If you knew the guy's work in front of the camera, then you know it's hard to match him for intensity and gravitas. He brooded and emoted sympathy and emotion with ease. He played tough. He played terrifying. He played loving.
And he played them all captivatingly well.
I think I took his talent for granted until I saw him a few years back in the excellent Cold in July (review HERE.) He blew me away in that movie, and over the following weeks I sought out and re-watched other movies that he shined in, like The Right Stuff, Country, Thunderheart, The Pledge (review HERE), Mud, and of course, Blackhawk Down.
All excellent films, each of which boasted great performances by the man. Seek them out if they are new to you, you won't regret it.
And let us not forget what a prolific playwright he was, to the tune of winning a Pulitzer Prize.
A headline on Twitter today read "Sam Shepard: the Poet Laureate of America's emotional badlands", and that just about says it perfectly.
Rest in peace, good sir, and thank you for giving us so much.
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