One of the great characters of all time and a man with discerning taste when it came to picking roles, Warren Oates left an indelible mark on the movies. No matter how small the role, he was always memorable.

Oates appeared in some of the seminal and hippest films of the 1970s. Check out this impressive list: The Wild Bunch (1969), Two Lane Black Top, The Hired Hand, Dillinger, Badlands, Cockfighter, Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia, Rancho Deluxe, Race With The Devil, China 9, Liberty 37, and The White Dawn. He worked with some of America’s finest directors, including Terence Malick, Sam Peckinpah, Monte Hellman and John Milius. Oates had great radar for finding projects that were both popular entertainment and art.

Warren Oates: Across The Border, narrated by Oates’ buddy Ned Beatty, was made with the cooperation of his family and includes interviews with Peter Fonda, Harry Dean Stanton and Monte Hellman. The documentary doesn’t dig too deep but does manage to be a loving tribute to one of Hollywood’s true independent spirits.