Jack Elam

Jack Elam was born 13 November 1916 in Miami, Arizona. He is best known as a 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. Jack 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 wild-man 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.

Jack has been married to Margaret Jennison since 1961. He has two daughters, Jeri Elam and Jacqueline Elam, and a son, Scott Elam. Jack Elam now lives in Ashland, Oregon.

Filmography

• 1. Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western (1997) (TV) ....
  Interviewee: Actor
  

• 2. Bonanza: Under Attack (1995) (TV)
  
• 3. Bonanza: The Return (1993) (TV)
  
• 4. Shadow Force (1993) .... Tommy
  
• 5. Uninvited (1993) .... Grady
  
• 6. Giant of Thunder Mountain, The (1991)
  
• 7. Suburban Commando (1991) .... Colonel Dustin "Dusty" McHowell
  
• 8. Big Bad John (1990) .... Jake
  
• 9. Where the Hell's That Gold?!!? (1988) (TV) .... Boone
  ... aka Dynamite and Gold (1988) (TV)
  
• 10. Once Upon a Texas Train (1988) (TV) .... Jason Fitch
  ... aka Texas Guns (1988) (TV)
  
• 11. Hawken's Breed (1987)
  
• 12. Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills (1986) (TV) .... Squires
  ... aka Down the Long Hills (1986) (TV)
  
• 13. "Easy Street" (1986) TV Series .... Bully Stevenson
  
• 14. Aurora Encounter, The (1986) .... Charlie
  
• 15. "Detective in the House" (1985) TV Series .... Nick Turner
  
• 16. Cannonball Run II (1984) .... The Doctor
  
• 17. Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas (1984) (TV) ....
  Scrooge
  
• 18. Lost (1983)
  
• 19. Sacred Ground (1983) .... Lum Witcher
  
• 20. Sawyer and Finn (1983) (TV) .... Boot McGraw
  
• 21. Jinxed! (1982) .... Otto
  
• 22. Cannonball Run, The (1981) .... Doctor
  
• 23. Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite, The (1981) (TV) ....
  Seth Beaumont
  
• 24. Skyward Christmas (1981) (TV) .... Clay Haller
  
• 25. "Struck by Lightning" (1979) TV Series .... Frank
  
• 26. Sacketts, The (1979) (TV) .... Ira Bigelow
  
• 27. Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, The (1979) .... Big Mac
  
• 28. Villain, The (1979) .... Avery Simpson
  ... aka Cactus Jack (1979)
  
• 29. Grayeagle (1978) .... Trapper Willis
  
• 30. "Black Beauty" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... Jonas McBride
  
• 31. Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978) .... Rattlesnake
  
• 32. Lacy and the Mississippi Queen (1978) (TV) .... Willie Red Fire
  
• 33. Norseman, The (1978) .... Death Dreamer
  
• 34. "How the West Was Won" (1977) (mini) TV Series .... Cully Madigan
  
• 35. New Daughters of Joshua Cabe, The (1976) (TV) .... Bitterroot
  
• 36. Creature from Black Lake (1976) .... Joe Canton
  ... aka Demon of the Lake (1976)
  
• 37. Hawmps! (1976) .... Bad Jack Cutter
  
• 38. Pony Express Rider (1976) .... Crazy
  
• 39. Winds of Autumn, The (1976)
  
• 40. Huckleberry Finn (1975) (TV) .... King
  
• 41. Ransom of Red Chief, The (1975) (TV)
  
• 42. "Texas Wheelers, The" (1974) TV Series .... Zack Wheeler (1974-75)
  
• 43. Sidekicks (1974) (TV) .... Boss
  
• 44. Shootout in a One-Dog Town (1974) (TV) .... Handy
  
• 45. Knife for the Ladies, A (1974) .... Jarrod (Sheriff)
  ... aka Jack the Ripper Goes West (1974)
  ... aka Silent Sentence (1974) (TV title)
  
• 46. Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) .... Alamosa Bill
  
• 47. Red Pony, The (1973) (TV) .... Granddad
  
• 48. Daughters of Joshua Cabe, The (1972) (TV) .... Bitterroot
  
• 49. Hannie Caulder (1971) .... Frank Clemens
  
• 50. Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) .... Jug May
  
• 51. Cat Ballou (1971) (TV) .... Kid Sheleen
  
• 52. Wild Country, The (1971) .... Thompson
  ... aka Newcomers, The (1971)
  
• 53. Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County (1970) .... Kittrick
  ... aka Woman for Charley, A (1970)
  
• 54. Dirty Dingus Magee (1970) .... John Wesley Hardin
  
• 55. Last Rebel, The (1970) .... Matt Graves
  
• 56. Rio Lobo (1970) .... Phillips
  ... aka San Timoteo (1970)
  
• 57. Over-the-Hill Gang, The (1969) (TV) .... Sheriff Clyde Barnes
  
• 58. Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) .... Jake
  
• 59. C'era una volta il west (1969) .... Knuckles
  ... aka Once Upon a Time in the West (1969) (USA)
  
• 60. Sonora (1969)
  
• 61. Never a Dull Moment (1968) .... Ace Williams
  
• 62. Firecreek (1968) .... Norman
  
• 63. Sartana non perdona (1968)
  
• 64. Way West, The (1967) .... Preacher Weatherby
  
• 65. Last Challenge, The (1967) .... Ernest Scarnes
  ... aka Pistolero of Red River, The (1967)
  
• 66. Night of the Grizzly, The (1966) .... Hank
  
• 67. Rare Breed, The (1966) .... Deke Simons
  
• 68. 4 for Texas (1963) .... Dobie
  ... aka Four for Texas (1963)
  
• 69. Slowest Gun in the West, The (1963) (TV) .... Ike Dalton
  
• 70. "Dakotas, The" (1963) TV Series .... Deputy J.D. Smith
  
• 71. "Temple Houston" (1963) TV Series .... George Taggart (1963-64)
  
• 72. Man Called Ragan, A (1962) (TV) .... Deputy J.D. Smith
  
• 73. Pocketful of Miracles (1961) .... Cheesecake
  
• 74. Comancheros, The (1961) .... Horseface
  
• 75. Last Sunset, The (1961) .... Ed Hobbs
  
• 76. Edge of Eternity (1959) .... Bill Ward
  
• 77. Girl in Lovers Lane, The (1959) .... Jesse
  
• 78. Six Guns for Donegan (1959) (TV) .... Clinton
  
• 79. "Bronco" (1958) TV Series .... Toothy Thompson
  
• 80. Gun Runners, The (1958) .... Arnold
  ... aka Gunrunners (1958)
  
• 81. "Sugarfoot" (1957) TV Series .... Toothy Thompson
  ... aka "Tenderfoot" (1957) (UK)
  
• 82. Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) .... Tom McLowery
  
• 83. Night Passage (1957) .... Shotgun
  
• 84. Baby Face Nelson (1957) (uncredited) .... Fatso
  
• 85. Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957)
  ... aka Dragon Wells Massacre (1957)
  
• 86. Lure of the Swamp (1957) .... Henry Bliss
  
• 87. Pardners (1956) .... Pete
  
• 88. Thunder Over Arizona (1956)
  
• 89. Kismet (1955) .... Hassan-Ben
  
• 90. Artists and Models (1955) .... Ivan
  
• 91. Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955) .... Burger, Hunter
  
• 92. "Cheyenne" (1955) TV Series .... Toothy Thompson
  
• 93. Man from Laramie, The (1955) .... Chris Boldt
  
• 94. Wichita (1955) .... Al Mann
  
• 95. Kiss Me Deadly (1955) .... Charlie Max
  
• 96. Jubal (1955) .... McCoy
  
• 97. Man Without a Star (1955) (uncredited) .... Knife murderer
  
• 98. Moonfleet (1955) .... Damen
  
• 99. Far Country, The (1954) .... Newberry
  
• 100. Jubilee Trail (1954)
  
• 101. Vera Cruz (1954) .... Tex
  
• 102. Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) .... Yost
  
• 103. Princess of the Nile (1954) .... Basra
  
• 104. Ride Clear of Diablo (1954) .... Tim Lowerie
  
• 105. Count the Hours (1953) .... Max Verne
  ... aka Every Minute Counts (1953) (UK)
  
• 106. Appointment in Honduras (1953) .... Castro
  
• 107. Gun Belt (1953) .... Kolloway
  
• 108. Moonlighter, The (1953) .... Strawboss
  
• 109. Ride, Vaquero! (1953) .... Barton
  
• 110. High Noon (1952) (uncredited) .... Charlie
  
• 111. Rancho Notorious (1952) .... Geary
  
• 112. Battle at Apache Pass, The (1952) .... Mescal Jack
  
• 113. Bushwhackers, The (1952) .... Cree, first henchman
  ... aka Rebel, The (1952)
  
• 114. Kansas City Confidential (1952) .... Pete Harris
  ... aka Secret Four, The (1952)
  
• 115. Lure of the Wilderness (1952) .... Dave Longden
  
• 116. Montana Territory (1952)
  
• 117. My Man and I (1952) .... Celestino Garcia
  
• 118. Ring, The (1952)
  
• 119. Bird of Paradise (1951) .... The Trader
  
• 120. Finders Keepers (1951) .... Eddie
  
• 121. Rawhide (1951) .... Tevis
  ... aka Desperate Siege (1951)
  
• 122. One Way Street (1950) .... Arnie
  
• 123. American Guerrilla in the Philippines, An (1950) .... The
• Speaker
  ... aka I Shall Return (1950) (UK)
  
• 124. Love That Brute (1950) .... Gangster
  
• 125. Gunfighter, The (1950) .... Tom McLowery
  
• 126. High Lonesome (1950) .... Smiling Man
  
• 127. Sundowners, The (1950) .... Earl Boyce
  ... aka Thunder in the Dust (1950) (UK)
  
• 128. Ticket to Tomahawk, A (1950) .... Fargo
  
• 129. She Shoulda Said No (1949) .... Raymond
  ... aka Devil's Weed, The (1949)
  ... aka Marijuana, the Devil's Weed (1949)
  ... aka Wild Weed (1949)
  
  

Notable TV guest appearances

• 1. "Home Improvement" (1991) playing "Hick Peterson" in episode: "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor" (episode # 1.20) 3/3/1992
  

• 2. "Eight Is Enough" (1977) playing "Joe Simons" in episode: "Return of Joe Simons, The" (episode # 4.20) 1980
  
• 3. "Eight Is Enough" (1977) in episode: "You Won't Have Nicholas to Kick Around Anymore: Part 1" (episode # 3.12) 11/29/1978
  
• 4. "Kung Fu" (1972) playing "Marcus Taylor" in episode: "Squawman, The" (episode # 2.5) 11/1/1973
  
• 5. "Alias Smith and Jones" (1971) playing "Boot Caby" in episode: "Bad Night in Big Butte" (episode # 2.23) 3/2/1972
  
• 6. "Nichols" (1971) in episode: "About Jessie James" (episode # 1.19) 2/15/1972
  
• 7. "Brian Keith Show, The" (1972) playing "Captain Tuttle"
  
• 8. "Virginian, The" (1962) in episode: "Rich Man, Poor Man" (episode # 8.23) 3/11/1970
  
• 9. "Bonanza" (1959) in episode: "Honest John" (episode # 12.13) 1970
  
• 10. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Pack Landers" in episode: "Sisters, The" (episode # 15.14) 12/29/1969
  
• 11. "High Chaparral, The" (1967) playing "Mackdin" in episode: "North to Tucson" (episode # 2.8) 11/8/1968
  
• 12. "Cimarron Strip" (1967) in episode: "Big Jessie" (episode # 1.20) 2/8/1968
  
• 13. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Prange" in episode: "First People, The" (episode # 13.23) 1968
  
• 14. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "William Prange" in episode: "First People, The" (episode # 13.23) 1968
  
• 15. "Wild, Wild West, The" (1965) in episode: "Night of Montezuma's Hordes, The" (episode # 3.8) 10/27/1967
  
• 16. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Jim Barrett" in episode: "My Father, My Son" (episode # 11.30) 4/23/1966
  
• 17. "Tarzan" (1966) playing "Bellak" in episode: "Circus, The"
  
• 18. "Bonanza" (1959) in episode: "Bride for Buford, A" (episode # 8.18) 1966
  
• 19. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Del Ordman" in episode: "Malachi" (episode # 11.9) 11/13/1965
  
• 20. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Sam Band" in episode: "Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood" (episode # 11.3) 10/2/1965
  
• 21. "Legend of Jesse James, The" (1965) in episode: "Three Men From Now" (episode # 1.1) 9/13/1965
  
• 22. "Daniel Boone" (1964) in episode: "Sound of Fear, The" (episode # 1.18) 2/11/1965
  
• 23. "F Troop" (1965) in episode: "Dirge for the Scourge" 1965
  
• 24. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Spector" in episode: "Help Me, Kitty" (episode # 10.7) 11/7/1964
  
• 25. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Hector Lowell" in episode: "Homecoming" (episode # 9.34) 5/23/1964
  
• 26. "Cheyenne" (1955) in episode: "Durango Brothers, The" (episode # 7.1) 9/24/1962
  
• 27. "Cheyenne" (1955) in episode: "Man Called Ragan, A" (episode # 6.14) 4/23/1962
  
• 28. "Twilight Zone, The" (1959) playing "Avery" in episode: "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" (episode # 2.28) 5/26/1961
  
• 29. "Cheyenne" (1955) playing "Nicholas Potosi" in episode: "Massacre at Gunsight Pass" (episode # 5.12) 5/1/1961
  
• 30. "Untouchables, The" (1959) playing "Stan Wilinski" in episode: "Testimony of Evil" (episode # 2.2) 3/30/1961
  
• 31. "Gunslinger" (1961) in episode: "Hostage Fort, The" (episode # 1.2) 2/16/1961
  
• 32. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Ben" in episode: "Love Thy Neighbor" (episode # 6.20) 1/28/1961
  
• 33. "Zane Grey Theater" (1956) in episode: "Ambush" (episode # 5.13) 1/5/1961
  
• 34. "Bonanza" (1959) in episode: "Spitfire, The" (episode # 2.17) 1961
  
• 35. "Stagecoach West" (1960) in episode: "Fork in the Road, A" (episode # 1.5) 11/1/1960
  
• 36. "Zane Grey Theater" (1956) in episode: "Deception" (episode # 4.28) 4/14/1960
  
• 37. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Clint Dodie" in episode: "Where'd They Go" (episode # 5.27) 3/12/1960
  
• 38. "Mr. Lucky" (1959) playing "Phil Bricker" in episode: "Big Squeeze" (episode # 1.21) 3/12/1960
  
• 39. "Untouchables, The" (1959) playing "Nick Bravo" in episode: "Syndicate Sanctuary" (episode # 1.13) 1/7/1960
  
• 40. "Zane Grey Theater" (1956) in episode: "Miss Jenny" (episode # 4.14) 1/7/1960
  
• 41. "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (1957) in episode: "One Dead Cat" (episode # 3.31) 12/28/1959
  
• 42. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Clem Steed" in episode: "Saludos" (episode # 5.8) 10/31/1959
  
• 43. "Gunsmoke" (1955) playing "Dolph Quince" in episode: "Jayhawkers" (episode # 4.21) 1/31/1959
  
• 44. "Rifleman, The" (1958) in episode: "Duel of Honor" (episode # 1.7) 11/11/1958
  
• 45. "Bronco" (1958) in episode: "Besieged, The" (episode # 1.1) 9/23/1958
  
• 46. "Restless Gun, The" (1957) in episode: "Hornitas Town" (episode # 1.21) 2/10/1958
  
• 47. "Zorro" (1957) playing "Gomez" in episode: "Slaves of the Eagle" (episode # 1.16) 1/23/1958
  
• 48. "Zorro" (1957) playing "Gomez" in episode: "Garcia Stands Accused" (episode # 1.15) 1/16/1958
  
• 49. "Zorro" (1957) playing "Gomez" in episode: "Shadow of a Doubt" (episode # 1.14) 1/9/1958
  
• 50. "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (1957) in episode: "Dark Horse, The" (episode # 2.2) 1/9/1958
  
• 51. "Restless Gun, The" (1957) in episode: "Trail to Sunset" (episode # 1.2) 9/30/1957
  
• 52. "Zane Grey Theater" (1956) in episode: "Dangerous Orders" (episode # 1.19) 2/8/1957
  
• 53. "Frontier" (1955) in episode: "Ferdinand Meyer's Army" (episode # 1.10) 12/18/1955