Alex Carson
Sam Elliot has appeared in a range of films, including everything from Westerns to the tender disability story The Mask. His notable voice and looks have helped him carve out a name in Hollywood.
Sam’s private nature may leave many fans unaware of his devotion to his family. His wife Katherine and daughter Cleo Rose Elliott are the most important things in his life.
Despite his dedication, a rift arose in 2011 when an unprovoked attack led Katherine to file a restraining order against Cleo Rose Elliott. It kept them apart for some time, but they seem to have healed enough to appear in public since then.
Like and subscribe for more on the Elliotts, a family filled with icons. Watch our video to learn more about each member and how the restraining order almost tore them apart.
The Restraining Order
The Elliot family seems like a rare example of a stable, healthy Hollywood family. Sam and Katherine have been in love for years and raised a beautiful daughter.
A hint of trouble for their idyllic image came in 2011 when Katherine reportedly filed a restraining order against Cleo. The court records claimed she’d been emotionally and verbally abusive as a child and continued to become increasingly violent.
Cleo’s behavior reached a breaking point when she turned 12 in 2011. That’s the year she threatened to kill her mother and chased her around the house with a pair of scissors.
Katherine says that she attempted to call 911 but her daughter cut the phone cord She then stabbed her 6 times in the arm with a force strong enough to go through her shirt and leave marks that are still visible today.
Katherine applied for a restraining order against her daughter soon after that for her own protection. It went into effect on March 8th, 2011. An official hearing set for March 30th, but no one attended, suspending the order.
The court did put guidelines in place. They ordered her to stay 100 yards from her mother and her mother’s belongings and not to contact her. They also sent police officers when she had to return to the family home to pick up her personal belongings.
The restraining order is currently no longer in effect, and the family is once again allowed to be together. To this day, it’s unknown what caused such a massive rupture in a seemingly cohesive family.
Cleo
33-year-old Cleo Rose Elliot was born on September 17th, 1984 in Malibu, California. She is still the only child of Sam Elliot and Katherine Rose.
Cleo Rose Elliot inherited her interest in the creative arts from her parents. Sam’s mother used to make him sing in the local choir, and she inherited an even stronger love for music. It began when she played the flute and guitar at Malibu High and Colin McEwan High School.
After graduating, Cleo Rose Elliott began her training with singer-songwriter Charity Chapman. She also became a member of the ASCAP or The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
Cleo continued her musical education at the Joanne Barron/D.W. Brown Acting Studio. She studied there from 2002-2006 and focused on Italian opera.
Cleo’s music career didn’t immediately take off, but she found other pursuits to fill the time.
She modeled for magazines like Malibu Times Magazine where she featured with her parents on July 29th, 2013. She also appeared in the hairstyling show Sexyhair that same year.
Cleo’s mentor Charity introduced her to Bobby Harby, a producer and fellow ASCAP member. He was instrumental in getting her music career off the ground and putting her songs into a finished form.
Cleo Rose Elliott wrote all but one of the songs for her first album No More Lies in 2008. It had a pop-rock sound, but she admits to being more of a hard rock fan. Her musical influences include Guns N’Rose, Jimi Hendrix, Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, and Pink Floyd.
Cleo says that her parents were completely supportive of the album and glad she didn’t follow them in pursuing acting. This may be partially due to the fact that Sam’s father also didn’t want his son to become an actor.
In the years since her first album was released, Cleo Rose Elliott has become just as private as the rest of her family. She currently operates no social media accounts and has stayed out of the public eye. Suspicions have arisen that she may not want to continue with her music career.
Like and subscribe for more of the celebrity family drama you crave. Keep watching to learn more about the Elliot family and how their relationships are fairing today.
Sam and Katherine
Sam Elliot and Katherine Ross lived 80 miles away from each other as children, with her in Walnut Creek and him in Sacramento. Despite their proximity, it took a bit of time for the stars to align for this historically enduring Hollywood relationship.
Sam’s acting career began with his role in the drama Lifeguard in 1966. His other notable projects include 1987’s The Quick and the Dead, 1991’s Conagher, 1996’s Buffalo Girls, 2003’s Hulk, and 2007’s Ghost Rider. He also won a National Board of Review Award and earned several nominations for other awards for his role in 2018’s A Star is Born. His numerous roles in Westerns even earned him honors at the Western Heritage Awards at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2018.
Katherine began her acting career in 1962 with her breakout role in the comedy-drama The Graduate. The film earned her the Golden Globe for New Star of the Year. She also won a BAFTA for 1969’s Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here. She currently has 5 major award wins to her credit.
Sam and Katherine met in 1978 on the set of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They weren’t able to spend as much time together due to their different roles. She was the leading lady and he was only an extra, leaving him afraid to speak to her.
9 years later, they met against in London on the set of the horror film Legacy. Katherine had recently divorced her 4th husband.
Their connection was obvious from the beginning. Katherine said in a 2015 interview with Mercury News that she was attracted to the mustache and baritone voice Sam was known for but that it was “all that and more.”
Sam and Katherine were married in 1984. It was his first marriage but her 5th. She was married to Joel Fabiani from 1960-1962, John Marion from 1964-1967, Conrad L. Hall from 1969-1974, and Gaetano Lisi from 1974-1979.
Sam and Katherine have since been married for 34 years. The couple has appeared in 9 movies together, including Murder in Texas in 1981, The Shadow Rider in 1982, and Conagher in 1991. Their most recent joint appearance was in The Hero in 2017.
Sam feels that having creative experiences together has strengthened their relationship and enjoys going home to someone he’s working with. They still appear in films together but have more free time to spend with each other.
The couple also help to motivate each other. Sam almost turned down his breakout role as Gar in The Mask because the couple was on their honeymoon in Hawaii, but Katherine called his agent back to say that they’d be back in time. It was a worthwhile decision that earned him as much critical acclaim as the film’s stars.
Sam also admits that marriages take work but that he’s willing to put in the effort.
Whatever their true secret may be, Sam Elliot and Katherine Ross are one of the most enduring couples in all of Hollywood. A bit of family drama isn’t enough to tear them apart.
The Elliot Family Today
Overcoming an event as severe as a potentially deadly attack and restraining order against a family member is difficult, but Sam Elliot has always worked to overcome every challenge in his way. The family is no longer split apart and is now able to work and appear in public together.
Sam and Katherine currently split their time between their 2 residences in Oregon and California. This allows them to escape the bright lights of Hollywood to focus on their family.
The pair’s careers have slowed down, but they continue to find work. Sam is set to appear in several future films, and his Netflix series The Ranch became a major hit. Katherine will star in projects such as the comedy Attachments.
The Elliots are a private family, but their public personas present them as a cohesive unit whenever they go out together.
They appeared together at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival for the film The Hero. It was reportedly written for Sam with Katherine playing his ex-wife. Cleo said in an interview that both her parents are talented actors and that she is proud of their achievements.
The family also attended the 2018 premiere of A Star is Born. The film was a massive success that grossed $436.2 million. Sam credits Cleo with introducing and endearing him to the music of its star, Lady Gaga.
Their most recent public appearance was at the 91st Annual Academy Awards on February 24th, 2019. They celebrated Sam’s first nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in A Star is Born.
Love has come into the picture for Cleo Rose Elliott. She is reportedly engaged to Randy Christopher Bates, a former band member who is now an adventure influencer. He’s a professional mountain biker and video maker who posts his treks to Instagram where he has over 26,000 followers.
Sam told Parade Magazine in 2017 that his family completes him and that his daughter and wife are his world. This shows his dedication to his family and his willingness to work through any problems they may have. It also indicates at least some level of healing in the troubled family dynamic.
Sam Elliot is a beloved film icon, which makes any events in his life a piece of major celebrity news. The restraining order against his daughter was filed years ago, but the family seems to have been able to heal since then.
Do you think future family drama could be in store for the Elliots, or have they truly fixed whatever caused the attack in 2011? Let us know in the comments below. Like and subscribe for more on your favorite celebrity families.
