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 | Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade | (archive footage) | 2004-07-25 |
Movie | Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western | Self | 1997-07-27 |
Movie | Bonanza: Under Attack | Buckshot | 1995-01-15 |
Movie | Uninvited | Grady | 1993-01-01 |
Movie | Bonanza: The Return | Buckshot | 1993-11-24 |
Series | Lucky Luke | Axel Ericson | 1992-03-20 |
Movie | Shadow Force | Tommy | 1992-12-01 |
Series | Home Improvement | Hick Peterson | 1991-09-17 |
Movie | Suburban Commando | Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell | 1991-10-04 |
Movie | Big Bad John | Jake Calhoun | 1990-02-01 |
Movie | The Giant of Thunder Mountain | Hezekiah Crow | 1990-12-25 |
Movie | Once Upon a Texas Train | Jason Fitch | 1988-10-12 |
Series | Paradise | Skragg | 1988-10-27 |
Movie | Where the Hell's That Gold?!!? | Boone | 1988-11-13 |
Movie | Hawken's Breed | Tackett | 1987-01-01 |
Series | J.J. Starbuck | Unknown | 1987-09-26 |
Movie | I Am Not a Freak | Self | 1987-11-01 |
Movie | The Aurora Encounter | Charlie | 1986-08-01 |
Series | Easy Street | 1986-09-13 | |
Movie | Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills | Squires | 1986-11-15 |
Series | Detective in the House | 1985-03-15 | |
Movie | Cannonball Run II | Doc | 1984-06-29 |
Movie | Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas | Scrooge | 1984-12-23 |
Movie | Sacred Ground | Lum Witcher | 1983-03-11 |
Movie | Lost | Mr. Newsom | 1983-10-22 |
Movie | Jinxed! | Otto | 1982-10-22 |
Movie | The Cannonball Run | Doctor | 1981-06-19 |
Movie | The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite | Seth Beaumont | 1981-05-21 |
Movie | Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. | Troscliar Boudreaux | 1981-10-09 |
Series | Simon & Simon | Unknown | 1981-11-24 |
Movie | Skyward Christmas | Clay Haller | 1981-12-03 |
Series | Father Murphy | Unknown | 1981-11-03 |
Series | The Sacketts | Ira Bigelow | 1979-05-15 |
Movie | The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again | Big Mac | 1979-06-27 |
Movie | The Villain | Avery Simpson | 1979-07-26 |
Series | Struck by Lightning | Frank | 1979-09-19 |
Series | Black Beauty | Jonas McBride | 1978-01-31 |
Movie | Lacy and the Mississippi Queen | Willie Red Fire | 1978-05-17 |
Movie | The Norseman | Death Dreamer | 1978-10-05 |
Movie | Hot Lead & Cold Feet | Rattlesnake | 1978-07-05 |
Series | How the West Was Won | Cully Madigan | 1977-02-06 |
Series | Grizzly Adams | Unknown | 1977-02-09 |
Movie | Grayeagle | Trapper Willis | 1977-12-28 |
Series | Eight Is Enough | Unknown | 1977-03-15 |
Movie | Creature from Black Lake | Joe Canton | 1976-03-01 |
Movie | Hawmps! | Bad Jack Cutter | 1976-05-20 |
Movie | Pony Express Rider | Crazy Charlie | 1976-11-01 |
Movie | The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Bitterroot | 1976-05-29 |
Movie | The Winds of Autumn | J. Pete Hankins | 1976-06-01 |
Movie | Huckleberry Finn | King | 1975-03-25 |
Movie | Shootout in a One-Dog Town | Handy | 1974-01-09 |
Movie | Sidekicks | Boss | 1974-03-21 |
Movie | A Knife for the Ladies | Jarrod (Sheriff) | 1974-05-02 |
Movie | The Red Pony | Granddad | 1973-03-17 |
Movie | Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid | Alamosa Bill Kermit | 1973-05-23 |
Movie | The Last Escape of Billy the Kid | Pat Garrett | 1972-01-01 |
Movie | The Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Bitterroot | 1972-09-13 |
Series | The Brian Keith Show | Unknown | 1972-09-15 |
Series | Kung Fu | Marcus Taylor | 1972-10-14 |
Series | Alias Smith and Jones | Unknown | 1971-01-05 |
Movie | Support Your Local Gunfighter | Jug May | 1971-05-26 |
Movie | Cat Ballou | Kid Sheleen | 1971-09-05 |
Movie | Hannie Caulder | Frank Clemens | 1971-11-08 |
Movie | The Last Rebel | Matt | 1971-09-24 |
Series | Nichols | Marcus A.F. Baxter | 1971-09-16 |
Movie | Rio Lobo | Phillips | 1970-04-01 |
Movie | Dirty Dingus Magee | John Wesley Hardin | 1970-11-18 |
Movie | The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County | Kittrick | 1970-04-01 |
Movie | Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo | Self | 1970-12-09 |
Movie | The Wild Country | Thompson | 1970-12-16 |
Movie | Ride a Northbound Horse | Sheriff | 1969-03-16 |
Movie | Support Your Local Sheriff! | Perk Butler | 1969-03-26 |
Movie | The Over the Hill Gang | Sheriff Clyde Barnes | 1969-07-06 |
Movie | Never a Dull Moment | Ace Williams | 1968-06-26 |
Series | The Outcasts | Unknown | 1968-09-23 |
Movie | Firecreek | Norman | 1968-01-24 |
Series | Lancer | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Movie | Once Upon a Time in the West | Frank's Gunman | 1968-12-21 |
Movie | Sartana Does Not Forgive | Slim Kovacs | 1968-10-25 |
Series | Cimarron Strip | Unknown | 1967-09-07 |
Movie | The Way West | Preacher Weatherby | 1967-05-24 |
Series | Hondo | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Series | The Guns of Will Sonnett | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Movie | The Last Challenge | Ernest Scarnes | 1967-12-22 |
Series | The High Chaparral | Macklin | 1967-09-10 |
Movie | The Rare Breed | Deke Simons | 1966-02-02 |
Series | Tarzan | Unknown | 1966-09-08 |
Movie | The Night of the Grizzly | Hank | 1966-04-20 |
Series | The Legend of Jesse James | Deacon Smith | 1965-09-13 |
Series | F Troop | Unknown | 1965-09-14 |
Series | Daniel Boone | Petch | 1964-09-24 |
Movie | 4 for Texas | Dobie | 1963-12-21 |
Series | The Dakotas | Unknown | 1963-01-07 |
Series | Temple Houston | George Taggart | 1963-09-19 |
Series | The Virginian | Harve Yost | 1962-09-19 |
Movie | The Last Sunset | Ed Hobbs | 1961-06-08 |
Series | Target: The Corruptors! | Unknown | 1961-09-29 |
Movie | Pocketful of Miracles | Cheesecake | 1961-12-18 |
Series | Ben Casey | Unknown | 1961-10-02 |
Movie | The Comancheros | Horseface (Comanchero) | 1961-12-16 |
Movie | The Slowest Gun in the West | Ike Dalton | 1960-05-07 |
Movie | The Girl in Lovers Lane | Jesse | 1960-06-16 |
Series | National Velvet | Unknown | 1960-09-18 |
Series | Outlaws | Unknown | 1960-09-26 |
Series | Bonanza | Buford Buckalew | 1959-09-12 |
Series | Tightrope | Unknown | 1959-09-08 |
Series | Rawhide | Turkey Creek Jack Johnson | 1959-01-09 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Avery | 1959-10-02 |
Series | The Rebel | Uncle Luce | 1959-10-04 |
Movie | Edge of Eternity | Bill Ward | 1959-11-02 |
Series | Mr. Lucky | Phil Bricker | 1959-10-24 |
Series | The Untouchables | Nick Bravo | 1959-10-15 |
Movie | The Gun Runners | Arnold | 1958-08-01 |
Series | Bronco | Unknown | 1958-09-23 |
Series | The Texan | Luke Watson | 1958-09-29 |
Series | Lawman | Herm Forrest | 1958-10-05 |
Series | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Unknown | 1958-10-06 |
Series | The Rifleman | Unknown | 1958-09-30 |
Movie | Night Passage | Shotgun | 1957-07-24 |
Series | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Perk Butler | 1957-07-01 |
Series | Tales of Wells Fargo | Chris | 1957-03-18 |
Movie | Dragoon Wells Massacre | Tioga | 1957-08-28 |
Movie | Lure of the Swamp | Henry Bliss | 1957-05-01 |
Movie | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Tom McLowery | 1957-05-30 |
Series | Zorro | Gomez (uncredited) | 1957-10-10 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Arnold Shaffner | 1957-09-14 |
Series | The Restless Gun | Tony Molinor | 1957-09-23 |
Movie | Baby Face Nelson | Fatso Nagel | 1957-12-11 |
Series | Sugarfoot | Toothy Thompson | 1957-09-17 |
Series | M Squad | Luke Morgan | 1957-09-20 |
Movie | Pardners | Pete | 1956-08-01 |
Movie | Jubal | McCoy | 1956-02-25 |
Movie | Thunder Over Arizona | Slats Callahan | 1956-08-04 |
Series | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Stage Driver Cass | 1956-10-05 |
Movie | Moonfleet | Damen | 1955-06-24 |
Movie | Wichita | Al | 1955-07-03 |
Movie | Kiss Me Deadly | Charlie Max | 1955-04-28 |
Movie | The Man from Laramie | Chris Boldt | 1955-08-19 |
Movie | Tarzan's Hidden Jungle | Burger | 1955-02-16 |
Movie | Man Without a Star | Knife Murderer (uncredited) | 1955-03-24 |
Movie | Kismet | Hasan-Ben | 1955-10-08 |
Movie | The Silent Partner | Shanks | 1955-12-21 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Pierre Audubon | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Screen Director's Playhouse | Shanks | 1955-10-05 |
Movie | Artists and Models | Ivan | 1955-11-07 |
Series | Frontier | Unknown | 1955-09-25 |
Series | Cheyenne | Calhoun Durango | 1955-09-20 |
Movie | Jubilee Trail | Whitey | 1954-05-15 |
Movie | Ride Clear of Diablo | Tim Lowerie | 1954-02-10 |
Movie | Princess of the Nile | Basra | 1954-07-01 |
Movie | The Far Country | Frank Newberry | 1954-02-12 |
Series | The Wonderful World of Disney | Sheriff | 1954-10-27 |
Movie | Cattle Queen of Montana | Yost | 1954-11-18 |
Movie | Vera Cruz | Tex | 1954-12-25 |
Movie | Count the Hours! | Max Verne | 1953-04-01 |
Movie | Gun Belt | Rusty Kolloway | 1953-07-24 |
Movie | Ride, Vaquero! | Barton | 1953-07-17 |
Movie | The Moonlighter | Slim | 1953-09-19 |
Movie | Appointment in Honduras | Castro | 1953-10-16 |
Movie | The Battle at Apache Pass | Mescal Jack | 1952-05-09 |
Movie | Montana Territory | Gimp | 1952-05-31 |
Movie | Rancho Notorious | Mort Geary | 1952-03-06 |
Movie | Finders Keepers | Eddie | 1952-01-01 |
Movie | High Noon | Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited) | 1952-06-09 |
Movie | The Ring | Harry Jackson | 1952-09-26 |
Movie | Kansas City Confidential | Pete Harris | 1952-11-11 |
Movie | Lure of the Wilderness | Dave Longden | 1952-07-16 |
Series | Mr. & Mrs. North | Unknown | 1952-10-03 |
Series | Four Star Playhouse | Vic | 1952-09-25 |
Movie | My Man and I | Celestino Garcia | 1952-09-05 |
Movie | Rawhide | Tevis | 1951-03-25 |
Movie | Bird of Paradise | The Trader | 1951-03-14 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Halleck | 1951-10-05 |
Movie | The Bushwhackers | Cree | 1951-12-07 |
Movie | The Sundowners | Earl Boyce | 1950-02-02 |
Movie | Key to the City | Councilman (uncredited) | 1950-02-02 |
Movie | One Way Street | Arnie (uncredited) | 1950-04-01 |
Movie | A Ticket to Tomahawk | Fargo | 1950-05-19 |
Movie | High Lonesome | Smiling Man | 1950-09-01 |
Movie | American Guerrilla in the Philippines | The Speaker | 1950-11-08 |
Movie | Wild Weed | Raymond - Henchman | 1949-07-20 |
Series | The Lone Ranger | Reno Lawrence | 1949-09-15 |