Much to the chagrin of today’s lovers of the old west, Western movies just aren’t as prolific as they once were. Gone are the days of guys like John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart who could craft a whole career solely on westerns if they wanted to. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t great western actors in our own time who have done enough to leave a mark on the western movie terrain.
This article is a fun look at some of the fellas over the last thirty or so years who have taken a turn or two at playing a gun-toting, horse-riding, man-of-the-frontier. There is no order to it; this isn’t a click bait countdown, it’s just a fun accounting of what I wish there was more of.
KURT RUSSELL Why not start with Kurt Russell? He hasn’t played in the most 
westerns, but after making a tremendous stamp on western movies as Wyatt Earp in 1993’s Tombstone, he returned to the genre in recent years, starring in Bone Tomahawk and the Hateful Eight. Couple that with a couple movies he did as a young man called the Longest Drive 1 and 2, and he’s certainly done enough to be considered a western movie favorite for today.
KEVIN COSTNER And since we’re already focused on Wyatt Earp, let’s take a look at Kevin Costner. He took his turn at the lawman of renown just a year after Russell, and this was already after proving himself in Dances with Wolves just four years previous. In addition, Costner had done some teeth-cutting in Silverado in 1985, so his career was already showing a bent towards the western genre. In more recent years Costner featured in the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s on History Channel, helping to get the project made, and showing his heart for the old timey topics. However, the best role of his career, and the one that proves his worth as a western hero more than any other was in Open Range. Arguably one of the better westerns ever made, Costner shows he could easily make a living playing nothing but a gunman from the west, whether he chose to or not.
JEFF BRIDGES On the heels of Open Range there has been a very modest proliferation of relatively big-budget westerns. One of the more acclaimed was the Coen brothers’ 
True Grit of 2010. This movie really puts Jeff Bridges into the category of a modern western leading man. He did a great job as Rooster Cogburn, and did an equally wonderful job as Wild Bill Hickok in 1995. Those two roles put him on the frontier map, but they’re anchored by the movies Bad Company (1972) and Hearts of the West (1975) when he was still a new actor on the scene, as well as with the modern-setting western Hell or High Water. Five movies with two very significant roles (Rooster & Wild Bill) definitely earn him recognition, but in a fun turn, we can cap him off with his portrayal in R.I.P.D., where he plays an old west marshal six-gunning against some unruly dead folks.
SAM ELLIOTT Sam Elliott stands out as the most prolific western actor of recent years. He got his start in westerns and has remained a go-to whenever a believable western man is needed. Rather than recount his resume with whimsical verbiage, I’ll simply post his record and let the reader sift through the evidence: The Sacketts (1979), Wild Times (1980), Shadow Riders (1982), Yellow Rose (TV Show, 1983), Houston: The 
Legend of Texas (1986), Quick and the Dead (1987), Conagher (1991), Gettysburg (1993), Tombstone (1993), The Desperate Trail (1994), Buffalo Girls (1995), The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky (1995), Rough Riders (1997), Big Lebowski (1998), Hi-Lo Country (Modern, 1998), You Know My Name (1999), The Ranch (TV Show, 2016). Yes, that’s right, I included the Big Lebowski. No, it’s not a western, but it’s significant that in that movie Elliott plays the conscious of the western pioneering spirit, juxtaposed against the lazy, jaded attitudes of today’s Los Angeles.
TOM SELLECK Recollecting some of Elliott’s films such as Sacketts & Shadow Riders brings to mind another western stalwart who is deeply under appreciated. The man of the mighty mustache,…Tom Selleck. Only Elliott has done more westerns than Selleck
and likewise, Tom Selleck has peppered his whole career with the genre, consistently showing up on film in boots and cowboy hat, from the Sacketts in 1979, to Monte Walsh in 2003. My only complaint being that he needs to take a break from Jesse Stone to do another western or two; it’s about time! And, as with Sam Elliott, I’ll just post the list for the reader: Sacketts (1979), Concrete Cowboys (1981, TV Show), Shadow Riders (1982), Quigley Down Under (1990), Ruby Jean & Joe (Modern 1996), Last Stand at Saber River (1997), Crossfire Trail (2001) Monte Walsh (2003), Twelve Mile Road (Modern, 2003).
TOMMY LEE JONES & ROBERT DUVALL I think it’s probably about time to acknowledge the godfathers of modern western cinema, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones. The recognition for Lonesome Dove is probably enough for either of these two to be held in the esteem in which they are, but each have made a nice collection of westerns throughout their careers, and are every bit deserving of the regard they are given.
JONES Starting with Tommy Lee Jones, who proved himself well, atop a horse and on the trail, in Lonesome Dove. He had done a western just a year before in Stranger On My Land, but really cements himself as a western lead with Good Ol’ Boys in 1995 and The Homesman in 2014. You can add to this great handful The Missing in 2003, and the modern western movies Three Burials and No Country For Old Men.
DUVALL And now we can focus on Robert Duvall, who, given his role as Gus McRae, is probably this generations John Wayne when it comes to the hearts of todays western fan. Perhaps Val Kilmer’s Doc Holliday is a rival in popularity, based on his sheer hipness, but Gus McRae stands out as the western-man’s man. And after adding to his western film resume, he returned to the trail-riding role that made him so endearing in 2006’s Broken Trail, which was an exceptional trail riding yarn in it’s own right. And, of equal worth, was his role as Boss Spearman in Open Range. It’s just hard to beat Robert Duvall when it comes to western portrayals. And finally, in order, here’s his list of western movies: Lonesome Dove (1989), Convicts (1991), Geronimo (1993), Gods & Generals (2003), Open Range (2003), Broken Trail (2006), A Night in Old Mexico (Modern, 2013) Wild Horses (Modern, 2015). Keep in mind that this is a relatively modern collection and doesn’t take into consideration movies and TV appearances he made in the ’60’s.
************
There are a couple other steadfast actors who need a mention, and they are Gene Hackman and Ed Harris. Hackman for his standout role in Unforgiven, and Ed Harris for his equally impressive turn in Appaloosa.
GENE HACKMAN Hackman has rounded out his western resume with early career films Zandy’s Bride (1974), and Bite the Bullett (1975), and then returned to the genre in the early 90’s with zest, pumping out four westerns in four years: Unforgiven (1992), Geronimo (1993), Wyatt Earp (1994), and The Quick and the Dead (1995),
ED HARRIS Ed Harris, conversely of most others mentioned in the article, came to westerns generally later on in his career. His first was Riders of the Purple Sage in 1996 and he didn’t do another for twelve years when he starred in Appaloosa. After doing a couple more, Sweetwater (2013) and Frontera (2014), he showed up in HBO’s West World in 2016. Appaloosa is certainly the highlight of the group, but it’s great to see him doing more in the genre recently.
************
And what about the ever-reliable “worthy-of-mention” category? Let’s take a look.
Kiefer Sutherland started early with a prominent role as Josiah “Doc” Scurlock in Young Guns (1988) and Young Guns 2 (1990). He was next seen representing the modern rodeo cowboy in The Cowboy Way (1994) and Cowboy Up (Modern, 2001). Then, in 2015, he participated in a bit of a passion project with his real life father, Donald, playing his onscreen father in the movie Forsaken. His career may not be dominantly western, but it’s great to see him getting back to the western in recent years, and taking such an active part in getting it done.
Val Kilmer is certainly a fan favorite after becoming the face of new westerns for a whole generation in 1993. His Doc Holliday in Tombstone is easily the slickest gun-toter to be on film, and it, alone, makes him a worthy western actor. He also starred in Gore Vidal’s Billy the Kid in 1989, and then made a small western comeback with Comanche Moon (2008) and Wyatt Earp’s Revenge (2012). It’d be great to see him take on another role to rival his Doc Holliday, but that would, admittedly, be tough to top.
Perhaps the most under-the-radar young-ish western actor of today is Berry Pepper. He’s’ appeared in two Lonesome Dove outputs, Lonesome Dove: the Series (1995), and Lonesome Dove: the Outlaw Years (1996), as well as Three Burials (Modern, 2005), True Grit (2010), and Lone Ranger (2013). Not only does he boast a robust handful of western films, but he’s in good company, too. In Three Burials he co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones, in True Grit he shared the screen with Jeff Bridges, and though Lone Ranger was not the highest reviewed, it was a very big budget movie. On top of these, even though he was not a part of the original Lonesome Dove series, it’s a great studio property to be a part of.
Finally, Viggo Mortensen, Thomas Haden Church, and Ethan Hawke each deserve a look. Mortensen got his first western role in Young Guns 2, and then later did the movie Hidalgo in 2004. Though not a true western, he still played a cowboy in the 1890’s. His most defining western role was as Everett Hitch in Appaloosa, alongside Ed Harris. Thomas Hayden Church has only 
done two westerns to date, but they’re good ones to be in. First playing Billy Clanton in Tombstone, and then starring with Robert Duvall in Broken Trail. Some have criticized his stiffness in the latter of the two movies, but considering that most cowboys were hard working roughnecks, and not camp cut-ups, his performance comes off appropriately stoic. The final entry is perhaps the last name one might expect, but given his new avenue towards westerns, including three western movies in two years, it’s nice to see this turn in direction. Ethan Hawke first starred in A Valley of Violence in 2016, a spaghetti-western styled film, then co-featured in the recent remake of The Magnificent 7, and is slated to star in a movie about a kid who witnesses the encounter between Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, conveniently titled The Kid.
************
Handy With A Gun...! 