Jack Elam
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.
Also Known As
Movie Appearances
Pocketful of Miracles
as Cheesecake
1961
High Noon
as Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)
1952
Firecreek
as Norman
1968
The Night of the Grizzly
as Hank
1966
Finders Keepers
as Eddie
1952
Kansas City Confidential
as Pete Harris
1952
The Comancheros
as Horseface (Comanchero)
1961
The Cannonball Run
as Doctor
1981
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Tom McLowery
1957
Support Your Local Sheriff!
as Jake
1969
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
as Big Mac
1979
Pardners
as Pete
1956
Hawmps!
as Bad Jack Cutter
1976
Suburban Commando
as Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell
1991
Hannie Caulder
as Frank Clemens
1971
Cannonball Run II
as Doc
1984
Night Passage
as Shotgun
1957
Never a Dull Moment
as Ace Williams
1968
Rio Lobo
as Phillips
1970
Count the Hours!
as Max Verne
1953
