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.
Known For
| Birth Location | Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA |
|---|---|
| Born | 1920-11-13 |
| Died | 2003-10-20 |
Movies
1997
Bonanza: Under Attack
as Buckshot
1995
Bonanza: The Return
as Buckshot
1993
Uninvited
as Grady
1993
Shadow Force
as Tommy
1992
Suburban Commando
as Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell
1991
The Giant of Thunder Mountain
as Hezekiah Crow
1990
Big Bad John
as Jake Calhoun
1990
Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?
as Boone
1988
Once Upon a Texas Train
as Jason Fitch
1988
I Am Not a Freak
as Self
1987
Hawken's Breed
as Tackett
1987
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills
as Squires
1986
The Aurora Encounter
as Charlie
1986
Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas
as Scrooge
1984
Cannonball Run II
as Doc
1984
Lost
as Mr. Newsom
1983
Sacred Ground
as Lum Witcher
1983
Jinxed!
as Otto
1982
Skyward Christmas
as Clay Haller
1981
Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.
as Troscliar Boudreaux
1981
The Cannonball Run
as Doctor
1981
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite
as Seth Beaumont
1981
The Villain
as Avery Simpson
1979
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
as Big Mac
1979
The Norseman
as Death Dreamer
1978
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
as Rattlesnake
1978
Lacy and the Mississippi Queen
as Willie Red Fire
1978
Grayeagle
as Trapper Willis
1977
Pony Express Rider
as Crazy Charlie
1976
The Winds of Autumn
as J. Pete Hankins
1976
The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe
as Bitterroot
1976
Hawmps!
as Bad Jack Cutter
1976
Creature from Black Lake
as Joe Canton
1976
Huckleberry Finn
as King
1975
A Knife for the Ladies
as Jarrod (Sheriff)
1974
Sidekicks
as Boss
1974
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
as Handy
1974
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
as Alamosa Bill Kermit
1973
The Red Pony
as Granddad
1973
The Daughters of Joshua Cabe
as Bitterroot
1972
The Last Escape of Billy the Kid
as Pat Garrett
1972
Hannie Caulder
as Frank Clemens
1971
The Last Rebel
as Matt
1971
Cat Ballou
as Kid Sheleen
1971
Support Your Local Gunfighter
as Jug May
1971
The Wild Country
as Thompson
1970
Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo
as Self
1970
Dirty Dingus Magee
as John Wesley Hardin
1970
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
as Kittrick
1970
Rio Lobo
as Phillips
1970
The Over the Hill Gang
as Sheriff Clyde Barnes
1969
Support Your Local Sheriff!
as Jake
1969
Ride a Northbound Horse
as Sheriff
1969
Once Upon a Time in the West
as Frank's Gunman
1968
Sartana Does Not Forgive
as Slim Kovacs
1968
Never a Dull Moment
as Ace Williams
1968
Firecreek
as Norman
1968
The Last Challenge
as Ernest Scarnes
1967
The Way West
as Preacher Weatherby
1967
The Night of the Grizzly
as Hank
1966
The Rare Breed
as Deke Simons
1966
4 for Texas
as Dobie
1963
The Comancheros
as Horseface (Comanchero)
1961
Pocketful of Miracles
as Cheesecake
1961
The Last Sunset
as Ed Hobbs
1961
The Girl in Lovers Lane
as Jesse
1960
The Slowest Gun in the West
as Ike Dalton
1960
Edge of Eternity
as Bill Ward
1959
The Gun Runners
as Arnold
1958
Baby Face Nelson
as Fatso Nagel
1957
Dragoon Wells Massacre
as Tioga
1957
Night Passage
as Shotgun
1957
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Tom McLowery
1957
Lure of the Swamp
as Henry Bliss
1957
Thunder Over Arizona
as Slats Callahan
1956
Pardners
as Pete
1956
Jubal
as McCoy
1956
Artists and Models
as Ivan
1955
Kismet
as Hasan-Ben
1955
The Man from Laramie
as Chris Boldt
1955
Wichita
as Al
1955
Moonfleet
as Damen
1955
Kiss Me Deadly
as Charlie Max
1955
Man Without a Star
as Knife Murderer (uncredited)
1955
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle
as Burger
1955
Vera Cruz
as Tex
1954
Cattle Queen of Montana
as Yost
1954
Princess of the Nile
as Basra
1954
Jubilee Trail
as Whitey
1954
The Far Country
as Frank Newberry
1954
Ride Clear of Diablo
as Tim Lowerie
1954
Appointment in Honduras
as Castro
1953
The Moonlighter
as Slim
1953
Gun Belt
as Rusty Kolloway
1953
Ride, Vaquero!
as Barton
1953
Count the Hours!
as Max Verne
1953
Kansas City Confidential
as Pete Harris
1952
The Ring
as Harry Jackson
1952
My Man and I
as Celestino Garcia
1952
Lure of the Wilderness
as Dave Longden
1952
High Noon
as Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)
1952
Montana Territory
as Gimp
1952
The Battle at Apache Pass
as Mescal Jack
1952
Rancho Notorious
as Mort Geary
1952
Finders Keepers
as Eddie
1952
The Bushwhackers
as Cree
1951
Rawhide
as Tevis
1951
Bird of Paradise
as The Trader
1951
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
as The Speaker
1950
High Lonesome
as Smiling Man
1950
A Ticket to Tomahawk
as Fargo
1950
One Way Street
as Gangster
1950
Key to the City
as Councilman (uncredited)
1950
The Sundowners
as Earl Boyce
1950
Wild Weed
as Raymond - Henchman
1949
Jack Elam hasn't worked on any movies or TV shows
