What happened to Jack Elam's eyes?
Jack Elam, Lazy-Eyed Movie Villain, Is Dead. His eyes conveyed villainy as surely as Durante's nose suggested humor, the result of an accidental stabbing with a pencil at a Boy Scout meeting that left him blind on the left side. One eye squinted and the other was open; one pointed one way and the other another.
How did Jack Elam become such a bad guy?
In one of his first significant roles, ''Rawhide'' (1951), he cemented his reputation as a bad guy by shooting a baby to make it ''dance'' and killing everybody in the picture except Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward. A review in The New York Times mentioned ''a maniacal henchman, played with great disagreeable effect by Jack Elam.''
What movies did Jack Elam appear in?
Jack Elam is remembered for portraying villains in Western films. He starred in classics such as Once Upon In The West, Kismet, and The Man from Laramie. Elam began his career in the late forties when he landed his debut role in She Shoulda Said No.
How did William Varney Elam lose his eye?
By 1930, he was living with his father, older sister Mildred, and their stepmother, Flossie Varney Elam. He grew up picking cotton. Elam lost the sight in his left eye when he was stabbed with a pencil during a boyhood altercation with a fellow Boy Scout.
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How many times was Jack Elam on Gunsmoke?
On television, he appeared in more than 20 episodes of "Gunsmoke" on CBS, and was featured in the series "The Dakotas" (1963), "Temple Houston" (1963-64), "The Texas Wheelers" (1974-75) and "Easy. Margaret Jennison m. 1961-2003 Jean Elam m.
What happened to actor Jack Elam?
Jack Elam, whose leer, bulging eye and precise acting skills transformed him from an accountant into one of the movies' most identifiable villains, died on Monday at his home in Ashland, Ore. Most published sources list him as 86.
Who is the most famous Western actor?
Clint Eastwood The Man With No Name. It's a title that conjures up the most mythical of figures in all of Western cinema.
What nationality is Jack Elam?
AmericanJack Elam / NationalityWilliam Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films, and later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villainous image).
Who is the actor with bulging eyes?
Martin Alan Feldman (8 July 1934 – 2 December 1982) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was known for his prominent, misaligned eyes....Marty FeldmanOccupationActor, comedian, writerYears active1948–1982Spouse(s)Lauretta Sullivan ( m. 1959)4 more rows
Who was the best horsemen in westerns?
Westerns expert James Denniston adds, “The Duke [in his early career], Wild Bill Elliott, Randolph Scott, Slim Pickens, Richard Boone and Jimmy Stewart all rode well. As big as he was, Andy Devine was a good rider.
Who is the oldest living cowboy?
Ralph Estes - RamblinRalph Estes - Ramblin' Ralph, The World's Oldest Living Cowboy, previews his one-person troubadour show "Me and Billy" on Vimeo.
What is considered the best Western movie ever?
Best Western Movies of All Time, Ranked8 Once Upon a Time in the West.7 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.6 Stagecoach.5 High Noon.4 True Grit.3 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.2 Unforgiven.1 The Searchers.More items...•
How did Jack Elam die?
Elam died of congestive heart failure in Ashland, Oregon, in 2003, just a month before his 83rd birthday.
Who is Jack Elam?
1 daughter. Children. 3. William Scott " Jack " Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films, and later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villainous image). His most distinguishing physical quality was his misaligned eye.
How many movies did Elam play?
Elam performed in 73 movies and in at least 41 television series. Some of his more memorable roles are in Once Upon a Time in the West, High Noon, Support Your Local Sheriff!, and on the series The Twilight Zone and Gunsmoke .
What was the first movie that Elam made?
Elam made his screen debut in 1949 in She Shoulda Said No!, an exploitation film in which a chorus girl's habitual marijuana smoking ruins her career and then drives her brother to suicide. During this period, however, Elam appeared most often in Westerns and gangster films, usually in roles as a villain.
What was Elam's first comedic role?
In 1969, he was given his first comedic role in Support Your Local Sheriff!, which was followed two years later by Support Your Local Gunfighter, both opposite James Garner. After his performances in those two films, Elam found his villainous parts dwindling and his comic roles increasing.
Where was Jack Elam born?
Early life. Elam was born in Miami in Gila County in south-central Arizona, to Millard Elam and Alice Amelia Kirby. His mother died in September 1924, when Jack was only three. By 1930, he was living with his father, older sister Mildred, and their stepmother, Flossie Varney Elam. He grew up picking cotton.
Where did Elam work?
Career. Elam worked as a bookkeeper at the Bank of America in Los Angeles and as an auditor for the Standard Oil Company. In World War II, he served two years in the United States Navy and subsequently became an independent accountant in Hollywood; one of his clients was movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn.
What was Elam's left eye?
Elam's portrayals of sinister thugs, gangsters and gunslingers were aided immeasurably by his squinty, wandering left eye. He had lost vision in the eye at age 12 when a fellow Boy Scout jabbed him with a pencil during a scuffle at a troop meeting. Mr. Elam had no control over his wandering eye.
Who is Jack Elam?
Jack Elam, the veteran character actor with the trademark off-kilter eye who menaced John Wayne, James Stewart and other screen heroes in scores of Westerns during his more than four-decade career, has died.
Who is Elam in Rawhide?
21, 2003 that Elam, a character actor and favorite Western villain who menaced good-guy cowboys with his crazy grin, menacing eyes and remorseless gunslinging in films such as Rawhide and Wichita, has died.
What is the opening sequence of Once Upon a Time in the West?
The memorable opening sequence of Italian director Sergio Leone's 1968 western " Once Upon a Time in the West" is dominated by a close-up of Mr. Elam's eye as it stares sideways while a fly buzzes around it.
What did Jack Elam do for Ed?
Via satellite, Jack Elam gave Ed a tour of his Hollywood home, an abode fully decorated with porcelain elephants! Jack Elam's waistline expanded into the form he became know for, thanks to the many paychecks coming his way.
What movie did Elam play in?
Kansas City Confidential (1952) is a tragically neglected film noir pic.
What episode of Rat Pack did Jack Elam join?
Watch the entire episode in three parts: Part one, two and three. Jack Elam joined The Rat Pack in 4 For Texas (1963), a disappointing turn featuring Frankie and Dino with little to show for itself other than cameos from The Three Stooges and Arthur Godfrey.
What movies did Siegel use Elam in?
Siegel used Elam again in his pictures The Gun Runners (1958) and Edge of Eternity (1959). The Girl in Lover's Lane (1959) had our hero taking a break from his newfound Hollywood gloss to return to his trashy B-movie roots. The film was thoroughly panned by Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Is Jack Elam blind?
Jack Elam was blind in his left eye since childhood. It was often doctored with make-up or shot around in his first several screen appearances. His eye does not stand out in most of his early anonymous roles. It became prevalent after, I assume, he was told it could be his pay dirt.
Who was the western guy in Kiss Me Deadly?
Robert Aldrich directed the dull western spoof, making it the first time the two had worked together since Kiss Me Deadly. From this point on, Jack Elam was the western guy.
Who played Ivan in Artists and Models?
In this initial entry, Elam plays Ivan, an evil Soviet.
Where did Jack Elam die?
Jack Elam, whose leer, bulging eye and precise acting skills transformed him from an accountant into one of the movies' most identifiable villains, died on Monday at his home in Ashland, Ore. Most published sources list him as 86. A friend in Ashland , Al Hassan, told The Associated Press, however, that he was actually 84, ...
What shows did Elam play in?
Elam have a chance to display his natural wit and comic timing, in starring roles in comedies like ''Support Your Local Sheriff'' (1969) and ''The Cockeyed Cowboy s of Calico County '' (1970). On ''Gunsmoke,'' his roles changed from thugs to more varied characters.
What happened to the boy who was blind when he was 9?
When he was 9, he was returned to his father, who lived in Northern California. His father was going blind and had trouble doing his job as an accountant for the state government. He had his son fill out forms for him at night. The accident, when he was 12, took half of the boy's own sight.
Who played Frank Sinatra's maniacal henchman?
A review in The New York Times mentioned ''a maniacal henchman, played with great disagreeable effect by Jack Elam.''. Good guys from Frank Sinatra to Henry Fonda gunned him down in classic westerns. His credits included ''High Noon'' and ''Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.''.
What was Elam's last movie?
Elam’s last credit was “Bonanza: Under Fire ,” a 1995 TV movie. Advertisement. In addition to Jenny, his wife of 42 years, Elam is survived by three children, Jeri, Scott and Jacqueline; three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. At Elam’s request, no memorial service will be held. Advertisement.
Where did Elam live?
After studying at Modesto City College, Elam arrived in Los Angeles in his early 20s with his first wife, Jean, who died in 1961. He worked as a bookkeeper, theater supervisor and auditor for the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air.