Elisha Cook Jr.

A deceptively mild-mannered actor transforms into cinema's most unforgettable villains, redefining the face of film noir with every chilling performance.

Born

1903

Died

1995

Credits on file

Decades active

In short · Acted for six decades — 86 credits.

Remembered for

Ranked by community engagement + sustained interest across this person's credits in our database.

Help complete this page

We’re missing birthplace, birth date. Sign in to add what you know.

Biography

Elisha Vanslyck Cook Jr. was an American character actor best known for his roles in film noir. He was initially cast as cheerful, intellectual collegiates but became famous for playing villains who appeared deceptively mild-mannered. His most iconic role was that of the baby-faced killer Wilmer Cook in the 1941 film *The Maltese Falcon*, a performance that marked a departure from his usual typecasting. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Cook appeared in a variety of films, including *The Big Sleep*, *Shane*, *The Killing*, *House on Haunted Hill*, and *Rosemary's Baby*.

Filmography · 86 of 86

Sort