Sam Elliott Joins ‘Landman’ as Billy Bob Thornton’s Father: The Western Legend “Starts All Over Again” at 81
At 81, Sam Elliott is proving he’s far from finished riding into the cinematic sunset. The 1883 and A Star Is Born legend is returning to television in Taylor Sheridan’s hit Paramount+ drama Landman, where he’ll play T.L., the long-lost father of oil crisis manager Tommy Norris (Billy Bob Thornton).
The casting marks Elliott’s most significant role since leading Sheridan’s acclaimed Yellowstone prequel, 1883, as frontier trail guide Shea Brennan — and it almost didn’t happen.
A Text That Changed Everything
Speaking to USA Today from the Landman set in Fort Worth, Texas, Elliott recalled the moment Sheridan recruited him.
“Taylor texted me out of nowhere asking what I was up to,” Elliott said. “I told him that offers come in, but that he really spoiled me with 1883. I was having a nice time at home.”
Sheridan’s response? Classic Sheridan:
“I’m going to get your ass back to work.”
At the time, Elliott was recovering from what he described as “medical b.s.” and wasn’t planning a return to set. But Sheridan insisted.
“Taylor told me, ‘Buddy, I’m not going without you,’” Elliott said. “It was the greatest gift.”
A Father-Son Reunion Full of Fire
Elliott joins Landman in Season 2, premiering November 16 on Paramount+. The new episodes explore Tommy’s strained relationship with his iron-willed father, T.L., as the two generations of oilmen collide against the backdrop of America’s modern energy industry.
Thornton called the casting “a natural choice,” explaining:
“There’s one person for Tommy Norris’s father, and it’s Sam Elliott. He’s got the spirit.”
The pair have known each other for decades, first working together on the 1993 Western Tombstone, where Elliott played Virgil Earp opposite Thornton’s memorable cameo.
Elliott joked about their on-screen age gap:
“That’s cutting it close. I guess T.L. got started really young,” he laughed.
A Return to His Texas Roots
Though Elliott has long called Malibu home, filming in Texas has been a homecoming of sorts. His father, Henry Nelson Elliott, grew up in the Lone Star State before moving the family to California — a fact his dad never let him forget.
“My father died at 54, thinking I was a total idiot for wanting to be an actor,” Elliott reflected. “I really wish he were alive to see this. Because all of this would really tickle him. And he would be proud.”
Three Generations of Oil and Grit
Season 2 of Landman will also expand the Norris family saga with Jacob Lofland (Mud) playing Cooper Norris, Tommy’s son and the newest generation of oil roughneck.
Lofland, an Arkansas native like Thornton, was thrilled to join the cast.
“Working with Billy and now Sam is like a dream come true,” he said. “I grew up idolizing them.”
Elliott’s New Beginning
For Elliott, Landman marks a rebirth — a chance to return to the genre that has defined his six-decade career, from The Quick and the Dead to 1883.
“I hadn’t really worked since 1883 until this came along, so I’m starting all over again,” Elliott said. “And I’m jumping right into the [expletive] pan of hot water.”
With his trademark mustache, steady voice, and unmistakable gravitas, Sam Elliott is once again proving that some legends don’t fade — they just find new ground to conquer.