fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920[1] – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villainous image). His most distinguishing physical quality was his misaligned eye. Before his career in acting, he took several jobs in finance and served two years in the United States Navy during World War II.

Jack Elam
Elam in 1950
Born	William Scott Elam (1920-11-13)November 13, 1920 Miami, Arizona, U.S.
Died	October 20, 2003(2003-10-20) (aged 82) Ashland, Oregon, U.S.
Years active	1944–1995
Spouse(s)	Jean L Hodgert ​ ​ (m. 1937; died 1961)​ Margaret Jennison ​ ​ (m. 1961)​
Children	3

Elam performed in 73 movies and in at least 41 television series.

Early life

Elam was born in Miami in Gila County in south-central Arizona, to Millard Elam and Alice Amelia Kirby. His mother died in September 1924, when Jack was only three.[2] By 1930, he was living with his father, older sister Mildred, and their stepmother, Flossie Varney Elam. He grew up picking cotton. Elam lost the sight in his left eye when he was stabbed with a pencil during a boyhood altercation with a fellow Boy Scout.[3] He was a student at both Miami High School in Gila County and Phoenix Union High School in Maricopa County, graduating from there in the late 1930s and subsequently attending Santa Monica Junior College in California.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Before his acting career, Elam worked as a bookkeeper at the Bank of America in Los Angeles and as an auditor for the Standard Oil Company. He then served two years during World War II in the United States Navy and subsequently became an independent accountant in Hollywood, where one of his clients was movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn.[4] For a time, he was also the manager of the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles.[2]

Acting

Elam made his screen debut in 1949 in She Shoulda Said No!, an exploitation film in which a chorus girl's habitual marijuana smoking ruins her career and then drives her brother to suicide. During this period, however, Elam appeared most often in Westerns and gangster films, usually in roles as a villain.

On television in the 1950s and 1960s, he made multiple guest-star appearances on many popular Western series, including Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, Lawman, Bonanza, Cheyenne, Have Gun – Will Travel, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, The Rebel, F Troop, Tales of Wells Fargo, The Texan, and Rawhide. In 1961, he played a slightly crazed bus passenger on The Twilight Zone episode "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?". That same year, he also portrayed the Mexican historical figure Juan Cortina in "The General Without a Cause", an episode of the anthology series Death Valley Days. In 1962, Elam appeared as Paul Henry on Lawman in the episode titled "Clootey Hutter".

In 1963, Elam received a rare chance to play the good guy, reformed gunfighter and Deputy U.S. Marshal J. D. Smith, in the ABC/Warner Bros. series The Dakotas, a Western intended as the successor of Cheyenne. The Dakotas ran for 19 episodes. He was then cast as George Taggart, a gunslinger-turned-marshal, in the 1963–1964 NBC/WB series Temple Houston.

In 1966 Jack Elam was given his first comedic role with Clint Walker in the Western film The Night of the Grizzly. In 1968, Elam had a cameo in Sergio Leone's celebrated spaghetti Western Once Upon a Time in the West. In that film, he played one of a trio of gunslingers who were sent to kill Charles Bronson's character. Elam spent a good part of the scene trying to trap an annoying fly in his gun barrel. In 1967, Elam appeared in The Way West with Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark, and Kirk Douglas as the light-hearted Preacher Weatherby taking part in a wagon train on the Oregon Trail.

In 1969, he played a comedy role in Support Your Local Sheriff!, which was followed two years later by Support Your Local Gunfighter, both opposite James Garner. After his performances in those two films, Elam found his villainous parts dwindling and his comic roles increasing. (Both films were also directed by Burt Kennedy, who had seen Elam's potential as a comedian and directed him a total of 15 times in features and television.) Between those two films, he also played a comically cranky old coot opposite John Wayne in Howard Hawks's Rio Lobo (1970). In 1974–1975, he was cast as Zack Wheeler in the short-lived comedy series, The Texas Wheelers, in which he played the long-lost father returning home to raise his four children after their mother dies. In 1979, he was cast as the Frankenstein monster in the CBS sitcom Struck by Lightning, but the show was cancelled after only three episodes (the remaining eight were unaired (and remain so) in the U.S., though all 11 were aired in the UK in 1980). He then appeared in the role of Hick Peterson in a first-season episode of Home Improvement alongside Ernest Borgnine (season one, episode 20, "Birds of a Feather Flock to Tim").

Elam played Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing, an eccentric doctor in the 1981 movie The Cannonball Run. Three years later, he returned in the same role in the film's sequel, Cannonball Run II.

In 1985, Elam played Charlie in the "Weird Western" film The Aurora Encounter. During production, Elam developed what would become a lifelong relationship with an 11-year-old boy named Mickey Hays, who suffered from progeria. The documentary I Am Not a Freak portrays the close friendship between Elam and Hays. Elam said, "You know I've met a lot of people, but I've never met anybody that got next to me like Mickey."^{[citation needed]}

In 1986, Elam also co-starred on the short-lived comedy series Easy Street as Alvin "Bully" Stevenson, the down-on-his-luck uncle of Loni Anderson's character, L. K. McGuire. In 1988, Elam co-starred with Willie Nelson in the movie Where The Hell's That Gold?

In 1994, Elam was inducted into the Hall of Great Western Performers of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life and death

Elam was married twice, first to Jean Hodgert from 1937 until her death in 1961, and then to Margaret Jennison from 1961 until his own death.^{[citation needed]}

Elam died of congestive heart failure in Ashland, Oregon, in 2003.[3]

Filmography

Film

List of performances in films

Title	Year	Roles	Notes
Mystery Range	1947	Burvel Lambert
Wild Weed	1949	Raymond – Henchman
The Sundowners	1950	Earl Boyce
Key to the City	1950	Councilman	Uncredited
Quicksand	1950	Man at Bar	Uncredited
One Way Street	1950	Arnie	Uncredited
A Ticket to Tomahawk	1950	Fargo	Uncredited
Love That Brute	1950	Henchman #2 in Cigar Store	Uncredited
High Lonesome	1950	Smiling Man
American Guerrilla in the Philippines	1951	The Speaker
The Texan Meets Calamity Jane	1951	Henchman	Uncredited
Bird of Paradise	1951	The Trader
Rawhide	1951	Tevis
The Bushwackers	1951	Cree
Finders Keepers	1952	Eddie
Rancho Notorious	1952	Mort Geary
The Battle at Apache Pass	1952	Mescal Jack
High Noon	1952	Charlie – Drunk in Jail	Uncredited
Montana Territory	1952	Gimp
Lure of the Wilderness	1952	Dave Longden
My Man and I	1952	Celestino Garcia
The Ring	1952	Harry Jackson
Kansas City Confidential	1952	Pete Harris
Count the Hours	1953	Max Verne
Ride, Vaquero!	1953	Barton
Gun Belt	1953	Rusty Kolloway
The Moonlighter	1953	Slim
Appointment in Honduras	1953	Castro
Jubilee Trail	1954	Whitey
Ride Clear of Diablo	1954	Tim Lowerie
Princess of the Nile	1954	Basra
The Far Country	1954	Frank Newberry
Cattle Queen of Montana	1954	Yost
Vera Cruz	1954	Tex
Tarzan's Hidden Jungle	1955	Burger
The Man from Laramie	1955	Chris Boldt
Man Without a Star	1955	Knife Murderer	Uncredited
Kiss Me Deadly	1955	Charlie Max
Moonfleet	1955	Damen
Wichita	1955	Al
Artists and Models	1955	Ivan
Kismet	1955	Hasan-Ben
Jubal	1956	McCoy – Bar 8 Rider
Pardners	1956	Pete
Thunder Over Arizona	1956	Deputy Slats Callahan
Dragoon Wells Massacre	1957	Tioga
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral	1957	Tom McLowery
Lure of the Swamp	1957	Henry Bliss
Night Passage	1957	Shotgun
Baby Face Nelson	1957	Fatso Nagel
The Gun Runners	1958	Arnold
Edge of Eternity	1959	Bill Ward
The Girl in Lovers Lane	1960	Jesse
The Last Sunset	1961	Ed Hobbs
The Comancheros	1961	Horseface (Comanchero)
Pocketful of Miracles	1961	Cheesecake
4 for Texas	1963	Dobie
The Rare Breed	1966	Simons
The Night of the Grizzly	1966	Hank
The Way West	1967	Preacher Weatherby
The Last Challenge	1967	Ernest Scarnes
Firecreek	1968	Norman
Never a Dull Moment	1968	Ace Williams
Sonora	1968	Slim Kovacs
Once Upon a Time in the West	1968	Snaky – Member of Frank's Gang
Support Your Local Sheriff!	1969	Jake
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County	1970	Kittrick
Dirty Dingus Magee	1970	John Wesley Hardin
The Wild Country	1970	Thompson
Rio Lobo	1970	Mr Phillips
Support Your Local Gunfighter	1971	Jug May
The Last Rebel	1971	Matt
Hannie Caulder	1971	Frank Clemens
Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid	1973	Alamosa Bill
Knife for the Ladies	1974	Jarrod (Sheriff)
Creature from Black Lake	1976	Joe Canton
Hawmps!	1976	Bad Jack Cutter
The Winds of Autumn	1976	J. Pete Hankins
Pony Express Rider	1976	Crazy Charlie
Grayeagle	1977	Trapper Willis
Hot Lead and Cold Feet	1978	Rattlesnake
The Norseman	1978	Death Dreamer
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again	1979	Big Mac
The Sacketts	1979	Ira Bigelow
The Villain	1979	Avery Simpson
The Cannonball Run	1981	Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing
Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.	1981	Troscliar Boudreaux
Jinxed!	1982	Otto
Sacred Ground	1983	Lum Witcher
Lost	1983	Mr. Newsome
Cannonball Run II	1984	Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing
The Aurora Encounter	1986	Charlie
Hawken's Breed	1987	Tackett
Once Upon a Texas Train	1988	Jason Fitch
Big Bad John	1990	Jake Calhoun
The Giant of Thunder Mountain	1991	Hezekiah Crow
Suburban Commando	1991	Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell
Shadow Force	1992	Tommy
Uninvited	1993	Grady

Television

List of performances in television

Title	Year	Role	Episode
The Restless Gun	1957	Link Jared	"Trail to Sunset"
Lawman	1958	Flynn Hawks	"The Deputy"
The Restless Gun	1958	Tony Molenauer	"Hornitas Town"
Have Gun – Will Travel	1958	Joe Gage	"The Man Who Lost" (Written by Ida Lupino)
The Texan	1958	Tug Swann	"The Eastener"
The Rifleman	1958	Sim Groder	"Duel of Honor"
Gunsmoke	1959	Dolph Quince	"Jayhawkers"
Gunsmoke	1959	Steed	"Saludos"
The Texan	1959	Luke Watson	"South of the Border"
The Texan	1959	Dud Parsons	"Lady Tenderfoot"
The Rifleman	1959	Gavin Martin	"Tension"
Tombstone Territory	1959	Wally Jobe	"Day of the Amnesty"
Gunsmoke	1960	Clint Dodie	"Where'd They Go"
The Twilight Zone	1961	Crazy Man	"Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?"
Bonanza	1961	Dodie Hoad	"The Spitfire"
Cheyenne	1961	Count Nicholas Potosi	"Massacre at Gunsight Pass"
Gunsmoke	1961	Ben	"Love Thy Neighbor"
The Untouchables	1962	Jug Alverson	"Pressure"
Cheyenne	1962	Deputy J. D. Smith	"A Man Called Ragan"
Cheyenne	1962	Calhoun Durango	"The Durango Brothers"
Have Gun – Will Travel	1962	Arnold Shaffner	"One, Two, Three"
Gunsmoke	1964	Hector	"Homecoming"
Gunsmoke	1964	Specter	"Help Me, Kitty"
Daniel Boone	1965	Petch	S1/E18 - "The Sound of Fear"
Gunsmoke	1965	Sam Band	"Clayton Thaddeus Greenwood"
Gunsmoke	1965	Del Ormand	"Malachi"
Gunsmoke	1966	Jim Barrett	"My Father, My Son"
Bonanza	1967	Buford Buckalew	"A Bride for Buford"
The Wild Wild West	1967	Zack Slade	"The Night of Montezuma's Hordes"
Gunsmoke	1968	William Prange	"The First People"
Gunsmoke	1969	Pack Landers	”The Sisters”
Bonanza	1970	Honest John	"Honest John"
Gunsmoke	1971	Lucas Murdoch	"Murdoch"
Gunsmoke	1971	Titus Spangler	"P.S. Murry Christmas"
Gunsmoke	1972	Pierre Audubon	"The River- Parts 1 & 2"
The Texas Wheelers	1974–1975	Zack Wheeler	Main role; 8 episodes
How the West Was Won	1976	Cully Madigan	2 episodes
$weepstake$	1979	Struck by lightening 1979 Frank	Episode: "Billy, Wally and Ludmilla, and Theodore"
Easy Street	1986	Alvin "Bully" Stevenson	22 episodes
Home Improvement	1992	Hick Peterson	"Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor"
Bonanza: The Return	1993	Buckshot	Television movie
Bonanza: Under Attack	1995	Buckshot	Television movie

References and notes

Further reading

• McCormack, Tiffany. "Jack Elam". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
• Mahar, Ted (October 4, 1998). "A Sampling of Elam's Movies". The Oregonian. p. L10.
• 1920 United States Census, Arizona, Gila County, Miami
• 1924 September 7; Arizona Original Certificate of Death for Alice Amelia Kerby Elam
• 1930 United States Census, Arizona, Gila County, Miami
• 2003 October 20; Oregon Certificate of Death for Jack Elam

External links

• Media related to Jack Elam at Wikimedia Commons
• Jack Elam at IMDb
• Literature on Jack Elam

На других языках

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[de] Jack Elam

William Scott „Jack“ Elam (* 13. November 1920[1] in Miami, Arizona; † 20. Oktober 2003 in Ashland, Oregon) war ein US-amerikanischer Schauspieler, der meist als Bösewicht oder Außenseiter auftrat.

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- [en] Jack Elam

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[es] Jack Elam

William Scott "Jack" Elam (13 de noviembre de 1920[1] - 20 de octubre de 2003) fue un actor estadounidense conocido por sus numerosos papeles de villano en películas del género western y, en sus últimos años de carrera, por su trabajo en comedias (en ocasiones mofándose de su imagen de malvado).

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[ru] Элам, Джек

Уильям Скотт Элам (англ. William Scott Elam), более известный как Джек Элам (англ. Jack Elam, 13 ноября 1920 года, Майами, Аризона — 20 октября 2003 года, Ашленд, Орегон) — американский актёр кино и телевидения наиболее известный своими многочисленными ролями злодеев в вестернах и гангстерских фильмах, а позже комедийными ролями.

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