MALIBU, Calif. — Not too long ago, the actor Sam Elliott, who has spent much of his 46-year career alternately fighting and embracing habitual typecasting as America’s cowboy, was referred to as a “male ingénue.”

At 71, Mr. Elliott is not young, and anyone who’s witnessed the knowing gleam in his peepers wouldn’t for a second peg him as innocent. But with lauded performances this year in three indie films and guest spots in two acclaimed television series, Mr. Elliott is definitely having a moment.

In May, he was named best guest performer in a drama series at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards for his work on FX’s “Justified.” The film “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” in which he played a leading man for the first time in years, opposite Blythe Danner, steadily drew crowds despite its limited release this spring. (It was a co-star of that film, Mary Kay Place, who slyly called Mr. Elliott an ingénue.) He appeared in another Sundance indie, “Digging for Fire,” and in February returned to “Parks and Recreation” to play the vegan hippie Ron Dunn.

But it is Mr. Elliott’s turn as a spurned lover in “Grandma,” which stars Lily Tomlin and opens Aug. 21, that has garnered him some of his warmest reviews yet: He brought a ferocious emotional rawness to the part that caught critics and even the director off-guard. Variety’s Scott Foundas raved that Mr. Elliott had, in 10 minutes on screen, created “a fuller, richer character than most actors do given two hours.” The Awards Circuit website said he should be considered for an Oscar.