|
Think of villains in westerns and Jack Elam will probably come to mind.
You may not know the name, but the menacing grin and the off-kilter eye should surely jog the memory.
Certainly his appearance at the beginning of 1968 epic Once upon a Time in the West is unforgettable. Elam plays one of the gunmen waiting to kill Charles Bronson's hero and his grizzled, angular
face was perfect for director Sergio Leone's regular and much used close-ups.
The Arizona-born actor's first role was as a killer in Trailin' West in 1944 and he continued to play heavies to fine effect in such westerns as Rancho Notorious, Man without a Star and Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Following his role in the Leone classic, Elam then carved out a successful career as a comic performer in enjoyable romps such as Support Your Local Sheriff and Support Your Local Gunfighter, in which he obviously had great fun sending up his villainous image.
Jeremy Aspinall
|
|
