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