"Keep on riding me and they're gonna be picking iron out of your liver." - as Wilmer Cook from The Maltese Falcon (1941) Having appeared in so many "cult" films, Elisha Cook Jr. has always been one of the most eagerly sought out interview subjects by film historians. Elisha Vanslyck Cook, Jr. (December 26th, 1903 – May 18th, 1995) was an American character actor, probably best remembered as the "gunsel" Wilmer, who tries to intimidate Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon. Cook may just be the most Trivia-Connected actor in the Neat Stuff Universe with an acting career that spanned more than 60 years. He was in just about everything with film roles in The Big Sleep, Shane and House on Haunted Hill to TV series like Star Trek, The Wild Wild West and Batman. Cook was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Elisha Vanslyck Cook, Sr., a pharmacist. He grew up in Chicago, starting out in vaudeville and stock by the age of fourteen. He was a traveling actor in the East Coast and the Midwest before arriving in New York City, where Eugene O'Neill cast him in his play Ah, Wilderness!, which ran on Broadway for two years. In 1936, Cook settled in Hollywood and, after playing a series of college-aged parts, began a long period playing weaklings or sadistic losers and hoods. Cook's characters usually ended up being killed off (strangled, poisoned or shot). Hollywood's most notable fall guy for many years, he made a rare appearance in slapstick comedy in the cameo role of The Screenwriter in Hellzapoppin' (1941). In Universal's Phantom Lady (1944), he portrays a slimy, intoxicated nightclub-orchestra drummer to memorable effect. He had a substantial uncredited role as Bobo in I, the Jury (1953). Cook may be best-remembered for playing Wilmer, the "gunsel", in The Maltese Falcon (above left with Sidney Greenstreet, Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, 1941), Other notable roles included the doomed informant Harry Jones in The Big Sleep (1946), a henchman (Marty Waterman) of the murderous title character in Born to Kill (1947), the elevator operator Eddie in Don't Bother to Knock (below center with Marilyn Monroe and Richard Widmark, 1952), the pugnacious ex-Confederate soldier 'Stonewall' Torrey in Shane (1953), and George Peatty, the shady, cuckolded husband in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956). He also appeared in William Castle's horror film House on Haunted Hill (1959) and Rosemary's Baby (1968). Cook made numerous appearances on American television. He played a private detective in an episode of Adventures of Superman television series entitled Semi-Private Eye (1953). That same season, he guest starred on NBC's The Dennis Day Show. In 1960 he was cast in the episode, "The Hermit", of the ABC sitcom The Real McCoys, with Walter Brennan. He appeared as Jeremy Hake in the episode "The Bequest" of the ABC western series, The Rebel (1960), starring Nick Adams. He appeared in the second episode of ABC's crime drama, The Fugitive. Cook made two guest appearances on the CBS courtroom drama series Perry Mason. In 1958 he played Art Crowley in "The Case of the Pint-Sized Client," and in 1964 he played Reelin' Peter Rockwell in "The Case of the Reckless Rockhound". Cook played lawyer Samuel T. Cogley in the Star Trek episode "Court Martial" (1967), Isaac Isaacson on the Batman television series, Weasel Craig in Salem's Lot, and later had a long-term recurring role as Honolulu crime lord "Ice Pick" on CBS's Magnum, P.I.. He also appeared in The Bionic Woman episode, "Once a Thief" (1977). Cook was married twice, to Mary Lou Cook in 1929 (divorced in 1942) and Peggy McKenna Cook in 1943, a union which lasted until his death. Cook died of a stroke on May 18th, 1995 in Big Pine, California at aged 91. He had no children. Cook lived in Bishop, California, typically summering on Lake Sabrina in the Sierra Nevada. According to John Huston, who directed him in The Maltese Falcon, "[Cook] lived alone up in the High Sierra, tied flies and caught golden trout between films. When he was wanted in Hollywood, they sent word up to his mountain cabin by courier. He would come down, do a picture, and then withdraw again to his retreat." Selected Elisha Cook Jr. TVography The A-Team - The Road to Hope (1985) The Adventures of Ellery Queen - Mission for Murder (1955) Adventures of Superman - Semi-Private Eye (1954) Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok - The Boy and the Hound Dog (1955) ALF - We're So Sorry, Uncle Albert (1988) Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Salvage (1955) Baretta - Think Mink (1977) - Street Edition (1976) - A Bite of the Apple (1975) Bat Masterson - No Funeral for Thorn (1959) - Double Showdown (1958) Batman - The Duo Defy (1967) - Ice Spy (1967) Big Town - Dangerous Man (1953) The Bionic Woman - Once a Thief (1977) The Blue Knight - Bull's Eye (1976) Bonanza - The Weary Willies (1970) - A Dollar's Worth of Trouble (1966) Bring 'Em Back Alive - Wilmer Bass and the Serengeti Kid (1982) Burke's Law - Nightmare in the Sun (1965) Cimarron Strip - The Battle of Bloody Stones (1967) Chicago Story - Subterranean Blues (1982) The Chicago Teddy Bears - The Big Kisser (1971) Climax! - The Secret Thread (1956) Crusader - Nine Priceless Objects (1956) The Dakotas - A Nice Girl from Goliath (1963) The Deputy - Brand of Honesty (1961) Destry - Law and Order Day (1964) The Dick Powell Show - The Judge (1963) - Borderline (1962) Dick Tracy - Episode #1.2 (1950) The Fall Guy - Tag Team (1986) The Ford Television Theatre - Margin for Fear (1953) The Fugitive - The Witch (1963) General Electric Theater - A Voice on the Phone (1961) - Open House (1961) - Silent Ambush (1958) The George Sanders Mystery Theater - Round Trip (1957) The Ghost & Mrs. Muir - Not So Desperate Hours (1969) Gunsmoke - Breckinridge (1965) - Hung High (1964) - Odd Man Out (1959) - Matt for Murder (1958) I Spy - Rome... Take Away Three (1966) Insight - The White Star Garage (1982) Ironside - The Far Side of the Fence (1974) The Islanders - The Twenty-Six Paper (1961) The Jackie Gleason Show - Santa and the Bookies (1953) Johnny Staccato - Solomon (1960) - Evil (1959) Johnny Ringo - Dead Wait (1959) Laramie - The Tumbleweed Wagon (1961) The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp - The Equalizer (1957) The Lone Wolf - Deep Sea Diving (1955) Lucan - Brother Wolf (1978) Magnum, P.I. - Resolutions: Part 1 and 2 (1988) - Forever in Time (1987) - The People vs. Orville Wright (1987) - Death of the Flowers (1986) - Kapu (1986) - A.A.P.I. (1986) - A Little Bit of Luck... a Little Bit of Grief (1986) - Way of the Stalking Horse (1986) - The Love-for-Sale Boat (1985) - The Legacy of Garwood Huddle (1984) - Distant Relative (1983) - Ghost Writer (1981) The Man from U.N.C.L.E. - The Concrete Overcoat Affair: Part 1 and 2 (1966) Mannix - The Green Man (1974) McCloud - Encounter with Aries (1971) McCoy - In Again Out Again (1976) The Millionaire - The Judge William Westholme Story (1957) The Monroes - To Break a Colt (1967) The Motorola Television Hour - Brandenburg Gate (1953) Movin' On - The Time of His Life (1974) Night Court - Married Alive (1985) The Odd Couple - Our Fathers (1974) Outlaws - The Dark Sunrise of Griff Kincaid (1962) Panic! - Emergency (1958) Perry Mason - The Case of the Reckless Rockhound (1964) - The Case of the Pint-Sized Client (1958) Peter Gunn - The Long, Long Ride (1960) The Philip Morris Playhouse - The Murderer Who Wasn't (1954) Police Story - Little Boy Lost (1975) Quincy M.E. - The Deadly Connection (1977) - ...The Thigh Bone's Connected to the Knee Bone... (1977) The RCA Victor Show - Party Pooper (1954) Rawhide - Piney (1964) - Incident in the Middle of Nowhere (1961) - Incident of a Burst of Evil (1959) The Real McCoys - The Hermit (1960) The Rebel - The Bequest (1960) The Road West - Shaman (1966) S.W.A.T. - Courthouse (1975) - A Coven of Killers (1975) Schlitz Playhouse of Stars - Curfew at Midnight (1958) - Flowers for Jenny (1956) The Sheriff of Cochise - The Safe Man (1957) Simon & Simon - Treasure (1986) - Shadow of Sam Penny (1983) Star Trek - Court Martial (1967) Startime - The Young Juggler (1960) Starsky and Hutch - Lady Blue (1975) Summer Fun - McNab's Lab (1966) Sunset Strip - The Inverness Cape Caper (1961) Surfside 6 - Witness for the Defense (1961) Switch - The Four Horsemen (1977) Temple Houston - Gallows in Galilee (1963) The Third Man - The Trouble at Drill Hill (1959) Thriller - The Fatal Impulse (1960) Tightrope - The Long Odds (1960) Tombstone Territory - Eyewitness (1960) Trackdown - The Trail (1958) Treasury Men in Action - The Case of the Elder Brother (1955) TV Reader's Digest - The Trigger Finger Clue (1956) The Twilight Zone - Welcome to Winfield/Quarantine (1986) The Untouchables - Bird in the Hand (1962) Wagon Train - The Ben Engel Story (1964) - The Nancy Palmer Story (1961) - The Tracy Sadler Story (1960) Whirlybirds - Human Bomb (1957) Whiz Kids - The Lollypop Gang Strikes Back (1984) The Wild Wild West - The Night of the Bars of Hell (1966) - The Night of the Double-Edged Knife (1965) Selected Elisha Cook Jr. Filmography 1930 Her Unborn Child Chills and Fever (Short uncredited) 1931 Honor Among Lovers (uncredited) 1936 Pigskin Parade Two in a Crowd 1937 Thoroughbreds Don't Cry (uncredited) Breezing Home (uncredited) Life Begins in College Danger - Love at Work Wife, Doctor and Nurse They Won't Forget The Devil Is Driving Love Is News 1938 Newsboys' Home Submarine Patrol My Lucky Star Three Blind Mice (uncredited) 1939 Grand Jury Secrets 1940 Tin Pan Alley Public Deb No. 1 Stranger on the Third Floor He Married His Wife 1941 The Maltese Falcon Sergeant York (uncredited) Hellzapoppin' Ball of Fire I Wake Up Screaming Man at Large Love Crazy 1942 Manila Calling Wildcat A-Haunting We Will Go In This Our Life Sleepytime Gal A Gentleman at Heart 1943 Kill or Be Killed 1944 Dark Waters Dark Mountain Up in Arms Phantom Lady 1945 Dillinger Why Girls Leave Home 1946 The Big Sleep Two Smart People Joe Palooka, Champ The Falcon's Alibi Cinderella Jones Blonde Alibi 1947 The Gangster The Long Night Born to Kill Fall Guy 1949 The Great Gatsby Flaxy Martin 1951 Behave Yourself! 1952 Don't Bother to Knock 1953 Thunder Over the Plains I, the Jury (uncredited) Shane 1954 Drum Beat Outlaw's Daughter 1955 The Indian Fighter Indian Agent (TV Movie) Trial Timberjack 1956 Accused of Murder The Killing 1957 Baby Face Nelson Plunder Road Chicago Confidential The Lonely Man Voodoo Island 1959 Day of the Outlaw House on Haunted Hill 1960 College Confidential Platinum High School 1961 One-Eyed Jacks 1963 The Haunted Palace The Judge (TV Movie) Papa's Delicate Condition Johnny Cool Black Zoo 1964 The Glass Cage Blood on the Arrow 1966 McNab's Lab (TV Movie) The Spy in the Green Hat 1967 Welcome to Hard Times 1968 Rosemary's Baby 1969 The Great Bank Robbery Cry for Poor Wally 1970 Night Chase (TV Movie) Night Slaves (TV Movie) El Condor The Movie Murderer (TV Movie) 1972 The Night Stalker (TV Movie) Blacula The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid The Scarecrow (TV Movie) 1973 The Outfit Electra Glide in Blue Emperor of the North Pole Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid Messiah of Evil 1974 The Phantom of Hollywood (TV Movie) 1975 The Black Bird Winterhawk 1976 St. Ives 1977 Dead of Night (TV Movie) 1979 1941 Salem's Lot (TV Movie) The Champ Mad Bull (TV Movie) 1980 Tom Horn 1981 The Trouble with Grandpa (TV Movie) Leave 'em Laughing (TV Movie) Harry's War 1982 Terror at Alcatraz (TV Movie) Hammett National Lampoon's Movie Madness 1983 Shadow of Sam Penny (TV Movie) This Girl for Hire (TV Movie) 1984 Pigs vs. Freaks (TV Movie) It Came Upon the Midnight Clear (TV Movie) Treasure: In Search of the Golden Horse 1987 The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (TV Movie) slideshow