1920-11-13 Miami, Gila, Arizona, USA
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.
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Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade | (archive footage) | 2004-07-25 |
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Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western | Self | 1997-07-27 |
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Bonanza: Under Attack | Buckshot | 1995-01-15 |
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Bonanza: The Return | Buckshot | 1993-11-24 |
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Uninvited | Grady | 1993-01-01 |
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Shadow Force | Tommy | 1992-12-01 |
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Suburban Commando | Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell | 1991-10-04 |
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Big Bad John | Jake Calhoun | 1990-02-01 |
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The Giant of Thunder Mountain | Hezekiah Crow | 1990-12-25 |
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Once Upon a Texas Train | Jason Fitch | 1988-10-12 |
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Where the Hell's That Gold?!!? | Boone | 1988-11-13 |
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I Am Not a Freak | Self | 1987-11-01 |
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Hawken's Breed | Tackett | 1987-01-01 |
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Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills | Squires | 1986-11-15 |
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The Aurora Encounter | Charlie | 1986-08-01 |
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Cannonball Run II | Doc | 1984-06-29 |
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Scrooge's Rock 'N' Roll Christmas | Scrooge | 1984-12-23 |
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Sacred Ground | Lum Witcher | 1983-03-11 |
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Lost | Mr. Newsom | 1983-10-22 |
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Jinxed! | Otto | 1982-10-22 |
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Soggy Bottom, U.S.A. | Troscliar Boudreaux | 1981-10-09 |
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Skyward Christmas | Clay Haller | 1981-12-03 |
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The Cannonball Run | Doctor | 1981-06-19 |
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The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite | Seth Beaumont | 1981-05-21 |
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The Villain | Avery Simpson | 1979-07-26 |
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The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again | Big Mac | 1979-06-27 |
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Hot Lead & Cold Feet | Rattlesnake | 1978-07-05 |
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Lacy and the Mississippi Queen | Willie Red Fire | 1978-05-17 |
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The Norseman | Death Dreamer | 1978-10-05 |
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Grayeagle | Trapper Willis | 1977-12-28 |
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Creature from Black Lake | Joe Canton | 1976-03-01 |
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Hawmps! | Bad Jack Cutter | 1976-05-20 |
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The Winds of Autumn | J. Pete Hankins | 1976-06-01 |
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The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Bitterroot | 1976-05-29 |
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Pony Express Rider | Crazy Charlie | 1976-11-01 |
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Huckleberry Finn | King | 1975-03-25 |
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Sidekicks | Boss | 1974-03-21 |
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A Knife for the Ladies | Jarrod (Sheriff) | 1974-05-02 |
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Shootout in a One-Dog Town | Handy | 1974-01-09 |
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The Red Pony | Granddad | 1973-03-17 |
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Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid | Alamosa Bill Kermit | 1973-05-23 |
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The Last Escape of Billy the Kid | Pat Garrett | 1972-01-01 |
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The Daughters of Joshua Cabe | Bitterroot | 1972-09-13 |
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Cat Ballou | Kid Sheleen | 1971-09-05 |
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The Last Rebel | Matt | 1971-09-24 |
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Hannie Caulder | Frank Clemens | 1971-11-08 |
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Support Your Local Gunfighter | Jug May | 1971-05-26 |
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Dirty Dingus Magee | John Wesley Hardin | 1970-11-18 |
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The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County | Kittrick | 1970-04-01 |
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Rio Lobo | Phillips | 1970-04-01 |
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The Wild Country | Thompson | 1970-12-16 |
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Plimpton! Shoot-Out at Rio Lobo | Self | 1970-12-09 |
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The Over the Hill Gang | Sheriff Clyde Barnes | 1969-07-06 |
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Ride a Northbound Horse | Sheriff | 1969-03-16 |
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Support Your Local Sheriff! | Jake | 1969-03-26 |
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C'era una volta il West | Frank's Gunman | 1968-12-21 |
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Firecreek | Norman | 1968-01-24 |
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Never a Dull Moment | Ace Williams | 1968-06-26 |
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Sonora | Slim Kovacs | 1968-10-25 |
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The Way West | Preacher Weatherby | 1967-05-24 |
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The Last Challenge | Ernest Scarnes | 1967-12-22 |
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The Night of the Grizzly | Hank | 1966-04-20 |
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The Rare Breed | Deke Simons | 1966-02-02 |
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4 for Texas | Dobie | 1963-12-21 |
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Pocketful of Miracles | Cheesecake | 1961-12-18 |
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The Last Sunset | Ed Hobbs | 1961-06-08 |
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The Comancheros | Horseface (Comanchero) | 1961-12-16 |
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The Girl in Lovers Lane | Jesse | 1960-06-16 |
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The Slowest Gun in the West | Ike Dalton | 1960-05-07 |
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Edge of Eternity | Bill Ward | 1959-11-02 |
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The Gun Runners | Arnold | 1958-08-01 |
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Night Passage | Shotgun | 1957-07-24 |
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Dragoon Wells Massacre | Tioga | 1957-08-28 |
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Baby Face Nelson | Fatso Nagel | 1957-12-11 |
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Gunfight at the O.K. Corral | Tom McLowery | 1957-05-30 |
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Lure of the Swamp | Henry Bliss | 1957-05-01 |
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Pardners | Pete | 1956-08-01 |
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Jubal | McCoy | 1956-02-25 |
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Thunder Over Arizona | Slats Callahan | 1956-08-04 |
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Tarzan's Hidden Jungle | Burger | 1955-02-16 |
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Artists and Models | Ivan | 1955-11-07 |
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Moonfleet | Damen | 1955-06-24 |
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Kismet | Hasan-Ben | 1955-10-08 |
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Kiss Me Deadly | Charlie Max | 1955-04-28 |
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The Man from Laramie | Chris Boldt | 1955-08-19 |
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Man Without a Star | Knife Murderer (uncredited) | 1955-03-24 |
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Wichita | Al | 1955-07-03 |
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Vera Cruz | Tex | 1954-12-25 |
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Princess of the Nile | Basra | 1954-07-01 |
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Ride Clear of Diablo | Tim Lowerie | 1954-02-10 |
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Cattle Queen of Montana | Yost | 1954-11-18 |
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Jubilee Trail | Whitey | 1954-05-15 |
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The Far Country | Frank Newberry | 1954-02-12 |
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Gun Belt | Rusty Kolloway | 1953-07-24 |
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Ride, Vaquero! | Barton | 1953-07-17 |
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Appointment in Honduras | Castro | 1953-10-16 |
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The Moonlighter | Slim | 1953-09-19 |
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Count the Hours! | Max Verne | 1953-04-01 |
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High Noon | Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited) | 1952-06-09 |
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My Man and I | Celestino Garcia | 1952-09-05 |
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Lure of the Wilderness | Dave Longden | 1952-07-16 |
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Kansas City Confidential | Pete Harris | 1952-11-11 |
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The Ring | Harry Jackson | 1952-09-26 |
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Montana Territory | Gimp | 1952-05-31 |
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Finders Keepers | Eddie | 1952-01-01 |
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The Battle at Apache Pass | Mescal Jack | 1952-05-09 |
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Rancho Notorious | Mort Geary | 1952-04-10 |
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Rawhide | Tevis | 1951-03-25 |
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Bird of Paradise | The Trader | 1951-03-14 |
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The Bushwhackers | Cree | 1951-12-07 |
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High Lonesome | Smiling Man | 1950-09-01 |
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American Guerrilla in the Philippines | The Speaker | 1950-11-08 |
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One Way Street | Arnie (uncredited) | 1950-04-01 |
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The Sundowners | Earl Boyce | 1950-02-02 |
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A Ticket to Tomahawk | Fargo | 1950-05-19 |
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Key to the City | Councilman (uncredited) | 1950-02-02 |
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Wild Weed | Raymond - Henchman | 1949-07-20 |
