Jack Elam
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.
Acting
Movie
Once Upon a Time in the West
as Frank's Gunman
1968
Movie
High Noon
as Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)
1952
TV
The Twilight Zone
as Avery
1959
TV
Home Improvement
as Hick Peterson
1991
Movie
The Cannonball Run
as Doctor
1981
TV
Bonanza
as Dodie Hoad
1959
TV
Bonanza
as Honest John
1959
TV
Bonanza
as Buford Buckalew
1959
Movie
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
as Alamosa Bill Kermit
1973
Movie
Kiss Me Deadly
as Charlie Max
1955
Movie
Bonanza: The Return
as Buckshot
1993
Movie
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
as Tom McLowery
1957
Movie
Cannonball Run II
as Doc
1984
Movie
Rio Lobo
as Phillips
1970
Movie
Vera Cruz
as Tex
1954
Movie
The Man from Laramie
as Chris Boldt
1955
TV
Kung Fu
as Marcus Taylor
1972
Movie
The Comancheros
as Horseface (Comanchero)
1961
Movie
Support Your Local Sheriff!
as Jake
1969
Movie
Suburban Commando
as Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell
1991
TV
Zorro
as Gomez (uncredited)
1957
Movie
Pocketful of Miracles
as Cheesecake
1961
Movie
The Far Country
as Frank Newberry
1954
Movie
The Villain
as Avery Simpson
1979