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.
Movies
Pocketful of Miracles
Cheesecake
High Noon
Charlie - Drunk in Jail (uncredited)
The Night of the Grizzly
Hank
Firecreek
Norman
Finders Keepers
Eddie
Kansas City Confidential
Pete Harris
The Comancheros
Horseface (Comanchero)
The Cannonball Run
Doctor
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Tom McLowery
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again
Big Mac
Pardners
Pete
Suburban Commando
Col. Dustin 'Dusty' McHowell
Support Your Local Sheriff!
Jake
Hawmps!
Bad Jack Cutter
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
The Sundowners
Earl Boyce
Rawhide
Tevis
Creature from Black Lake
Joe Canton
The Rare Breed
Deke Simons
Ride, Vaquero!
Barton
The Ring
Harry Jackson
The Last Sunset
Ed Hobbs
4 for Texas
Dobie
The Norseman
Death Dreamer
Kiss Me Deadly
Charlie Max
Dirty Dingus Magee
John Wesley Hardin
The Man from Laramie
Chris Boldt
Support Your Local Gunfighter
Jug May
The Far Country
Frank Newberry
Dragoon Wells Massacre
Tioga
Bird of Paradise
The Trader
The Over the Hill Gang
Sheriff Clyde Barnes
The Gun Runners
Arnold
Hawken's Breed
Tackett
American Guerrilla in the Philippines
The Speaker
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
Gun Belt
Rusty Kolloway
Sartana Does Not Forgive
Slim Kovacs
Wichita
Al
The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County
Kittrick
Where the Hell's That Gold?!!?
Boone
The Giant of Thunder Mountain
Hezekiah Crow
Princess of the Nile
Basra
Sacred Ground
Lum Witcher
Appointment in Honduras
Castro
A Knife for the Ladies
Jarrod (Sheriff)
The Winds of Autumn
J. Pete Hankins
Lure of the Wilderness
Dave Longden
The Slowest Gun in the West
Ike Dalton
Key to the City
Councilman (uncredited)
Louis L'Amour's Down the Long Hills
Squires
Uninvited
Grady
The Aurora Encounter
Charlie
The Villain
Avery Simpson
The Red Pony
Granddad
My Man and I
Celestino Garcia
Big Bad John
Jake Calhoun
Jubal
McCoy
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid
Alamosa Bill Kermit
Artists and Models
Ivan
The Moonlighter
Slim
The Bushwhackers
Cree
Grayeagle
Trapper Willis
Jubilee Trail
Whitey
Vera Cruz
Tex
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
Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western
Self
Sidekicks
Boss
Once Upon a Texas Train
Jason Fitch
The Last Escape of Billy the Kid
Pat Garrett
Lacy and the Mississippi Queen
Willie Red Fire
Skyward Christmas
Clay Haller
The Battle at Apache Pass
Mescal Jack
Ride a Northbound Horse
Sheriff
One Way Street
Gangster
Man Without a Star
Knife Murderer (uncredited)
Shadow Force
Tommy
Shows
Temple Houston
George Taggart
Home Improvement
Hick Peterson
Gunsmoke
Dolph Quince
Father Murphy
Have Gun, Will Travel
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Lee Dineen
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Danny Boy
Bronco
Sugarfoot
Toothy Thompson
Frontier
Cheyenne
F Troop
Mr. Lucky
Simon & Simon
Alias Smith and Jones
Eight Is Enough
The Twilight Zone
Avery
Target: The Corruptors!
Outlaws
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Lancer
Tarzan
Daniel Boone
Petch
Rawhide
Turkey Creek Jack Johnson
The High Chaparral
Macklin
The Outcasts
Cimarron Strip
M Squad
Luke Morgan
Hondo
The Dakotas
The Rebel
Uncle Luce
Lawman
National Velvet
The Rifleman
Ben Casey
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Hock Ellis
The Texan
The Legend of Jesse James
Deacon Smith
Tightrope
The Brian Keith Show
Grizzly Adams
Detective in the House
Mr. & Mrs. North
Easy Street
J.J. Starbuck
Struck by Lightning
Frank
The Sacketts
Ira Bigelow
Black Beauty
Jonas McBride
Kung Fu
Marcus Taylor
Wells Fargo
Chris
Bonanza
Dodie Hoad
Nichols
Marcus A.F. Baxter
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Perk Butler
Gunsmoke
Steed
Gunsmoke
Clint Dodie
Gunsmoke
Ben
Gunsmoke
Hector
Gunsmoke
Specter
Gunsmoke
Sam Band
Gunsmoke
Del Ordman
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
Bonanza
Honest John
Bonanza
Buford Buckalew
Screen Director's Playhouse
Shanks
The Restless Gun
Tony Molinor
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Halleck
Zorro
Gomez (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger
Reno Lawrence
The Texan
Luke Watson
How the West Was Won
Cully Madigan
The Untouchables
Jug Alverson
The Virginian
Harve Yost
Lawman
Herm Forrest
Paradise
Skragg