Tragic Details About The Lives Of The Landman Cast

The cast of "Landman" is loaded with seasoned actors of a certain age — which means they've lived long, active lives in the spotlight. Along with wisdom and experience comes tragedy and the relevant bitter lessons, which each actor has weathered with aplomb. As the years have gone by, these travails have become badges of honor. It's not easy to survive the jungle of Hollywood, but they've all made it through, and they wear the scars to prove it.

But that doesn't mean that the tales they've got tucked under their belts aren't truly harrowing ones. From deaths in the family to legal entanglements, this cast has seen it all. Some of the show's performers have been through on-set troubles in the past, while others have coped with nasty rumors about their lives — they've even dealt with incidents and accidents that took place on the "Landman" set itself. While fans wait for Season 3 of "Landman" to roll out, here are some tragic details about the cast which you might not have known about before today. 

"Landman" lead Billy Bob Thornton has seen plenty of tragedy in his time on the planet, and his troubles began when he was a child. Thornton confessed to that he was physically and verbally abused when he was younger by his father, who began hurting him when he was 3 or 4 years old. The patriarch delivered fierce beatings with belts and struck him upon the head. "My father was a very violent Irishman and so there was abuse both verbal and physical in our household," he confessed to The Today Show. "He was a Korean war veteran in the navy and he was a very intense guy who I don't think I ever had a conversation with." 

And yet, when the elder Thornton was dying of cancer and suffering from horrifying hallucinations, it was his son who stayed with him until the end. "I felt tortured myself. And I didn't want to see somebody else in that kind of pain," Billy Bob Thornton told NBC News' Ann Curry. The actor later blamed his struggle with OCD on what he went through in his youth. 

Somehow, however, Thornton managed to find the grace to forgive his dad in the end. "Through all of that, through beatings and no communication or anything when I grew up, I realized that I understood my father and I loved my father," he told The Today Show.

Billy Bob Thornton was estranged from his eldest daughter, Amanda Brumfield, soon after her birth. Brumfield would be raised by his first wife, Melissa Lee Gatlin. But Thornton and Brumfield managed to find each other when Brumfield was an adult.

"She didn't grow up with me, and so we were pretty much strangers for years. Then a few years later, we reconnected, and it's really good now," he told The Mail on Sunday in 2005 (via People Magazine). But Brumfield soon faced a tragedy of her own. In 2011, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of the aggravated manslaughter death of her 1-year-old goddaughter, Olivia Madison Garcia. 

Brumfield claimed Garcia fell while trying to climb out of her playpen and struck her head while Brumfield was babysitting for her. The child became unresponsive deep into the night and passed away at the hospital. The prosecution responded that a fall from that height wouldn't have given Olivia the multiple grievous traumatic brain injuries she received and Brumfield, the last adult to care for her, must have been responsible. 

After serving 9 years of her sentence, Brumfield was released from prison in 2020 via a plea deal ahead of an evidentiary hearing. The Innocence Project of Florida continues to seek a full pardon for her. But the relationship between Thornton and his daughter has apparently once again gone cold. In 2008, at the time of Garcia's death, Thornton released a written statement to CNN (via UPI) declaring that he "has had no contact with (his daughter) for quite some time."

Another family tragedy struck Billy Bob Thornton when his brother, Jimmy, passed away in 1988 from an undiagnosed heart condition. "He was two years younger than me. It just changed everything," Thornton said during an appearance on "Oprah's Master Class."

Thornton confessed that he's never been able to trust happiness since Jimmy's death, but he considers that a fair price to pay to keep his brother's memory alive. "I have to really force myself to think that things are going to be OK in terms of worrying about my family, or myself, or one of my friends [...] There's a melancholy in me that never goes away." 

He added that he's only partially happy or partially unhappy at any given time. But he has accepted his emotions — and thinks that unhappiness has influenced his art. "I think it's OK to have all those feelings. And as an artist, that's where a lot of your stuff comes from. You keep honoring those people forever." 

Movie star Demi Moore, too, was put through the wringer by her childhood. She alleged in her autobiography "Inside Out" and during a "Good Morning America" interview that she was sexually assaulted and possibly trafficked when she was only 15 by an acquaintance of her mother's.

"It was rape. And a devastating betrayal, revealed by the man's cruel question: how does it feel to be whored by your mother for $500?" she wrote in "Inside Out" (via The Guardian). When asked by Diane Sawyer in a "Good Morning America" interview if she believed that the man who molested her told the truth, Moore said, "I think, in my deep heart no. I don't think it was a straightforward transaction. But she still did give him the access, and put me in harm's way." 

Moore's mother, Virginia Guynes, had a long criminal record, was an alcoholic with depression issues who had a tumultuous relationship with Dan Guynes, the man who raised Moore and whom she considers her father. Guynes repeatedly tried to commit suicide, leaving Moore to care for her mother. And yet she dedicated her book to Guynes as well as her own three daughters; the twosome reconciled before Guynes died of a brain tumor in 1998.

Another trauma Demi Moore endured at the hands of her mother involved the concealment of the true identity of her biological father. 

"My dad is Dan Guynes. He raised me. There is a man who would be considered my biological father who I don't really have a relationship with," Moore explained to Vanity Fair. She explained that she learned about the existence of Charles Harmon when she discovered her parent's marriage certificate while snooping through a closet. "I saw my parents were married in February 1963. I was born in '62. When I asked my mother, she said, 'Oh, that's a mistake.' I knew she'd been married before, but I didn't know anything else."

Moore later confronted Virginia Guynes about Harmon's existence, and Guynes confirmed that Harmon was her bio dad. Moore recalled that she later met Harmon briefly. "He'd always wanted to meet me but was forbidden; he'd never even seen a photograph. He came [to the aunt's] and stayed. It was a bizarre experience," she said. 

The actress admitted that she harbored some anger over the situation. "It's a tremendous betrayal, especially when you find out everybody — like your cousins — knew. It's almost like being a bastard child. But Danny was always there for me. There was never any question he was my dad. He was there the day I was born. I've put away ever seeing the other guy again." 

Another shocking incident in Demi Moore's life occurred in 2015, when Edenilson Steven Valle was found floating in the pool of Moore's home after a small gathering thrown by the actor's personal assistant. Valle disappeared during the party and it was presumed that he fell into the pool by mistake and drowned, as he could not swim. The manner of his death was ruled to be accidental.

Though Moore was not home at the time, she was sued in 2017 by Jorge and Maria Valle, Edenilson's parents, for the wrongful death of their son. Moore was named as a co-defendant alongside her assistant, as well as Tree House Trust, which owned the dwelling, and a friend of her PA who was also responsible for running the party. The Valle family claimed that the temperature of the pool, the unusual depth of it, and a lack of functioning lights and markers around it contributed to Valle's death. 

Rocks mounted by the swimming pool's edge were also blamed as a tripping hazard. Moore's attorneys argued that Valle was unlawfully on the property at the time of his passing, and that his personal responsibility ought to be factored into the reduction of any monetary judgement levied against the defendants. In 2018, Moore settled the suit.

While Ali Larter's struggles have been arguably less dire than either Billy Bob Thornton's or Demi Moore's, she's definitely endured some pain of her own. While filming a scene for "Landman," for instance, she dealt with a fire ant attack. "We had a scene this season where it was like, it's the end of the day, we have a huge crew, it's high pressure, and we are rushing to get this shot," she said during an appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers."

The crew raced to capture the setting sun for Larter's big scene with Thornton. But Larter had a more pressing disaster on her hands — or, more precisely, her feet. "I'm standing there in this wide open field, barefoot, jean shorts, and they're rushing, rushing, rushing, and I hear, 'Action!' And I'm standing there, and I'm looking at the horses, and all of a sudden I feel something crawling between my toes. And I look down and there are fire ants biting my toes." She powered through the scene and won praise from episode director Stephen Kay. "He's like, 'Ali, you were so emotional!' You were so connected!' And I was like, 'I'm crying because I was getting bit by fire ants!' And I was scared they were going to yell at me because they weren't going to get the shot!"

While Larter suffered no permanent damage, she ended up coming away from the shoot with some welts on her feet — and a scene worth being proud of.

Sam Elliott has been a part of the Hollywood scene for nearly six decades, and after years in the business he's seen plenty of ups and downs. But in 2023, Elliott was the victim of a death hoax. While the rumor was quickly dispelled, some fans were still worried that the actor had shuffled off his mortal coil.

The tall tale was sparked by two different YouTube channels — Ripples in Time and Celeb Breaking News, the latter of which was dedicated to creating death rumors for easy clicks. Word spread from there onto social media. Fortunately, Snopes stepped in to corroborate the information and did its best to confirm that the actor wasn't dead. 

Elliott's survival was explicitly corroborated by his appearance in "Landman," as well as his recurring voiceover role on "Family Guy" as Quahog Mayor Wild Wild West, both of which continued well past 2023. And this wasn't the only time someone claimed Elliott had died; scuttlebutt about his expiration also circulated in 2019. Talk about being the ultimate survivor.

Movie star Andy Garcia has also been around the block — which means that he's lived long enough to lose several important people in his life. His friend and co-star Julio Oscar Mechoso passed away in 2017, and Garcia eulogized the man in a Miami Herald article.

"How can one express the extreme loss of someone so close to you, the extreme emptiness that one feels now and forever. A sudden loss is always unjust, but in the case of Julio Oscar Mechoso, my friend, my soul mate it is greater than that, as I have lost the truest of friends," he wrote. 

Garcia has also coped with the loss of his niece's boyfriend. Sean Taylor, a Pro-Bowl safety for the Redskins, was killed protecting Garcia's niece, Jackie and their daughter. They survived a home invasion in 2007 thanks to Taylor, but Taylor was shot and subsequently bled to death in the aftermath. "His heroic action on that tragic night saved their life. His spirit will live forever, in our hearts and through the legacy of his achievements and the family he leaves behind," a statement released by Garcia to the Miami Herald read in part (as printed in The Boston Herald).

One "Landman" scene broke Paulina Chávez' heart when she read about it in the script. Episode 9 of Season 2, "Plans, Tears and Sirens," sees her character Ariana be assaulted by an abusive customer from the Patch Café. She's rescued by Cooper (Jacob Lofland), who beats Johnny (Mike Harkins) up — then has to cope with the consequences when the wicked man dies at the hospital later.

The actress had a visceral reaction to reading about Ariana's travails. "It's a woman's worst nightmare for that to happen. I remember reading this episode and immediately bawling my eyes out," she told Variety. 

While the moment was carefully mapped out with an intimacy coordinator, Chávez admits her heart kept racing while she was filming the segment. "I'm shaky just talking about it. It is a very scary moment for anyone to experience. It's fake, obviously, but your body doesn't differentiate what's real and what's not," she admitted.

One tragic detail about Jon Hamm's past is that he had to cope with two heartbreaking losses on his way to fame. His parents divorced when he was only a 2-year-old. Then his mother passed away of colon cancer when he was 10. Hamm subsequently moved in with his father and paternal grandmother. 

"You're literally a different human being. You're made differently at that age than you are as an adult — your neural pathways are wide open when you're younger. All of these things are still working themselves out. That kind of traumatic experience doesn't have to be abuse," he told Katie Couric while appearing on her podcast Next Question with Katie Couric. 

Hamm's father would also die young, when Hamm was 20. "My sister said, "You need to see a professional. You need to talk to somebody and you need to get back on your feet." Part of that was getting a job, recommitting to school, and understanding in some way what was going on. It was a gut check," he told Couric. In time, he learned to cope with the trauma, but it definitely shaped his life.

Controversy struck Jon Hamm in 2015 when old criminal charges connected to a hazing incident during his college days resurfaced. While matriculating at the University of Texas, Hamm was a member of Sigma Nu, a fraternity which later came under scrutiny for its cruel policies. The chapter was disbanded in the 1990s.

Court and school records showed that Hamm actively participated when a pledge was paddled, shoved into the dirt and lit aflame by the actor after failing to recall a set of facts he was required to memorize during an initiation ceremony for the fraternity. Hamm was charged with hazing and received a deferred adjudication. Assault charges against the actor were later dismissed, though four other fraternity members pled no contest to misdemeanor hazing charges in the incident. The lawsuit filed by the pledge in question, Mark Allen Sanders, was also later dismissed. 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, needs help with their mental health, is dealing with domestic abuse, a victim of child abuse or sexual assault, or has addiction issues, please contact the relevant resources below:

• Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org
• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.
• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.
• Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).