LOS ANGELES - Jack Elam, a character actor and favorite Western villain who menaced good-guy cowboys with his crazy grin, wild eyes and remorseless gunslinging in films such as "Rawhide" and "Wichita," has died, a family friend said Tuesday. Elam, who had been in declining health in recent years, died Monday afternoon at his home in Ashland, Ore., of unspecified illness, according to longtime friend Al Hassan. Most biographies list the actor as 86 years old, but Hassan said he was actually 84, having lied about his age as a youngster to get work. "He was cantankerous in a great...
