Jack Elam
—
Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA
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.
Appearances
7.3
Pocketful of Miracles
Cheesecake
7.7
High Noon
Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)
6.3
Firecreek
Norman
5.9
The Night of the Grizzly
Hank
10.0
Finders Keepers
Eddie
7.1
Kansas City Confidential
Pete Harris
6.7
The Comancheros
Horseface (Comanchero)
6.2
The Cannonball Run
Doctor
7.0
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Tom McLowery
7.0
Support Your Local Sheriff!
Jake
6.5
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
Big Mac
6.7
Pardners
Pete
5.8
Hawmps!
Bad Jack Cutter
4.7
Suburban Commando
Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell
6.2
Hannie Caulder
Frank Clemens
5.4
Cannonball Run II
Doc
6.5
Night Passage
Shotgun
6.2
Never a Dull Moment
Ace Williams
6.5
Rio Lobo
Phillips
5.5
Count the Hours!
Max Verne
5.9
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
Rattlesnake
6.5
Rancho Notorious
Mort Geary
5.6
Baby Face Nelson
Fatso Nagel
6.6
Moonfleet
Damen
6.1
The Way West
Preacher Weatherby
6.7
Artists and Models
Ivan
6.7
Rawhide
Tevis
5.2
The Sundowners
Earl Boyce
5.2
Creature from Black Lake
Joe Canton
6.1
The Rare Breed
Deke Simons
6.1
Ride, Vaquero!
Barton
5.1
The Ring
Harry Jackson
6.8
The Last Sunset
Ed Hobbs
3.4
The Norseman
Death Dreamer
5.1
4 for Texas
Dobie
7.2
Kiss Me Deadly
Charlie Max
4.7
Dirty Dingus Magee
John Wesley Hardin
6.9
The Far Country
Frank Newberry
7.2
The Man from Laramie
Chris Boldt
6.6
Support Your Local Gunfighter
Jug May
7.0
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
Self
7.2
Dragoon Wells Massacre
Tioga
6.1
The Gun Runners
Arnold
6.3
Bird of Paradise
The Trader
4.0
Hawken's Breed
Tackett
5.8
The Over the Hill Gang
Sheriff Clyde Barnes
5.5
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
The Speaker
6.5
Sidekicks
Boss
5.4
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle
Burger
6.3
Thunder Over Arizona
Slats Callahan
7.0
Lure of the Swamp
Henry Bliss
6.7
Edge of Eternity
Bill Ward
4.6
Jinxed!
Otto
5.1
Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.
Troscliar Boudreaux
5.5
High Lonesome
Smiling Man
3.1
The Girl in Lovers Lane
Jesse
6.3
The Last Challenge
Ernest Scarnes
5.5
The Daughters of Joshua Cabe
Bitterroot
4.0
The Last Rebel
Matt
4.6
Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?
Boone
6.4
Gun Belt
Rusty Kolloway
6.4
Sartana Does Not Forgive
Slim Kovacs
6.3
Wichita
Al
5.2
Once Upon a Texas Train
Jason Fitch
6.8
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
Kittrick
6.4
The Giant of Thunder Mountain
Hezekiah Crow
5.3
One Way Street
Arnie (uncredited)
5.7
The Villain
Avery Simpson
7.3
Princess of the Nile
Basra
6.5
Man Without a Star
Knife Murderer (uncredited)
6.5
Sacred Ground
Lum Witcher
7.0
Shadow Force
Tommy
5.9
Appointment in Honduras
Castro
5.0
Big Bad John
Jake Calhoun
6.0
The Winds of Autumn
J. Pete Hankins
5.1
A Knife for the Ladies
Jarrod (Sheriff)
6.0
Lure of the Wilderness
Dave Longden
4.5
The Slowest Gun in the West
Ike Dalton
The Last Escape of Billy the Kid
Pat Garrett
6.5
Key to the City
Councilman (uncredited)
6.6
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills
Squires
5.0
The Aurora Encounter
Charlie
10.0
The Red Pony
Granddad
7.0
My Man and I
Celestino Garcia
4.0
Lacy and the Mississippi Queen
Willie Red Fire
9.0
Skyward Christmas
Clay Haller
4.4
Uninvited
Grady
6.5
The Battle at Apache Pass
Mescal Jack
10.0
Ride a Northbound Horse
Sheriff
6.9
Jubal
McCoy
7.2
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Alamosa Bill Kermit
6.0
The Moonlighter
Slim
5.9
The Bushwhackers
Cree
5.9
Grayeagle
Trapper Willis
5.2
Jubilee Trail
Whitey
6.7
Vera Cruz
Tex
7.5
I Am Not a Freak
Self
7.0
Montana Territory
Gimp
5.8
Cattle Queen of Montana
Yost
6.0
Ride Clear of Diablo
Tim Lowerie
5.1
Lost
Mr. Newsom
6.5
Bonanza: The Return
Buckshot
6.7
Bonanza: Under Attack
Buckshot
10.0
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
Handy
8.0
Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas
Scrooge
6.1
The Wild Country
Thompson
6.0
Pony Express Rider
Crazy Charlie
6.0
A Ticket to Tomahawk
Fargo
4.8
Wild Weed
Raymond - Henchman
6.2
Huckleberry Finn
King
8.3
Once Upon a Time in the West
Frank's Gunman
5.6
Kismet
Hasan-Ben
3.5
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite
Seth Beaumont
10.0
Cat Ballou
Kid Sheleen
8.0
The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe
Bitterroot
Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo
Self
6.1
Cheyenne
6.3
F Troop
7.4
Home Improvement
Hick Peterson
6.7
Simon & Simon
7.0
Alias Smith and Jones
7.1
Tales of Wells Fargo
Chris
6.7
Gunsmoke
Dolph Quince
6.1
Eight Is Enough
8.1
Father Murphy
8.5
The Twilight Zone
Avery
7.5
Bonanza
Dodie Hoad
5.7
Target: The Corruptors!
6.7
Outlaws
6.3
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
7.2
Rawhide
Turkey Creek Jack Johnson
7.3
Have Gun, Will Travel
5.7
Cimarron Strip
7.0
Daniel Boone
Petch
6.5
The Outcasts
6.8
The High Chaparral
Macklin
5.6
Lancer
7.2
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Lee Dineen
6.8
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Danny Boy
5.4
M Squad
Luke Morgan
6.0
Bronco
6.9
Tarzan
6.9
Hondo
8.3
National Velvet
Black Barr
5.1
The Rebel
Uncle Luce
6.5
The Dakotas
Deputy J.D. Smith
7.1
The Rifleman
Sim Groder
5.8
Lawman
5.2
Sugarfoot
Toothy Thompson
5.9
Ben Casey
6.4
The Texan
6.3
The Brian Keith Show
7.6
The Sacketts
Ira Bigelow
6.2
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Hock Ellis
7.2
Grizzly Adams
Gus
5.8
The Legend of Jesse James
Deacon Smith
6.3
Tightrope
7.5
Frontier
Ness Fowler
Detective in the House
6.5
Detective in the House
4.4
The Restless Gun
Tony Molinor
5.0
Mr. & Mrs. North
6.8
Easy Street
6.0
J.J. Starbuck
6.5
Struck by Lightning
Frank
7.5
Zorro
Gomez (uncredited)
7.2
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Halleck
6.0
Temple Houston
George Taggart
6.3
Nichols
Marcus A.F. Baxter
6.8
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Perk Butler
6.7
Gunsmoke
Steed
6.7
Gunsmoke
Clint Dodie
6.7
Gunsmoke
Ben
6.7
Gunsmoke
Hector
6.7
Gunsmoke
Specter
6.7
Gunsmoke
Del Ordman
6.7
Gunsmoke
Sam Band
6.7
Gunsmoke
Jim Barrett
6.7
Gunsmoke
William Prange
6.7
Gunsmoke
Lucas Murdoch
6.7
Gunsmoke
Titus Spangler
6.7
Gunsmoke
Pierre Audubon
6.2
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Little Jimmy Lehigh
6.2
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Stage Driver Cass
Four Star Playhouse
6.8
Four Star Playhouse
Vic
6.8
The Lone Ranger
Reno Lawrence
7.0
Black Beauty
Jonas McBride
7.5
Bonanza
Honest John
6.4
The Texan
Luke Watson
7.5
Bonanza
Buford Buckalew
6.9
How the West Was Won
Cully Madigan
7.9
The Untouchables
Jug Alverson
6.5
The Virginian
Harve Yost
6.0
Paradise
Skragg
5.8
Lawman
Herm Forrest
7.7
Kung Fu
Marcus Taylor
5.9
Lucky Luke
Axel Ericson
7.0
Screen Director's Playhouse
Shanks
6.1
Cheyenne
Calhoun Durango
7.9
The Untouchables
Nick Bravo
7.3
Have Gun, Will Travel
Arnold Shaffner
7.9
The Wonderful World of Disney
Sheriff
6.7
Mr. Lucky
Phil Bricker
6.3
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Sam - Sheriff
5.8
Lawman
Paul Henry
6.7
Stagecoach West
Clell
6.7
Laramie
Parson Hawks
$weepstake$
$weepstake$
4.4
The Restless Gun
Link Jerrod
7.1
The Rifleman
Russell
7.6
The Wild Wild West
Zack Slade
6.3
Gunslinger
Clint Gannet
8.0
Studio 57
6.1
Cheyenne
Count Nicholas Potosi