Trivia

He had such a memorable and distinctive way of talking that in Beverly Hills Cop, Eddie Murphy's character Axel Foley provided a dead-on imitation after he (and the audience) hears Elliott (as the Chief of Police) speak for a matter of seconds.

Played Jane Wyman's ex-husband on the prime time soap Falcon Crest (1981) for one season.

Gruff, exacting, manly American character actor best remembered on film for playing Dudley Moore's wealthy, animal trophy-displaying father-in-law-to-be in the hit comedy Arthur (1981).

Was nominated for Broadway's 1967 Tony Award as Best Supporting or Feature Actor (Dramatic) for a revival of "Marat/Sade."

Studied with prominent acting coach Sanford Meisner from 1940-1942.

Second wife, Nancy Chase, was a stage actress. They had two children: Jency and Jon. Third wife was also an actress, Alice Hirson, whom he met on Broadway in 1964, but did not marry until 1980. He became the stepfather of her two children: David Hirson and Christopher Hirson. He was survived by three grandchildren at the time of his death in 2005.

Played the part of William Randolph Hearst twice, in 1979's "The Ordeal of Patty Hearst", and in 1981's "Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years". Played Joseph Kennedy Sr. twice, in 1977's "Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy", and in 1981's "Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy".

He died only one day after J.D. Cannon, with whom he had appeared in the Law & Order (1990) episode The Secret Sharers (1991).

Played Prestor in NPR's Star Wars radio drama.

First TV role came in "Hands of Murder," as series of live plays on the DuMont Television Network in 1949.