Film Snail

Jack Elam

Born · November 13, 1920

Died · October 20, 2003 (82 years old)

Known For: Acting

Place of Birth: Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA

Bio

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

Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade

(archive footage)

7.3

2004

Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western

Self

0.0

1997

Bonanza: Under Attack

Buckshot

6.7

1995

Bonanza: The Return

Buckshot

6.5

1993

Uninvited

Grady

4.6

1993

Shadow Force

Tommy

0.0

1992

Lucky Luke

Axel Ericson · (1 episode)

5.6

1992

Suburban Commando

Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell

4.7

1991

Home Improvement

Hick Peterson · (1 episode)

7.4

1991

The Giant of Thunder Mountain

Hezekiah Crow

5.2

1990

Big Bad John

Jake Calhoun

4.0

1990

Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?

Boone

3.0

1988

Paradise

Skragg · (1 episode)

5.4

1988

Once Upon a Texas Train

Jason Fitch

5.4

1988

I Am Not a Freak

Self

5.0

1987

J.J. Starbuck

(1 episode)

5.0

1987

Hawken's Breed

Tackett

3.5

1987

Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills

Squires

6.8

1986

Easy Street

(22 episodes)

5.7

1986

The Aurora Encounter

Charlie

4.3

1986

Detective in the House

(6 episodes)

5.0

1985

Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas

Scrooge

6.0

1984

Cannonball Run II

Doc

5.4

1984

Lost

Mr. Newsom

4.8

1983

Sacred Ground

Lum Witcher

6.0

1983

Jinxed!

Otto

4.6

1982

Skyward Christmas

Clay Haller

0.0

1981

Simon & Simon

(1 episode)

6.7

1981

Father Murphy

(2 episodes)

8.0

1981

Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.

Troscliar Boudreaux

4.5

1981

The Cannonball Run

Doctor

6.1

1981

The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite

Seth Beaumont

3.0

1981

Struck by Lightning

Frank · (10 episodes)

5.0

1979

The Villain

Avery Simpson

5.8

1979

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

Big Mac

6.4

1979

The Sacketts

Ira Bigelow · (2 episodes)

7.6

1979

The Norseman

Death Dreamer

2.9

1978

Hot Lead & Cold Feet

Rattlesnake

5.9

1978

Lacy and the Mississippi Queen

Willie Red Fire

0.0

1978

Black Beauty

Jonas McBride · (5 episodes)

6.9

1978

Grayeagle

Trapper Willis

5.6

1977

Eight Is Enough

(3 episodes)

6.1

1977

Grizzly Adams

(1 episode)

7.0

1977

How the West Was Won

Cully Madigan · (2 episodes)

6.9

1977

Pony Express Rider

Crazy Charlie

5.0

1976

The Winds of Autumn

J. Pete Hankins

5.8

1976

The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe

Bitterroot

0.0

1976

Hawmps!

Bad Jack Cutter

4.3

1976

Creature from Black Lake

Joe Canton

5.1

1976

Huckleberry Finn

King

6.0

1975

A Knife for the Ladies

Jarrod (Sheriff)

4.9

1974

Sidekicks

Boss

6.0

1974

Shootout in a One-Dog Town

Handy

0.0

1974

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

Alamosa Bill Kermit

7.2

1973

The Red Pony

Granddad

0.0

1973

Kung Fu

Marcus Taylor · (1 episode)

7.6

1972

The Brian Keith Show

(1 episode)

5.0

1972

The Daughters of Joshua Cabe

Bitterroot

5.2

1972

The Last Escape of Billy the Kid

Pat Garrett

0.0

1972

Hannie Caulder

Frank Clemens

6.2

1971

The Last Rebel

Matt

0.0

1971

Nichols

Marcus A.F. Baxter · (1 episode)

5.0

1971

Cat Ballou

Kid Sheleen

0.0

1971

Support Your Local Gunfighter

Jug May

6.5

1971

Alias Smith and Jones

(1 episode)

6.9

1971

The Wild Country

Thompson

6.0

1970

Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo

Self

0.0

1970

Dirty Dingus Magee

John Wesley Hardin

4.7

1970

Rio Lobo

Phillips

6.4

1970

The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County

Kittrick

6.3

1970

The Over the Hill Gang

Sheriff Clyde Barnes

5.6

1969

Support Your Local Sheriff!

Jake

6.9

1969

Ride a Northbound Horse

Sheriff

0.0

1969

Once Upon a Time in the West

Frank's Gunman

8.3

1968

Sartana Does Not Forgive

Slim Kovacs

6.1

1968

Lancer

(1 episode)

4.7

1968

The Outcasts

(1 episode)

5.3

1968

Never a Dull Moment

Ace Williams

6.2

1968

Firecreek

Norman

6.4

1968

The Last Challenge

Ernest Scarnes

6.3

1967

The High Chaparral

Macklin · (1 episode)

6.5

1967

Hondo

(1 episode)

6.2

1967

The Guns of Will Sonnett

(1 episode)

6.3

1967

Cimarron Strip

(1 episode)

5.0

1967

The Way West

Preacher Weatherby

6.0

1967

Tarzan

(1 episode)

6.7

1966

The Night of the Grizzly

Hank

5.6

1966

The Rare Breed

Deke Simons

6.0

1966

F Troop

(1 episode)

6.1

1965

The Legend of Jesse James

Deacon Smith · (1 episode)

4.8

1965

Daniel Boone

Petch · (1 episode)

6.9

1964

4 for Texas

Dobie

5.1

1963

Temple Houston

George Taggart · (26 episodes)

5.7

1963

The Dakotas

(19 episodes)

5.7

1963

The Virginian

Harve Yost · (1 episode)

6.4

1962

Pocketful of Miracles

Cheesecake

7.3

1961

The Comancheros

Horseface (Comanchero)

6.7

1961

Ben Casey

(1 episode)

5.7

1961

Target: The Corruptors!

(1 episode)

3.5

1961

The Last Sunset

Ed Hobbs

6.7

1961

Outlaws

(1 episode)

6.2

1960

National Velvet

Black Barr · (1 episode)

7.5

1960

The Girl in Lovers Lane

Jesse

2.8

1960

The Slowest Gun in the West

Ike Dalton

2.0

1960

Miss Jenny

0.0

1960

Edge of Eternity

Bill Ward

Dodie Hoad · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Bonanza

Honest John · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Bonanza

Buford Buckalew · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Tightrope

(1 episode)

5.5

1959

Rawhide

Turkey Creek Jack Johnson · (1 episode)

7.1

1959

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

(1 episode)

5.3

1958

Lawman

(3 episodes)

5.4

1958

Lawman

Herm Forrest · (1 episode)

5.4

1958

The Rifleman

(5 episodes)

7.1

1958

The Texan

4.8

1957

Have Gun, Will Travel

(1 episode)

7.4

1957

Have Gun, Will Travel

Arnold Shaffner · (1 episode)

7.4

1957

Dragoon Wells Massacre

Tioga

6.8

1957

Night Passage

Shotgun

6.3

1957

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Danny Boy · (1 episode)

6.2

1957

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

Perk Butler · (1 episode)

6.2

1957

Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

Tom McLowery

7.0

1957

Lure of the Swamp

Henry Bliss

6.5

1957

Tales of Wells Fargo

Chris · (1 episode)

6.8

1957

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

Hock Ellis · (1 episode)

5.5

1956

Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre

5.8

1955

Cheyenne

Calhoun Durango · (1 episode)

Titus Spangler · (1 episode)

6.6

1955

Gunsmoke

Pierre Audubon · (2 episodes)

6.6

1955

The Man from Laramie

Chris Boldt

7.2

1955

4.8

1952

The Ring

Harry Jackson

4.7

1952

Four Star Playhouse

Vic · (1 episode)

6.1

1952

My Man and I

Celestino Garcia

6.8

1952

Lure of the Wilderness

5.1

1951

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

6.8

1949

Wild Weed

Raymond - Henchman

4.8

1949