Sam Elliott Calls SAG Awards 2023 Win 'the Most Meaningful Acknowledgement of My 55-Year Career'

Kelly Wynne
·4 min read
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: Sam Elliott accepts the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series award for “1883” onstage during the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 26: Sam Elliott accepts the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series award for “1883” onstage during the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Winter/Getty

Sam Elliott reached a sentimental milestone Sunday at the SAG Awards 2023 by winning best male actor in a television movie or limited series.

Presented by Jenna Ortega and Aubrey Plaza, Elliott, 78, took home the award for his role as Shea Brennan in 1883, a spin-off of the hit drama Yellowstone.

"I wonder if anybody else is gonna read anything tonight," he said on stage after pulling a piece of paper from his pocket to read his acceptance speech. "I do this because I didn't expect to be up here. I only have 43 seconds to say this and I've already wasted a half of that."

"What can I say in 45 seconds, after just receiving the most meaningful acknowledgement of my 55-year career from a group of my peers?" Elliott continued. "Many of whom I don't even know, or know only from afar as a fan who respects their work. Not time to say enough."

"But I can say thank you, and I can tell you that I'm honored and grateful to be in your company, whether in this audience or at home," the 1883 star added. "After seeing the work of my fellow nominees, I'm not sure I should be standing up here, but I'm sure I'll get over that."

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Referencing his new award, Elliott told his fellow actors and actresses, "I'm gonna treasure this guy, this gal, because it comes from all of you, my brothers and sisters from SAG-AFTRA. I'll treasure it as a constant reminder of 1883 and what a gift it was for all of us on both sides of the camera."

He went on to give a nod "to my incredible cast mates," and told them, "there's a piece of this for all of you. Not only for who you are but your beautiful work that helped me find the way. I love you all for that."

"Thank you Taylor Sheridan for your brilliant script, and David Glasser, and everyone else at 101 Thank you to Paramount, thank you to my team, and thank you to my wife, my beautiful Katharine, my partner through thick and thin, and the mother of our beautiful daughter," he continued, before closing by saying, "Thank you ladies and gentlemen."

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Sam Elliott plays Shea Brennan on the prequel. His character's story could be described as a devastating western, which shows his tragic past as he continues daily life as a cowboy on the show that takes places generations before the stories that unfold on Yellowstone.

Others nominated in the category include Steve Carell (The Patient), Taron Egerton (Black Bird), Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird) and Evan Peters (Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story).

In Hulu's drama series The Patient, Carell played Alan Strauss, a psychotherapist with a murderous client who holds Alan hostage in hopes of curing his impulses in an ongoing therapy session.

Carell has a total of 19 SAG award nominations throughout his extensive comedy and drama career. His first nomination came in 2007 for the film Little Miss Sunshine.

Peters stepped into the murderous shoes of real-life serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer for Netflix's hit drama Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. The show climbed Netflix's rankings and quickly became one of the streamer's most-watched shows of all time.

This isn't the only nomination Peters received for his killer role. He won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a limited series, anthology series or motion picture made for television earlier this year.

Black Bird, an Apple TV+ crime series, had two nominations in the category this year. Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser played inmates based on real-life criminals Jimmy Keen (Egerton) and Larry Hall (Hauser). The plot follows Jimmy Keen — a new inmate — who makes a deal with the FBI: If Keen can get a confession from killer Larry Hall, he may save future lives as Hall's latest appeal is looking promising.

Hauser has already picked up two awards for the role of Larry Hall — a 2023 Golden Globe Award and a Critics Choice Award.

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The 2023 SAG Awards ceremony is airing live on Sunday, Feb. 26 from the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.