Jack Elam

Acting • Born 1920-11-13 – Died 2003-10-20

Acting2Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA

Biography

Colorful American character actor equally adept at vicious killers or grizzled sidekicks. As a child he worked in the cotton fields. He attended Santa Monica Junior College in California and subsequently became an accountant and, at one time, manager of the Bel Air Hotel. Elam got his first movie job by trading his accounting services for a role. In short time he became one of the most memorable supporting players in Hollywood, thanks not only to his near-demented screen persona but also to an out-of-kilter left eye, sightless from a childhood fight. He appeared with great aplomb in Westerns and gangster films alike, and in later years played to wonderful effect in comedic roles.

Filmography

212 credits

Pocketful of Miracles

Movie • 1961

Cheesecake

High Noon

Movie • 1952

Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)

Firecreek

Movie • 1968

Norman

The Night of the Grizzly

Movie • 1966

Hank

Finders Keepers

Movie • 1952

Eddie

Kansas City Confidential

Movie • 1952

Pete Harris

The Comancheros

Movie • 1961

Horseface (Comanchero)

The Cannonball Run

Movie • 1981

Doctor

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Movie • 1957

Tom McLowery

Support Your Local Sheriff!

Movie • 1969

Jake

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

Movie • 1979

Big Mac

Pardners

Movie • 1956

Pete

Hawmps!

Movie • 1976

Bad Jack Cutter

Suburban Commando

Movie • 1991

Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell

Hannie Caulder

Movie • 1971

Frank Clemens

Cannonball Run II

Movie • 1984

Doc

Night Passage

Movie • 1957

Shotgun

Never a Dull Moment

Movie • 1968

Ace Williams

Rio Lobo

Movie • 1970

Phillips

Count the Hours!

Movie • 1953

Max Verne

Hot Lead & Cold Feet

Movie • 1978

Rattlesnake

Rancho Notorious

Movie • 1952

Mort Geary

Baby Face Nelson

Movie • 1957

Fatso Nagel

Moonfleet

Movie • 1955

Damen

The Way West

Movie • 1967

Preacher Weatherby

Artists and Models

Movie • 1955

Ivan

Rawhide

Movie • 1951

Tevis

The Sundowners

Movie • 1950

Earl Boyce

Creature from Black Lake

Movie • 1976

Joe Canton

The Rare Breed

Movie • 1966

Deke Simons

Ride, Vaquero!

Movie • 1953

Barton

The Ring

Movie • 1952

Harry Jackson

The Last Sunset

Movie • 1961

Ed Hobbs

The Norseman

Movie • 1978

Death Dreamer

4 for Texas

Movie • 1963

Dobie

Kiss Me Deadly

Movie • 1955

Charlie Max

Dirty Dingus Magee

Movie • 1970

John Wesley Hardin

The Far Country

Movie • 1954

Frank Newberry

The Man from Laramie

Movie • 1955

Chris Boldt

Support Your Local Gunfighter

Movie • 1971

Jug May

Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western

Movie • 1997

Self

Dragoon Wells Massacre

Movie • 1957

Tioga

The Gun Runners

Movie • 1958

Arnold

Bird of Paradise

Movie • 1951

The Trader

Hawken's Breed

Movie • 1987

Tackett

The Over the Hill Gang

Movie • 1969

Sheriff Clyde Barnes

American Guerrilla in the Philippines

Movie • 1950

The Speaker

Sidekicks

Movie • 1974

Boss

Tarzan's Hidden Jungle

Movie • 1955

Burger

Thunder Over Arizona

Movie • 1956

Slats Callahan

Lure of the Swamp

Movie • 1957

Henry Bliss

Edge of Eternity

Movie • 1959

Bill Ward

Jinxed!

Movie • 1982

Otto

Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.

Movie • 1981

Troscliar Boudreaux

High Lonesome

Movie • 1950

Smiling Man

The Girl in Lovers Lane

Movie • 1960

Jesse

The Last Challenge

Movie • 1967

Ernest Scarnes

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe

Movie • 1972

Bitterroot

The Last Rebel

Movie • 1971

Matt

Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?

Movie • 1988

Boone

Gun Belt

Movie • 1953

Rusty Kolloway

Sartana Does Not Forgive

Movie • 1968

Slim Kovacs

Wichita

Movie • 1955

Once Upon a Texas Train

Movie • 1988

Jason Fitch

The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County

Movie • 1970

Kittrick

The Giant of Thunder Mountain

Movie • 1990

Hezekiah Crow

One Way Street

Movie • 1950

Arnie (uncredited)

The Villain

Movie • 1979

Avery Simpson

Princess of the Nile

Movie • 1954

Basra

Man Without a Star

Movie • 1955

Knife Murderer (uncredited)

Sacred Ground

Movie • 1983

Lum Witcher

Shadow Force

Movie • 1992

Tommy

Appointment in Honduras

Movie • 1953

Castro

Big Bad John

Movie • 1990

Jake Calhoun

The Winds of Autumn

Movie • 1976

J. Pete Hankins

A Knife for the Ladies

Movie • 1974

Jarrod (Sheriff)

Lure of the Wilderness

Movie • 1952

Dave Longden

The Slowest Gun in the West

Movie • 1960

Ike Dalton

The Last Escape of Billy the Kid

Movie • 1972

Pat Garrett

Key to the City

Movie • 1950

Councilman (uncredited)

Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills

Movie • 1986

Squires

The Aurora Encounter

Movie • 1986

Charlie

The Red Pony

Movie • 1973

Granddad

My Man and I

Movie • 1952

Celestino Garcia

Lacy and the Mississippi Queen

Movie • 1978

Willie Red Fire

Skyward Christmas

Movie • 1981

Clay Haller

Uninvited

Movie • 1993

Grady

The Battle at Apache Pass

Movie • 1952

Mescal Jack

Ride a Northbound Horse

Movie • 1969

Sheriff

Jubal

Movie • 1956

McCoy

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

Movie • 1973

Alamosa Bill Kermit

The Moonlighter

Movie • 1953

Slim

The Bushwhackers

Movie • 1951

Cree

Grayeagle

Movie • 1977

Trapper Willis

Jubilee Trail

Movie • 1954

Whitey

Vera Cruz

Movie • 1954

Tex

I Am Not a Freak

Movie • 1987

Self

Montana Territory

Movie • 1952

Gimp

Cattle Queen of Montana

Movie • 1954

Yost

Ride Clear of Diablo

Movie • 1954

Tim Lowerie

Lost

Movie • 1983

Mr. Newsom

Bonanza: The Return

Movie • 1993

Buckshot

Bonanza: Under Attack

Movie • 1995

Buckshot

Shootout in a One-Dog Town

Movie • 1974

Handy

Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas

Movie • 1984

Scrooge

The Wild Country

Movie • 1970

Thompson

Pony Express Rider

Movie • 1976

Crazy Charlie

A Ticket to Tomahawk

Movie • 1950

Fargo

Wild Weed

Movie • 1949

Raymond - Henchman

Huckleberry Finn

Movie • 1978

King

Once Upon a Time in the West

Movie • 1968

Frank's Gunman

Kismet

Movie • 1955

Hasan-Ben

The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite

Movie • 1981

Seth Beaumont

Cat Ballou

Movie • 1971

Kid Sheleen

The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe

Movie • 1976

Bitterroot

Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo

Movie • 1970

Self

Cheyenne

TV • 1955

F Troop

TV • 1965

Home Improvement

TV • 1991

Hick Peterson

Simon & Simon

TV • 1981

Alias Smith and Jones

TV • 1971

Tales of Wells Fargo

TV • 1957

Chris

Gunsmoke

TV • 1955

Dolph Quince

Eight Is Enough

TV • 1977

Father Murphy

TV • 1981

The Twilight Zone

TV • 1959

Avery

Bonanza

TV • 1959

Dodie Hoad

Target: The Corruptors!

TV • 1961

Outlaws

TV • 1960

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

TV • 1958

Rawhide

TV • 1959

Turkey Creek Jack Johnson

Have Gun, Will Travel

TV • 1957

Cimarron Strip

TV • 1967

Daniel Boone

TV • 1964

Petch

The Outcasts

TV • 1968

The High Chaparral

TV • 1967

Macklin

Lancer

TV • 1968

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

TV • 1951

Lee Dineen

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

TV • 1957

Danny Boy

M Squad

TV • 1957

Luke Morgan

Bronco

TV • 1958

Tarzan

TV • 1966

Hondo

TV • 1967

National Velvet

TV • 1960

Black Barr

The Rebel

TV • 1959

Uncle Luce

The Rifleman

TV • 1958

Sim Groder

The Dakotas

TV • 1963

Deputy J.D. Smith

Lawman

TV • 1958

Sugarfoot

TV • 1957

Toothy Thompson

Ben Casey

TV • 1961

The Texan

TV • 1958

The Brian Keith Show

TV • 1972

The Sacketts

TV • 1979

Ira Bigelow

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

TV • 1956

Hock Ellis

Grizzly Adams

TV • 1977

Gus

The Legend of Jesse James

TV • 1965

Deacon Smith

Tightrope

TV • 1959

Frontier

TV • 1955

Ness Fowler

Detective in the House

TV • 1985

The Restless Gun

TV • 1957

Tony Molinor

Mr. & Mrs. North

TV • 1952

Easy Street

TV • 1986

J.J. Starbuck

TV • 1987

Struck by Lightning

TV • 1979

Frank

Zorro

TV • 1957

Gomez (uncredited)

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

TV • 1951

Halleck

Temple Houston

TV • 1963

TV • 1956

Stage Driver Cass

Four Star Playhouse

TV • 1952

Vic

The Lone Ranger

TV • 1949

Reno Lawrence

Black Beauty

TV • 1978

Jonas McBride

Bonanza

TV • 1959

Honest John

The Texan

TV • 1958

Luke Watson

Bonanza

TV • 1959

Buford Buckalew

How the West Was Won

TV • 1977

Cully Madigan

The Untouchables

TV • 1959

Jug Alverson

The Virginian

TV • 1962

Harve Yost

Paradise

TV • 1988

Skragg

Lawman

TV • 1958

Herm Forrest

Kung Fu

TV • 1972

Marcus Taylor

Lucky Luke

TV • 1992

Axel Ericson

Screen Director's Playhouse

TV • 1955

Shanks

Cheyenne

TV • 1955

Calhoun Durango

The Untouchables

TV • 1959

Nick Bravo

Have Gun, Will Travel

TV • 1957

Arnold Shaffner

The Wonderful World of Disney

TV • 1954

Sheriff

Mr. Lucky

TV • 1959

Phil Bricker

The Guns of Will Sonnett

TV • 1967

Sam - Sheriff

Lawman

TV • 1958

Paul Henry

Stagecoach West

TV • 1960

Clell

Laramie

TV • 1959

Parson Hawks

$weepstake$

TV • 1979

The Restless Gun

TV • 1957

Link Jerrod

The Rifleman

TV • 1958

Russell

The Wild Wild West

TV • 1965

Zack Slade

Gunslinger

TV • 1961

Clint Gannet

Studio 57

TV • 1954