Jack Elam
Date of birth: 1920-11-13
Place of birth: Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: William Scott Elam, William Scott "Jack" Elam, جک ایلام
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.
Movie Credits
Pocketful of Miracles
1961-12-18
A New York gangster and his girlfriend attempt to turn street beggar Apple Annie into a society lady
High Noon
1952-06-09
Will Kane, the sheriff of a small town in New Mexico, learns a notorious outlaw he put in jail has b
Firecreek
1968-01-24
A peace-loving, part-time sheriff in the small town of Firecreek must take a stand when a gang of vi
The Night of the Grizzly
1966-04-20
Marshall "Big Jim" Cole turns in his badge and heads to Wyoming with his family in order to settle o
Finders Keepers
1952-01-01
A curious toddler creates trouble when he finds bank robbers' loot
Kansas City Confidential
1952-11-11
An ex-convict sets out to uncover who framed him for an armored car robbery.
The Comancheros
1961-12-16
Texas Ranger Jake Cutter arrests gambler Paul Regret, but soon finds himself teamed with his prisone
The Cannonball Run
1981-06-19
A cross-country road race is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memor
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
1957-05-30
Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their partic
Support Your Local Sheriff!
1969-03-26
In the old west, a man becomes a Sheriff just for the pay, figuring he can decamp if things get toug
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
1979-06-27
Amos and Theodore, the two bumbling outlaw wannabes from The Apple Dumpling Gang, are back and tryin
Pardners
1956-08-01
Rich momma's boy Wade Kingsley Jr. an Eastern dude, tries to follow in his murdered father's footste
Hawmps!
1976-05-20
In old-west Texas, the cavalry's horses can't take the heat. So the military sends them camels inste
Suburban Commando
1991-10-04
Shep Ramsey is an interstellar hero, righting wrongs, etc. His ship is damaged after a fight with an
Hannie Caulder
1971-11-08
After she's raped by the outlaw trio who murdered her husband, a frontierswoman hires a bounty hunte
Cannonball Run II
1984-06-29
When a wealthy sheikh puts up $1 million in prize money for a cross-country car race, there is one p
Night Passage
1957-07-24
Grant MacLaine, a former railroad troubleshooter, lost his job after letting his outlaw, the Utica K
Never a Dull Moment
1968-06-26
When practicing for a role, actor Jack is mistaken for the killer Ace. He doesn't realize this until
Rio Lobo
1970-04-01
After the Civil War, a former Union colonel searches for the two traitors whose perfidy led to the l
Count the Hours!
1953-04-01
A lawyer defends a migrant worker in a sensational murder trial.
Hot Lead & Cold Feet
1978-07-05
Twin brothers -- one rough and tough, the other a city-bred milquetoast -- compete for their father'
Rancho Notorious
1952-04-10
A man in search of revenge infiltrates a ranch, hidden in an inhospitable region, where its owner, A
Baby Face Nelson
1957-12-11
Famed Depression-era gangster “Baby Face Nelson” robs and kills while accompanied by his beautiful m
Moonfleet
1955-06-24
Set in the eighteenth century, Moonfleet is about John Mohune, a young orphan who is sent to the Dor
The Way West
1967-05-24
In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to
Artists and Models
1955-11-07
A struggling painter begins taking inspiration from the dreams of his friend and roommate, a comic b
Rawhide
1951-03-25
At a desolate relay station in the west, a stagecoach attendant and a stranded woman traveller are h
The Sundowners
1950-02-02
Brother is pitted against brother in this tale of fueding ranchers in the old west.
Creature from Black Lake
1976-03-01
Some fishermen are attacked in the Louisiana swamps. When the word gets out of a mysterious Bigfoot-
The Rare Breed
1966-02-02
When her husband dies en route to America, Martha Price and her daughter Hilary are left to carry ou
Ride, Vaquero!
1953-07-17
Two Mexican outlaws, Rio and Esqueda, raised as stepbrothers, have a showdown over the issue of whet
The Ring
1952-09-26
A young Mexican/American learns about life both inside and out of the ring when he takes up boxing.
The Last Sunset
1961-06-08
At a Mexican ranch, fugitive O'Malley and pursuing Sheriff Stribling agree to help rancher Breckenri
The Norseman
1978-10-05
An 11th-century Viking prince sails to America to find his father, who on a previous voyage had been
4 for Texas
1963-12-21
In the 1870s, two rival businessmen, Zack Thomas and Joe Jarrett, on a stagecoach heading to Galvest
Kiss Me Deadly
1955-04-28
One evening, Hammer gives a ride to Christina, an attractive hitchhiker on a lonely country road, wh
Dirty Dingus Magee
1970-11-18
Ass-breaker Dingus Magee is looking for a gold train when he comes upon old acquaintance Hoke Birdsi
The Far Country
1954-02-12
During the Klondike Gold Rush, a misanthropic cattle driver and his talkative elderly partner run af
The Man from Laramie
1955-08-19
Will Lockhart arrives in Coronado, an isolated town in New Mexico, in search of someone who sells ri
Support Your Local Gunfighter
1971-05-26
A con artist arrives in a mining town controlled by two competing companies. Both companies think he
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
1997-07-27
Interviews and film clips re-create the glorious history of the American western.
Dragoon Wells Massacre
1957-08-28
A cavalry officer, the sole survivor of an Indian attack, and a wagon load of prisoners travel throu
The Gun Runners
1958-08-01
Remake of "To Have and Have Not" based on Hemingway short story. Plot reset to early days of Cuban r
Bird of Paradise
1951-03-14
Andre Laurence accompanies his college roommate, Tenga, back to Tenga's Polynesian island home. Ther
Hawken's Breed
1987-01-01
Hawken is a rugged drifter and loner who meets and comes to rescue a young Shawnee woman, named Spir
The Over the Hill Gang
1969-07-06
A retired Texas Ranger and three aged pals help to clean up a town run by a crooked mayor, a drunken
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
1950-11-08
American soldiers stranded in the Philippines after the Japanese invasion form guerrilla bands to fi
Sidekicks
1974-03-21
Travelling through the West right after the Civil War, two con men hatch a scheme to try to collect
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle
1955-02-16
Hunters trespass into Sukulu country, where animals are sacred, posing as photographers.
Thunder Over Arizona
1956-08-04
Ervin Plummer-played by the estimable George Macready, who like his good friend Vincent Price was a
Lure of the Swamp
1957-05-01
Simon Lute ekes out a modest living chartering his skiff to tourists and guiding them through the la
Edge of Eternity
1959-11-02
Helped by socialite Janice Kendon and barkeeper Scott O'Brien, Arizona deputy sheriff Les Martin wor
Jinxed!
1982-10-22
Harold, a professional gambler, and his girlfriend Bonita, a lounge singer, follow Willie, a young b
Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.
1981-10-09
In a small Southern town, the local sheriff tries to keep everything peaceful and under control.
High Lonesome
1950-09-01
When a sudden spurt of murders occurs in the Big Bend country, suspicion immediately falls on a youn
The Girl in Lovers Lane
1960-06-16
Two drifters contend with love and murder in a small town.
The Last Challenge
1967-12-22
An upstart outlaw baits a legendary gunslinger, now a marshal in love with a saloon keeper.
The Daughters of Joshua Cabe
1972-09-13
Due to a home-steading law, a fur trapper schemes to keep his land by hiring a hooker, a pickpocket
The Last Rebel
1971-09-24
Set in 1865 in southwest Missouri, at the close of the Civil War the film follows the adventures of
Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?
1988-11-13
A pair of thieves are pursued by the U.S. Army, the Mexican federales and Apaches in this made-for-T
Gun Belt
1953-07-24
Gunfighter Billy Ringo decides to hang up his guns, buy a ranch and marry Arlene Reach. His brother
Sartana Does Not Forgive
1968-10-25
Jorge Martin is relentlessly stalking a gang of outlaws led by the ruthless Slim who raped and murde
Wichita
1955-07-03
Former buffalo hunter and entrepreneur Wyatt Earp arrives in the lawless cattle town of Wichita Kans
Once Upon a Texas Train
1988-10-12
Captain Hayes of the mighty law enforcement squad named the Texas Rangers reached the pinnacle of hi
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
1970-04-01
A simple-minded blacksmith named Charley, well loved by the townsfolk, saves for a year to send off
The Giant of Thunder Mountain
1990-12-25
A mountain man is falsely accused of the murder of his parents.
One Way Street
1950-04-01
After stealing a gangster's money and his girlfriend, a doctor heads for a small village in Mexico t
The Villain
1979-07-26
Handsome Stranger has agreed to escort Charming Jones to collect her inheritance from her father. Bu
Princess of the Nile
1954-07-01
Shalimar, an Egyptian princess, striving to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors, forms an alli
Man Without a Star
1955-03-24
A wandering cowboy gets caught up in a range war.
Sacred Ground
1983-03-11
SACRED GROUND tells the fact-based story of a mountain man and his Indian wife who happen upon a par
Shadow Force
1992-12-01
Policemen by Day - Assassins at Night. A story all too familiar yet amazing to see. Follow the daily
Appointment in Honduras
1953-10-16
On a tramp steamer off Central America are Mr. and Mrs. Sheppard, five prisoners en route to a Nicar
Big Bad John
1990-02-01
Jimmy Dean's popular 1950 song is translated into a feature length movie about a young couple who el
The Winds of Autumn
1976-06-01
In 1884, an eleven-year-old Quaker boy sets out on his own to seek revenge against a gang of outlaws
A Knife for the Ladies
1974-05-02
A mutilating knife-killer haunts the small Southwest-desert town of Mescal. Though most victims have
Lure of the Wilderness
1952-07-16
A young girl and her father, who is unjustly accused of murder, seek refuge in a Georgia swamp until
The Slowest Gun in the West
1960-05-07
The town of Primrose, Arizona is beset by outlaws, so the towns people hire Fletcher Bissell III (A.
The Last Escape of Billy the Kid
1972-01-01
Formerly lost western starring Jack Elam
Key to the City
1950-02-02
At a mayors convention in San Francisco, ex-longshoreman Steve Fisk meets Clarissa Standish from New
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills
1986-11-15
Two young survivors of a wagon-train massacre battle horse thieves as they take a prize stallion thr
The Aurora Encounter
1986-08-01
In 1897, residents of a small Texas town are visited by a benevolent extraterrestrial being whose pr
The Red Pony
1973-03-18
A young farmboy who can't seem to communicate with his father develops an attachment to a young red
My Man and I
1952-09-05
In California, a Mexican-American laborer is falsely accused of shooting the racist farmer he was wo
Lacy and the Mississippi Queen
1978-05-17
This lighthearted Western was an unsuccessful series pilot in which two sisters -- a gun-toting tomb
Skyward Christmas
1981-12-03
In this sequel to "Skyward" and pilot to a prospective series, Julie attempts a secret flight to bri
Uninvited
1993-01-01
A fortune in gold lures 8 misfits to an Indian burial ground, resulting in murder.
The Battle at Apache Pass
1952-05-09
Major Jim Colton is a sympathetic leader who has a working relationship with Apache leader Cochise.
Ride a Northbound Horse
1969-03-16
Fifteen-year-old Cav Rand purchases a racehorse and trains him into a winner, but a con artist is pl
Jubal
1956-02-25
Jubal Troop is a cowboy who is found in a weakened condition, without a horse. He is given shelter a
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
1973-05-23
Pat Garrett is hired as a lawman on behalf of a group of wealthy New Mexico cattle barons to bring d
The Moonlighter
1953-09-19
Wes Anderson (Fred MacMurray) is caught cattle rustling and promptly jailed. The public is outraged,
The Bushwhackers
1951-12-07
Confederate veteran Jeff Waring arrives in Independence, Missouri shortly after the Civil War, inten
Grayeagle
1977-12-28
A young Cheyenne warrior, who goes by the name Grayeagle, kidnaps the daughter of a grizzled frontie
Jubilee Trail
1954-05-15
A wild-west trader and his New York wife head out for the California by wagon train. The trader is k
Vera Cruz
1954-12-25
After the American Civil War, mercenaries travel to Mexico to fight in their revolution for money. T
I Am Not a Freak
1987-11-01
This film is a fascinating look at some people afflicted with congenital deformities of an extreme n
Montana Territory
1952-05-31
John Malvin , prospecting the Montana territory during the gold rush, sees bandits kill a miner and
Cattle Queen of Montana
1954-11-18
Sierra Nevada Jones must fight a villainous rancher to regain the land that is rightfully hers.
Ride Clear of Diablo
1954-02-10
A young railroad surveyor returns to his hometown to find the man who murdered his father and brothe
Lost
1983-10-22
A little girl gets lost in the wilds of Utah.
Bonanza: The Return
1993-11-24
A man with a grudge against the late Little Joe seeks revenge on the Cartwrights and attempts to tak
Bonanza: Under Attack
1995-01-15
After a rogue band of Pinkerton detectives led by ruthless Charley Siringo bushwhacks reformed outla
Shootout in a One-Dog Town
1974-01-09
A small-town banker is forced to protect his town against a vicious gang of bank robbers determined
Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas
1984-12-23
Scrooge is visited by a girl with a snow globe—which shows him people like Mike Love and Three Dog N
The Wild Country
1970-12-16
Uprooted from their comfortable home in Pennsylvania, James and Kate Tanner, along with their sons,
Pony Express Rider
1976-11-01
A young Texas Man who saw his father get killed by a group of bandits, decides years later to go to
A Ticket to Tomahawk
1950-05-19
A cowboy is hired by a stagecoach boss to stop the railroad reaching his territory and putting him o
Wild Weed
1949-07-20
A chorus girl's career is ruined and her brother is driven to suicide when she starts smoking mariju
Huckleberry Finn
1978-03-31
Huckleberry Finn, a rambuctious boy adventurer chafing under the bonds of civilization, escapes his
Once Upon a Time in the West
1968-12-21
As the railroad builders advance unstoppably through the Arizona desert on their way to the sea, Jil
Kismet
1955-10-08
A silver-tongued poet and self-proclaimed "King of the Beggars" searches old Baghdad for a rich bach
The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite
1981-05-21
In this sequel to "The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything," down-on-his-luck Kirby Winter inherits a
Cat Ballou
1971-09-05
A pretty ranch owner hires a drunken gunslinger and his two companions to protect her ranch from out
The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe
1976-05-29
Three young women who posed as the daughters of an elderly homesteader find out that he has been fal
Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo
1970-12-09
George Plimpton got a job playing one of the bad guys in the Howard Hawks-directed John Wayne Wester