The classic American Western film might have peaked in popularity with 1993’s Tombstone, thanks to its potent combination of Doc Holliday one-liners, pitch-perfect Old West action, and gloriously mustachioed cast. Each member of Tombstone‘s star-studded cast was integral in bringing the story, which was a glamorized and somewhat exaggerated version of the real historical event known as the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. At the time of its release, neither the box office nor the critical reception for Tombstone were noteworthy, but its popularity has grown significantly over time thanks to its lasting entertainment value.
As entertaining as the performances in Tombstone are, the actors’ commitment to bringing their real historical counterpart to life on the silver screen from a visual perspective is part of why the movie has become so beloved. While historical accuracy is often eschewed in favor of cinematic machismo and verbal sparring when it comes to the narrative, there was plenty of effort put in to keeping the costumes period-accurate for the Old West. Tombstone‘s most iconic costume element isn’t the dusters, the Stetsons or the six-shooters, it’s undoubtedly the mustaches.
Tombstone’s Cast Grew Real Mustaches For The Movie
The Entire Cast Took The Time To Grow Period-Appropriate Facial Hair
Tombstone‘s cast is absolutely loaded with well-known names and faces, but most of the most famous actors in the movie (both at the time and now, decades later) are hidden behind different styles of period-accurate mustaches. While stars Sam Elliott and Kurt Russell have often worn mustaches in movies and TV, it wasn’t quite as common a practice for other actors involved in the movie. Michael Biehn, Powers Boothe, Bill Paxton, and certainly Val Kilmer have had far more notable clean-shaven roles, and so their mustaches seem almost out of place.
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Tombstone Key Details |
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Release Date |
Budget |
Box Office |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcornmeter Score |
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December 25th, 1993 |
$25 million |
$73.2 million |
74% |
93% |
However, each member of the cast, regardless of their history in movies or TV, took care to grow an actual mustache that would have been reflective of the time period, if not reflective of actual photographs that might have existed of their characters. In an interview with MovieWeb, Michael Biehn, who plays the villainous Johnny Ringo in Tombstone, noted that the initiative to have everyone in mustaches came from the movie’s original director (before he was fired), weriter Kevin Jarre. Biehn noted:
He was very specific about how he wanted the moustaches. He wanted them to curl up on the end. Which means, if you grow a moustache, and it grows long enough, you have to use wax on the end of it. Everyone was pretty proud that they grew their own moustache.
It seems like a small detail, but in the larger context of the movie’s popularity, the mustaches have become maybe the single most important identifying feature. That’s not to say the movie wouldn’t have been as popular without the mustaches, but it certainly helped cement its legacy.
Why One Tombstone Actor Needed A Fake Mustache
Jon Tenney Didn’t Have The Time To Grow A Proper One
In the same interview, Biehn noted that in the entire movie, there is only one mustache that had to be faked: that of Sheriff Johnny Behan, portrayed in Tombstone by Jon Tenney (The Closer). To be clear, it had nothing to do with Tenney’s commitment, or lack thereof, to the role. Tenney simply didn’t have the time to grow a full one, having just finished shooting another role for which he was clean-shaven (likely the 1993 comedy Watch It). In order to fit in with the rest of the cast, Tenney was given a fake mustache that was put on and taken off for each day of shooting.
Source: MovieWeb
Tombstone is a Western film loosely based on true events. When a group of outlaws known as the Cowboys ride into a town and slay several police officers for revenge for the death of two of their gang members, word of their misdeeds reaches the ears of a retired lawman. Gathering a group together, the new vigilantes will defend the town and aim to end the terror of the Cowboys.
- Director
- George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre
- Release Date
- December 25, 1993
- Writers
- Kevin Jarre
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
- Budget
- $25 million
