In one ad, “Director,” Gronk directs Elliott to an ad for USAA. Very meta. He tells Elliott to make his delivery “Gronkier” (“Gronkier”?). The actor's annoyed look is eye-catching. In “Move In”, Gronk appears at Elliott's front door and announces that they are now roommates. It's the funniest of all ads. Note the man-child teddy bear poking out of Gronk's bag. “Family Photo,” the most recent one, is pretty funny too. It shows Gronk wielding a feather duster as he spruces up a shelf of Elliott family photos. The idea is that Gronk wants to be considered part of the family because then he would be eligible for USAA benefits. The real Elliott is qualified because he once served in the California Air National Guard.

Elliott is an old hand at advertising, even more so off-screen than on-screen. His baritone with the wind on the Pecos is almost as notable as that mustache. It's been heard in voiceovers for Dodge, IBM, Union Pacific, the American Beef Council, Coors Beer, the 2020 Biden campaign and (sigh) the Harris campaign. Elliott has written so many voice-overs that actor Tom Fry has an imitation of it on YouTube.

Of course, Elliott is also an old hand at cinema. He received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing Bradley Cooper's older brother in A Star Is Born. Considering Elliott is 31 years older, this was some pretty serious acting. Of course, his biggest screen moment comes as The Stranger in The Big Lebowski. The guy stays, all right. This also applies to The Stranger – and Gronk makes three.

Mark Feeney can be reached at [email protected].