Married to his second wife, Peggy, for 25 years before they divorced. About three years later, they remarried and remained together for another 19 years until she passed away.
After a very successful career of playing lightweight heavies and losers, he ended his career as a connected underworld boss who knew how to make things happen on Magnum, P.I. (1980) as "Ice Pick".
He received his nickname "Hollywood's Lightest Heavy" from playing
cowardly villains in his movies.
His film career, including his later television roles, lasted almost 60 years.
He would play characters that could be completely passive and scared or entirely cold-blooded: each to their own extreme.
Biography in "Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir" by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry.
Was a lifelong registered Republican.
Frequently appeared in later life as disheveled and confused old men: VFX expert Glenn Erickson recalls of watching Cook film his cameo in 1941 (1979), "He turned his 'drooling dotard' persona on and off for each take, as if throwing a light switch".
According to Bill Georgaris of They Shoot Pictures, Don't They, Cook appeared in 21 films noir, more than any other actor or actress.
Elisha Cook Jr. was an American character actor famed for his work in film noir.
Cook never became part of the Hollywood social scene, which he held in low regard. His slight build and calm demeanor belied his offscreen status as a rugged outdoorsman.
