William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920Other sources cite 1916 or 1918 as Elam's year of birth. The year 1920 stems from Elam's census records, as per findagrave.com. Retrieved 2009-12-26. – October 20, 2003) was an American film actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films.

Early life

Elam was born in Miami, Arizona, to Millard Elam and Alice Amelia Kerby. Alice died in 1924, when young Jack was not quite four years old. Afterwards, he was raised by relatives in unhappy circumstances. By 1930, he was once again living with his father, older sister, Mildred, and their stepmother, Flossie.