Jack Elam
Known For
Acting
Born
1920-11-13 in Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA
Died
2003-10-20
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.
Most Known For
Bonanza
as Dodie Hoad
Bonanza
as Honest John
Bonanza
as Buford Buckalew
The Twilight Zone
as Avery
Home Improvement
as Hick Peterson
The Rifleman
as Sim Groder
The Rifleman
as Russell
Have Gun, Will Travel
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Arnold Shaffner
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Hock Ellis
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Little Jimmy Lehigh
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Stage Driver Cass
The Wild Wild West
as Zack Slade
The Virginian
as Harve Yost
Zorro
as Gomez (uncredited)
Cheyenne
Cheyenne
as Calhoun Durango
The Untouchables
as Jug Alverson
The Untouchables
as Nick Bravo
Rawhide
as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson