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The Sheriff Who Taught Jeff Bridges How to Be a Texas Lawman

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Parnell McNamara inspired the Oscar-nominated role in Hell or High Water, and his real-life exploits hunting down “weird sickos” could be their own movie.

“When someone sees a Texas lawman, the first thing you notice is the hat,” Sheriff Parnell McNamara told Jeff Bridges over the phone.

McNamara, a Waco native, owns more than 50 cowboy hats—some Stetsons, some bespoke, some worn, some new.

“You don’t want to look like Howdy Doody or Billy Crystal in...

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