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.
Born
in Miami, Arizona, USA
Died
in Ashland, Oregon, USA
Birth Name
William Scott Elam
10 .Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
Dir. by Sam Peckinpah (1973), starring Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson & James Coburn
This film is a 1973 American Western drama film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, and Bob Dylan, and written by Rudy Wurlitzer. The film is about an aging..
9 .Once Upon a Texas Train
Dir. by Burt Kennedy (1988), starring Willie Nelson, Angie Dickinson & Richard Widmark
Once Upon a Texas Train is 1988 made-for-TV movie directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Willie Nelson as John Henry Lee and Richard Widmark as Captain Oren Hayes. The movie opens with a train robbery..
8.Night Passage
Dir. by James Neilson (1957), starring James Stewart, Audie Murphy & Jack Elam
Night Passage is a 1957 Western film starring James Stewart and Audie Murphy..
7.Once Upon a Time in the West
Dir. by Sergio Leone (1968), starring Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale & Charles Bronson
Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian/American epic Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, Charles..
6.Jubal
Dir. by Delmer Daves (1956), starring Charles Bronson, Ernest Borgnine & Glenn Ford
Jubal is a 1956 western film written by Russell S. Hughes and Delmer Daves and directed by Delmer Daves. “Delmer Daves’s intense, good looking Western based on Othello, in which Glenn Ford confronts..
5.Hannie Caulder
Dir. by Burt Kennedy (1971), starring Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee & Ernest Borgnine
Hannie Caulder is a 1971 British Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Raquel Welch, Robert Culp and Ernest Borgnine. The screenplay was rewritten by Kennedy, who wasn’t credited…
4.Grayeagle
Dir. by Charles B. Pierce (1977), starring Jack Elam, Ben Johnson & Lana Wood
Grayeagle is a 1977 Western adventure film directed Charles B. Pierce, written by Brad White, Charles B. Pierce and Michael O. Sajbel, starring Ben Johnson, Iron Eyes Cody, and Lana Wood. The music…
3.Cattle Queen of Montana
Dir. by Allan Dwan (1954), starring Ronald Reagan, Barbara Stanwyck & Jack Elam
Cattle Queen of Montana is a 1954 American Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. The supporting cast includes Jack Elam, Chubby Johnson, and Morris..
2. The Comancheros
Dir. by John Wayne and Michael Curtiz (1961), starring John Wayne, Lee Marvin & Jack Elam
The Comancheros is a 1961 Western Deluxe CinemaScope color film directed by Michael Curtiz, based on a 1952 novel of the same name by Paul Wellman, and starring John Wayne and Stuart Whitman. The..
1.Rio Lobo
Dir. by Howard Hawks (1970), starring John Wayne, Jennifer O’Neill & Jack Elam
Rio Lobo is a 1970 American Western film starring John Wayne. The film was the last film directed by Howard Hawks, from a script by Leigh Brackett. The film was shot in Technicolor with a running..
In the glitzy world of Hollywood, where fame, fortune, and power intersect, alliances and rivalries often play out behind the scenes, leaving the public...