he was and what he wanted to do."

When the hit police procedural show "Blue Bloods" was canceled in 2024 after 14 seasons, Selleck, who played NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan, didn't take it very well. "There was crying and there was an enormous amount of hugs," he revealed to TV Insider at the time, adding, "I'm kind of frustrated." After that, he was spotted looking unwell, especially when his "Blue Bloods" co-star Donnie Wahlberg was cast in the spin-off series, "Boston Blue." A concerned Elliott then stepped up for Selleck over health concerns, which according to tabloids included developing unhealthy eating habits. "Sam knows what it's like to go through highs and lows, and like a lot of Tom's friends, he's alarmed how he's let himself go by piling on so much weight and becoming a recluse at home," a source reportedly told RadarOnline.

Billy Bob Thornton has experienced many heartbreaking tragedies in his eventful life, but he's also achieved immense success as an actor, filmmaker, and singer-songwriter. Along the way, he has developed genuine bonds with other celebrities, including Sam Elliott, whom he's always admired. A producer introduced them at a party back in the 1980s, and they were later cast in both "Tombstone" and "1883." Currently, and despite their 11-year age difference, they play father and son in the Paramount+ drama series "Landman."

When these two sat with We Live Entertainment in November 2025, Thornton gushed about his idol and co-star. "I've loved Sam from the moment I met him," he revealed. "He's been an inspiration to me. He's been a role model for me. And to be able to do this every day with him is a dream come true for me. I mean, when you want to be Sam Elliott, and then all of a sudden you get to sit in the scenes with him and everything." For his part, Elliott stated that he jumped at the opportunity to work with two exceptional talents: showrunner Taylor Sheridan and Thornton himself. "To have an opportunity to go to work and work with him every day, it is just truly a gift," he said.

Jeff Bridges, one of many stars who lost their homes in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in 2025, is yet another actor who likes and respects Sam Elliott. The pair grew close when they worked together in the crime comedy film "The Big Lebowski." Written and directed by the Coen brothers, this award-winning cult classic featured Bridges as The Dude, Elliott as The Stranger, and Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski.

In an interview with amNewYork in November 2015, the"You Know My Name" star spoke about fans of "The Big Lebowski" who get together at conventions wearing bathrobes like the main characters. "It's like, 'Wow,' he said, adding, "It's a testament to a great piece of material and brilliant casting. Jeff Bridges, like it or not, believe it or not, Jeff Bridges is The Dude, you know, and The Dude abides." Fast-forward to the 2023 SAG Awards, when the co-stars spent the evening together and were photographed grinning from ear to ear. "I'm sitting with Jeff at the table, and I haven't seen Jeff in quite a time," Elliott told People. "I'm really happy to be with him."

The prolific Patrick Swayze was perhaps most famous for headlining the cast of "Dirty Dancing," the iconic 1987 romance drama film that nabbed an Academy Award for the hit song "(I've Had) the Time of My Life." He also made memorable impressions playing the lead roles in "Ghost" and "Road House." In the latter movie, the actor portrayed bar bouncer James Dalton, alongside Sam Elliott as his mentor and older friend, Wade Garrett. The pair had great chemistry and famously got along very well. "I liked him," Elliott once told NBC 5's late reporter Bobbie Wygant. "He's a nice kid. I suspected that Patrick was a nice kid ... and I wasn't disappointed ... found him real refreshing."

Unfortunately, the "Point Break" star's career was brutally cut short when he succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2009. Some of his celebrity friends and former castmates, including Demi Moore, Jennifer Grey, and Elliott, were then asked to contribute to the 2019 documentary "I Am Patrick Swayze." "He spoke to people," a visibly saddened Elliott recalled in his testimonial. "He was that kind of guy ... He resonated with an audience. He was a movie star. He had the qualities. He had them all."

Written and co-directed by Bradley Cooper, the 2018 musical romance drama "A Star Is Born" starred Cooper as Jack, Sam Elliott as his older brother Bobby, and Lady Gaga as Ally. The blockbuster movie swept an impressive number of prestigious accolades, including Academy Award nominations for the three lead performers. To prepare for his role, Cooper drew inspiration from rocker Eddie Vedder. He was equally ecstatic to have Elliott on board, having admired his work for years. "Sam is one of the most talented, generous, humble actors I've ever had the pleasure to work with, and acting alongside him was a dream fulfilled for me," Cooper stated in January 2019 at his friend's hand and footprint ceremony at Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater (via ET). "Directing Sam was and will remain one of the highest points of my career," he proudly added, before turning to Elliott and calling him his "brother" and "friend."

For his part, Elliott commended Cooper for his directing, writing, and editing skills on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" in October 2018. "If you trust your fellow performers, your fellow actors, and ... certainly if you can trust the director, odds are you can get at the truth somewhere along the line," he added.

Sam Elliott has earned a longstanding reputation as a humble, down-to-earth performer who gets along with many industry peers. Still, perhaps no other Hollywood star has stood by him and loved him as much as his own wife, award-winning actor and children's book author Katharine Ross. Though they briefly crossed paths on the set of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" back in 1969, Elliott and Ross really met and fell in love about a decade later. Their romance blossomed when they starred together in the 1978 horror movie "The Legacy".

These two devoted spouses have been married since May 1, 1984. "What it boils down to is we love each other, and we work at it," the "Landman" actor told NPR in 2017. "The two things that I wanted in my life were to have a movie career and to be married, to have a family," he added. "And it's an embarrassment of riches that I've got both." The couple have enjoyed working together and showcasing their chemistry on-screen in multiple projects, such as "Travis McGee," "Conagher," and "The Hero." "I think we just like making movies, and having that creative experience together is the best," Elliott shared with the Los Angeles Times in 2016. The pair are still going strong and share a daughter, musician Cleo Rose Elliott.