Elisha Cook Jr.

Elisha Vanslyck Cook Jr. was an American character actor famed for his work in film noir. According to Bill Georgaris of They Shoot Pictures, Don't They, Cook appeared in a total of 21 film noirs, more than any other actor or actress. He played cheerful, brainy collegiates until he was cast against type as the bug-eyed baby-faced psychopathic killer Wilmer Cook in the 1941 version of The Maltese Falcon. He went on to play deceptively mild-mannered villains. Cook's acting career spanned more than 60 years, with roles in productions including The Big Sleep, Shane, The Killing, House on Haunted Hill, and Rosemary's Baby.

26 December 1903

Born on the same birth day (26 December): Brandon Scherff • Ceylan Ertem • Damir Markota • Daniel Schmid • Fabián Carini • Fred Schepisi • Georgios Rallis • Hugo Lloris • Joe Alexander • José Ramos-Horta • Kaoru Sugayama • Mario Mendoza • María Vasco • Mathieu Cordang • Norm Ullman • Percy Hodge • Robert Bolling

Born in the same month (December 1903): C. F. Powell • Danilo Blanuša • Ernst Krenkel • George Davis Snell • Hardie Albright • Harold Whitlock • Johannes Heesters • Joseph Cornell • Nikolai Voznesensky • Tamanishiki San'emon • Walter Rangeley • William Heynes • Zelma Watson George