History Creator / JackElam

Elam was born in Miami, UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}}. He earned a degree in Accountancy, and worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil before joining the Navy during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (he was a supply officer). After the war, he became an independent accountant in Hollywood, California, where one of his clients was studio mogul [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer Samuel Goldwyn]]. It was Goldwyn who suggested Elam try acting, telling Elam that "you've got the perfect face to play a tough guy." He made his film debut in 1949's ''She Shoulda Said No!'', a now forgotten low-budget exploitation film about marijuana addicts, playing a drug dealer. He'd go on to appear in nearly all of the popular western and crime dramas of the 50s and 60s, including ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', ''Series/{{Zorro}}'', ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', and ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', always as the bad guy. His first chance to play a straight-up, non-comedic good guy was his turn as Deputy U.S. Marshal J.D. Smith in ''Series/TheDakotas'', a short-lived western series on Creator/{{ABC}}.

* ''[[Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff Support Your Local Gunfighter]]'' as Jug May

* ''Film/KnifeForTheLadies'' as Sheriff Jarrod

dWilliam Scott "Jack" Elam (13 November 1920 – 20 October 2003) was an American actor best known for his long career (seventy-three films and forty-one different television series) in [[TheWestern westerns]]. He [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome started playing a lot of villains, but later in his life took on mostly comedic roles]], many of which spoofed his earlier appearances as the bad guy. He had a dry way of delivering a sardonic line, but his true strength was [[FacialDialogue his ability to deliver entire pages of dialogue silently, using nothing more than his facial expressions]], a skill of which he was one of the great masters.

'''William Scott "Jack" Elam''' (13 November 1920 – 20 October 2003) was an American actor best known for his long career (seventy-three films and forty-one different television series) in [[TheWestern westerns]]. He [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome started playing a lot of villains, but later in his life took on mostly comedic roles]], many of which spoofed his earlier appearances as the bad guy. He had a dry way of delivering a sardonic line, but his true strength was [[FacialDialogue his ability to deliver entire pages of dialogue silently, using nothing more than his facial expressions]], a skill of which he was one of the great masters.

* PlayingAgainstType: Whereas he was mostly typecast in his younger days as gangsters and gunslingers, in ''Film/HighNoon'' he played an amiable alcoholic.

Elam was born in Miami, UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}}. He earned a degree in Accountancy, and worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil before joining the Navy during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (he was a supply officer). After the war, he became an independent accountant in Hollywood, California, where one of his clients was studio mogul [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer Samuel Goldwyn]]. It was Goldwyn who suggested Elam try acting, telling Elam that "you've got the perfect face to play a tough guy." He made his film debut in 1949's ''She Shoulda Said No!'', a now forgotten low-budget exploitation film about marijuana addicts, playing a drug dealer. He'd go on to appear in nearly all of the popular western and crime dramas of the 50s and 60s, including ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', Series/{{Zorro}}, ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', and ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', always as the bad guy. His first chance to play a straight-up, non-comedic good guy was his turn as Deputy U.S. Marshal J.D. Smith in ''Series/TheDakotas'', a short-lived western series on Creator/{{ABC}}.

He was given his first comedic role in 1969's ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff'', and the rest, as they say, was history. [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome After his masterful comedic performance in that movie, dramatic and villainous parts were pretty much never offered to him ever again]].

* ''Film/HughNoon'' (1952) as Charlie (the drunk in jail)

* ''Film/SuburbanCommando'' (1991) as Colonel McHowell

Elam was born in Miami, Arizona. He earned a degree in Accountancy, and worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil before joining the Navy during World War II (he was a supply officer). After the war, he became an independent accountant in Hollywood, California, where one of his clients was studio mogul [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer Samuel Goldwyn]]. It was Goldwyn who suggested Elam try acting, telling Elam that "you've got the perfect face to play a tough guy." He made his film debut in 1949's ''She Shoulda Said No!'', a now forgotten low-budget exploitation film about marijuana addicts, playing a drug dealer. He'd go on to appear in nearly all of the popular western and crime dramas of the 50s and 60s, including ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', Series/{{Zorro}}, ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', and ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', always as the bad guy. His first chance to play a straight-up, non-comedic good guy was his turn as Deputy U.S. Marshal J.D. Smith in ''Series/TheDakotas'', a short-lived western series on Creator/{{ABC}}.

* ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}} (1959-1972) as multiple characters over 15 different episodes

* ''Series/WildWildWest'' (1967) as Jack Slade

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'' (1961) as Avery

William Scott "Jack" Elam (13 November 1920 – 20 October 2003) was an American actor best known for his long career (seventy-three films and forty-one different television series) in [[TheWestern westerns]]. He [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome started playing a lot of villains, but later in his life took on mostly comedic roles]], many of which spoofed his earlier appearances as the bad guy. He had a dry way of delivering a sardonic line, but his true strength was [[FacialDialogue his ability to deliver entire pages of dialogue silently, using nothing more than his facial expressions]], a skill of which he was one of the great masters.

Elam was born in Miami, Arizona. He earned a degree in Accountancy, and worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil before joining the Navy during World War II (he was a supply officer). After the war, he became an independent accountant in Hollywood, California, where one of his clients was studio mogul [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer Samuel Goldwyn]]. It was Goldwyn who suggested Elam try acting, saying telling Elam that "you've got the perfect face to play a tough guy." He made his film debut in 1949's ''She Shoulda Said No!'', a now forgotten low-budget exploitation film about marijuana addicts, playing a drug dealer. He'd go on to appear in nearly all of the popular western and crime dramas of the 50s and 60s, including ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', Series/{{Zorro}}, ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', and ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', always as the bad guy. His first chance to play a straight-up, non-comedic good guy was his turn as Deputy U.S. Marshal J.D. Smith in ''Series/TheDakotas'', a short-lived western series on Creator/{{ABC}}.

-->''"As an actor, Jack Elam never showed off. In fact, he didn't just 'show' you anything. Instead, he'd let you discover his character yourself. Whether he was playing the good bad guy or the bad good guy, he had the ability to take you along with him for the ride."''

-->''"As an actor, Jack Elam never showed off. In fact, he didn't just 'show' you anything. Instead, he'd let you discover his character yourself. Whether he was playing the good bad guy or the bad good guy, he had the ability to take you along with him for the ride." -- Actor Will Hutchins, who worked with Elam on ''Sugarfoot'' from 1959-1961''

'''William Scott "Jack" Elam''' (13 November 1920 to 20 October 2003) was an American actor best known for his long career (seventy-three films and forty-one different television series) in [[TheWestern westerns]]. He [[LeslieNielsenSyndrome started playing a lot of villains, but later in his life took on mostly comedic roles]], many of which spoofed his earlier appearances as the bad guy. He had a dry way of delivering a sardonic line, but his true strength was [[FacialDialogue his ability to deliver entire pages of dialogue silently, using nothing more than his facial expressions]], a skill of which he was one of the great masters.

Elam was born in Miami, Arizona. He earned a degree in Accountancy, and worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil before joining the Navy during World War II (he was a supply officer). After the war, he became an independent accountant in Hollywood, California, where one of his clients was studio mogul [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMayer Samuel Goldwyn]]. It was Goldwyn who suggested Elam try acting, saying telling Elam that "you've got the perfect face to play a tough guy." He made his film debut in 1949's ''She Shoulda Said No!'', a now forgotten low-budget exploitation film about marijuana addicts, playing a drug dealer. He'd go on to appear in nearly all of the popular western and crime dramas of the 50s and 60s, including ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', Series/{{Zorro}}, ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', and ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', always as the bad guy. His first chance to play a straight-up, non-comedic good guy was his turn as Deputy U.S. Marshal J.D. Smith in ''The Dakotas'', a short-lived western series on Creator/{{ABC}}.

Elam was born in Miami, Arizona. He earned a degree in Accountancy, and worked as a bookkeeper for Standard Oil before joining the Navy during World War II (he was a supply officer). After the war, he became an independent accountant in Hollywood, California, where one of his clients was studio mogul [[Creator/MetroGoldwynMeyer Samuel Goldwyn]]. It was Goldwyn who suggested Elam try acting, saying telling Elam that "you've got the perfect face to play a tough guy." He made his film debut in 1949's ''She Shoulda Said No!'', a now forgotten low-budget exploitation film about marijuana addicts, playing a drug dealer. He'd go on to appear in nearly all of the popular western and crime dramas of the 50s and 60s, including ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}'', ''Series/TheRifleman'', ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'', ''Series/{{Rawhide}}'', Series/{{Zorro}}, ''Franchise/TheLoneRanger'', and ''Series/HaveGunWillTravel'', always as the bad guy. His first chance to play a straight-up, non-comedic good guy was his turn as Deputy U.S. Marshal J.D. Smith in ''The Dakotas'', a short-lived western series on Creator/{{ABC}}.

Jack Elam was married twice, first to Jean Elam from 1937 to her death in 1961 and then to Margaret Jennison from 1961 until his death in 2003. Elam had two daughters, Jeri Elam and Jacqueline Elam, and a son, Scott Elam. He died of congestive heart failure in 2003, a month before he would turn 83 years old.