SAG Awards nominee profile: Sam Elliott (‘1883’) would be second oldest male TV winner ever
Although no member of the Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated “Yellowstone” cast has yet been individually recognized by the organization, the team can now take pride in the fact that a performer within their recently expanded franchise has caught the attention of their guild peers. Four years after losing on his film ensemble and supporting bids for “A Star Is Born,” Sam Elliott is a Best TV Movie/Miniseries Actor nominee thanks to his work on the “Yellowstone” prequel program “1883.” If he succeeds on this outing, the 78-year-old will be the second oldest man to ever pull off a solo SAG Award win for TV acting.
Paramount+’s “1883” briefly tells the story of “Yellowstone” protagonist John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) ancestors as they migrate from Tennessee to Montana toward the end of the 19th century. The journey truly begins for his great-great-grandparents (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) after they meet Elliott’s Shea Brennan, a recently widowed former Union Army captain who guides them and others on their expedition. At first, his stern leadership goes uncontested, but that changes when the trek turns out to be much more difficult than his passengers expected.
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Elliott, who was bested in 2019 by the cast of “Black Panther” and Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”), currently faces a slate of challengers who have each previously received at least one SAG Award nomination. The one with the most extensive resume by far is Steve Carell, whose bid for “The Patient” is his 19th overall and could lead to his fourth win following his ensemble triumphs for “Little Miss Sunshine” (film, 2007) and “The Office” (TV comedy, 2007-2008). Coming in with one film notice under each of their belts are “Black Bird” costars Taron Egerton (lead, “Rocketman,” 2020) and Paul Walter Hauser (ensemble, “Da 5 Bloods,” 2021). Rounding out the lineup is Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), who was just recognized in this category last year for “Mare of Easttown.”
Elliott’s potential victory would put him less than three years short of surpassing 2006 miniseries champ Paul Newman (81, “Empire Falls”) as the oldest male TV SAG Award recipient of all time. With him in the mix, the category’s new top five oldest winners list would also include Jack Lemmon (75, “Tuesday with Morrie,” 2000), Al Pacino (70, “You Don’t Know Jack,” 2011) and Michael Keaton (70, “Dopesick,” 2022). Considering all six solo TV SAG Award categories, the only other winners who would outpace Elliott in terms of age are Betty White (89-90, “Hot in Cleveland,” 2011-2012) and Maggie Smith (79, “Downton Abbey,” 2014).
Elliott would also be the first person to ever win this or any SAG Award for a TV prequel. Not counting anthology series, the only sequel programs for which performers have been honored by the guild are “Cheers” spinoff “Frasier” (comedy actor, David Hyde Pierce, 1996; comedy ensemble, 2000) and the HBO movie “If These Walls Could Talk 2” (movie/mini actress, Vanessa Redgrave, 2001).
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “SAG Awards nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2023 contenders in film and TV.
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