Landman actor Sam Elliott, 81, proves he's still going strong with wife of 42 years, The Graduate vet Katherine Ross, 86

Landman actor Sam Elliott made a splash at the Actor Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday evening.

The 81-year-old star, who has also been in the Yellowstone prequel 1883, wore a dapper black tuxedo with a bow tie.

He sweetly matched his wife, The Graduate actress Katherine Ross, as they looked still very much in love over after 42 years of marriage while posing on the red carpet.

The legendary actor, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2019 for his role in A Star Is Born, has been married to Ross, 86, since 1984. 

They met while filming the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with the late Robert Redford. They tied the knot in 1984 after falling in love on the set of the 1978 film The Legacy.

Prior to marrying Elliott, Ross, who was also nominated for an Academy Award for playing Mrs. Robinson's daughter Elaine in 1967's The Graduate, had endured a series of short-lived marriages to four different men.  

Yet her marriage to her fifth husband has withstood the test of time, as well as the pressures of Hollywood, and appears as strong as ever today. 

The couple has been based in Los Angeles ever since and have one daughter, Cleo. 

Elliott gained recognition following his breakthrough role in 1976 drama Lifeguard and  then as a character actor, but saw a career resurgence back in 2015 after appearing as a regular in Netflix series The Ranch. 

More recently he starred as grizzled cowboy Shea Brennan in 1883.

His role in the miniseries – which ran for one season – saw him nab a SAG Award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie in 2023, beating Evan Peters who was hotly tipped to win for his Netflix performance in Dahmer.

The win also drew backlash on social media, with outraged fans saying Peters deserved the award, and pointing out Elliott's controversial remarks about 2021 western romance film Power of the Dog. 

Elliott became embroiled in controversy after a February 28, 2022 appearance on the WTF podcast with Marc Maron, where he held little back about his feelings for the film, a western drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.

He called the motion picture a 'piece of s***' with 'allusions of homosexuality,' adding that the cowboy characters in the movie, 'running around in chaps and no shirts,' were akin to Chippendales dancers who 'wear bow ties and not much else.'

Elliott also questioned how New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion – who won her second Oscar for the movie – was qualified to make a movie in the genre.

'What the f*** does this woman from down there know about the American West?' he said.  

Campion fired back at Elliott in a chat with Deadline in Los Angeles, telling the outlet that the actor 'really hit the trifecta of misogyny and xenophobia and homophobia' with his remarks about her film.

'I think it’s really unfortunate and sad for him,' Campion complained to the outlet. 'I don’t like that.'

Elliott later issued a public apology saying: 'I told the WTF podcaster that I thought Jane Campion was a brilliant director, and I want to apologize to the cast of The Power of the Dog, brilliant actors all. And in particular Benedict Cumberbatch. 

'I can only say that I’m sorry and I am. I am,' he added. 

Elliott got his start with minor roles in late 60s westerns such as The Way West (1967) and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but it wasn't until the 1980s that his career took off in a big way in the Mask and Road House.

He received the first of his two Golden Globe nominations for TV film Conagher, where he played the titular role and starred alongside Ross.

Elliott also has two primetime Emmy nominations. His other notable works include Gettysburg and The Big Lebowski, and he was a regular on Netflix series The Ranch.