Birthdate: January 29, 1945 Birthplace: Detroit, MI Occupations: Actor, Producer

Actor - filmography westerns

"Lancer" (1968) in episode: "Death Bait" (episode # 1.14) 1/14/1969

The Sacketts (1979) (TV) .... Orrin Sackett
Louis L'Amour's easy voice with its gentle rhythm sets the tone and pace of the film in a spoken introduction to this loping, rambling three-hour-plus TV-movie adaptation of his novels The Daybreakers and Sackett. Sam Elliot stars as the elder Sackett, a nomad hunting and trapping in the mountains who happens upon an ancient treasure. Tom Selleck and Jeff Osterhage are his younger siblings, forced to leave home to avoid a Hatfield and McCoy situation. As the Sackett brothers wind their way across the Midwest prairies and mountains we join them on cattle drives and gold hunts, in gunfights and fistfights, and in a climactic showdown as they find their place in the world. This 1979 film rambles and meanders like a lazy river winding through a beautiful landscape of peaks and plains and forests, punctuated by the occasional gunfight and enlivened by a story that celebrates both the open range and the taming of the towns. Elliot looks almost young but flashes his savage eyes behind a thick black beard, while Selleck's easygoing manner is backed up with a stony-faced determination. The excellent cast includes a veritable who's who of Western character actors: Glenn Ford, Ben Johnson, Gilbert Roland, Gene Evans, Jack Elam, Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones, Mercedes McCambridge, and Pat Buttram.

The Shadow Riders (1982) (TV) .... Mac Traven
... aka Louis L'Amour's The Shadow Riders (1982) (TV)
When the Western slipped into theatrical oblivion in the late 1970s, many of the best examples of the genre began appearing as made-for-television films. After the success of The Sacketts, producers quickly reunited stars Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott in another fine adaptation of a L'Amour book, The Shadow Riders. As brothers Mac and Dal Traven, sporting blue and gray uniforms, respectively, they wind their way home at the close of the Civil War to discover a band of confederate rebels have ravaged their town and kidnapped their sisters and brother and Dal's feisty sweetheart (Katharine Ross). With the help of their outlaw uncle (Western stalwart Ben Johnson), whom they must break out of prison, they track the guerrillas to the Gulf Coast and down into Mexico for a final, fatal showdown. Veteran director Andrew McLaglen sets this TV movie on a loping pace and a jovial tone, defined largely by Selleck's easygoing performance and the jocular comic relief of rascally Johnson. Western icons R.G. Armstrong and Harry Carey Jr. and 1950s leading lady Jane Greer also appear in key roles.

Quigley Down Under (1990) .... Matthew Quigley/Roy Cobb
Matthew Quigley is a sharpshooter from the old west who answers a job advertisement and ends up in Australia. Once there he hooks up with Crazy Cora and founds himself at odds with his employer when he finds out his true job.
Tom Selleck was born to play a cowboy. He looks totally at ease in the saddle, he doesn't look like a Hollywood pretty-boy when he dresses in the standard western fare, and goodness knows, fans of the Rosie O'Donnell show know that Tom is at ease with a gun. Then add in the fact that he is a actor at ease with both drama and comedy and he is made for this movie.

Ruby Jean and Joe (1996) (TV) .... Joe Wade
Set in the world of professional rodeos, this telefilm chronicles the unique friendship between Joe, a White, middle-aged cowboy, and Ruby Jean, a young hitchhiker. Despite their many differences, the unlikely pair form a lasting bond that enriches both their lives.

Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997) (TV) .... Interviewee: Actor

Last Stand at Saber River (1997) (TV) .... Paul Cable
Tom Selleck shows a harder side of his persona as a disillusioned Confederate who returns home in the waning days of the Civil War in this adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel. His wife, Suzy Amis, isn't ready to forgive him for leaving his family behind for the "adventure" of war, and his children hardly remember him. Haunted by his actions in the war and caught in a power struggle in the Arizona territory, Selleck's soul-scarred survivor makes a last stand to protect the only thing left that matters to him--his homestead and his family. The film has its share of gunfights, showdowns, conspiracies, and Civil War rivalries, and even a runaway stagecoach, but its power lies in the somber exploration of how misunderstandings and conflicts tear at a marriage during such a volatile time, when ideals are set against duty to family. Director Dick Lowry's lean style makes the most of the gorgeous landscapes, and he creates a strong dramatic tension in the bubbling undercurrent between Selleck, who leaves behind the jovial character of his Louis L'Amour Westerns for a man hardened and embittered by war, and Amis, an excellent actress who brings to life a woman who shoots, speaks her mind, and harbors resentment just as well as any brooding male hero. Keith and David Carradine costar as Union wranglers who hold a grudge against the Confederate veteran. One of the most mature TV Westerns ever made.

 

Crossfire Trail (2001) (TV) .... Rafe Covington
... aka Louis L'Amour's 'Crossfire Trail' (2001) (TV) (USA)
Tom Selleck is one of two current western actors who continue the realism of the "old west" western actors in the mold of John Wayne and others. Westerns in todays age are an "acquired taste". Selleck is a natural and in this tale he continues his best efforts as he did in the Sacketts, Quigley Down Under, and the other great Westerns he's excelled in. The story has a character of realism like all the Louis Lamour classics and Selleck portrays the hero in respect to the writers intent to picture the real Old West. Virginia Madsen is an unusual selection for the heroine, but she carries off the role and doesn't detract from the plot. Wilford Brimley again demonstrates his dynamic talents as a great character actor - an unusual role for him but he adds credibility to the plot. And Mark Harmon gives honest credibility to the villian's role of all great westerns. For the Westerns movie buff, another Selleck success is a great addition to one's collection.

Harmonious 253kb	Killin' 179kb	Ain't over yet 304kb

LINKS:

American Western Magazine - ReadTheWest.com
The Internet Source for Western!

TNT Crossfire Trail
http://alt.tnt.tv/movies/tntoriginals/twr/2nd-crossfire.html

TNT Monte Walsh
http://www.tnt.tv/Title/Display/0,5918,437110,00.html

Sound clips from Quigley Down Under
http://www.krazywavs.net/quigley_down_under.htm