Actor
Jack Elam
November 13, 1920 · 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.
Notable work
8.3Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
as Frank's Gunman
7.7High Noon (1952)
as Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)
8.5The Twilight Zone (1959)
as Avery
7.4Home Improvement (1991)
as Hick Peterson
6.2The Cannonball Run (1981)
as Doctor
7.5Bonanza (1959)
as Dodie Hoad and as Honest John and as Buford Buckalew
7.2Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
as Alamosa Bill Kermit
7.2Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
as Charlie Max
6.5Bonanza: The Return (1993)
as Buckshot
7Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957)
as Tom McLowery
5.4Cannonball Run II (1984)
as Doc
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