Bob Elkins
Encyclopedia
Bob Elkins is an American character actor who has appeared in movies, plays and television productions. He is sometimes credited as Robert Elkins.
Bob Elkins was born in 1932
in Mount Hope, West Virginia
, the son of a struggling coal miner. At age four, he moved with his father, mother and two sisters to Muncie, Indiana
, where his father took a job at a lawnmower company. At about that time, the elder Elkins inexplicably became withdrawn and stopped talking to his son. Bob Elkins now believes that the lack of communication with his father influenced his acting abilities, although he would not realize it for many years.
"I learned to listen to silence," he says. "I developed a sensitivity to understanding what people are thinking or feeling without hearing them speak."
When Elkins was 12, he and his family moved to Covington, Kentucky
, across the Ohio River
from Cincinnati. Shortly thereafter, his father disappeared and was never heard from again. Devastated and confused, the younger Elkins rebelled by skipping school and dabbling in petty crime, including working as a collector for a bookie. He was later arrested after breaking into an office. Although no charges were filed, he received a stern lecture from the arresting police officer, and never committed another crime.
While growing up, Elkins had difficulty reading, and consequently was a poor student. After joining the U.S. Navy at the age of 18, he was diagnosed with dyslexia
. While in the Navy, his reading skills improved dramatically, as a result of the tutoring he received from a fellow sailor. After four years of service as a petty officer
, Elkins received an honorable discharge and returned home to the Cincinnati area.
After leaving the Navy, Elkins spotted a newspaper ad for an acting school in Cincinnati and enrolled because, as he says, "I had always liked movies." One year later, he began acting professionally in plays and television commercials. In 1980, he landed his first role in a major motion picture, playing Bobby Day the DJ in the Academy Award-winning Coal Miner's Daughter
, starring Sissy Spacek
and Tommy Lee Jones
.
Elkins has appeared in other movies and television productions through the years, including Tattered Angel with Lynda Carter
and Sandra Seacat
, and The Pennsylvania Miners' Story on ABC Television. In 2003, he received the award for Best Actor in the Dublin Film and Music Festival in Ireland
, for his portrayal of a homeless man in an independent film entitled Homefree.
Bob Elkins was born in 1932
1932 in film
-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
in Mount Hope, West Virginia
Mount Hope, West Virginia
Mount Hope is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,487 at the 2000 census.-History:The Mount Hope Historic District and New River Company General Office Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
, the son of a struggling coal miner. At age four, he moved with his father, mother and two sisters to Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
, where his father took a job at a lawnmower company. At about that time, the elder Elkins inexplicably became withdrawn and stopped talking to his son. Bob Elkins now believes that the lack of communication with his father influenced his acting abilities, although he would not realize it for many years.
"I learned to listen to silence," he says. "I developed a sensitivity to understanding what people are thinking or feeling without hearing them speak."
When Elkins was 12, he and his family moved to Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
, across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
from Cincinnati. Shortly thereafter, his father disappeared and was never heard from again. Devastated and confused, the younger Elkins rebelled by skipping school and dabbling in petty crime, including working as a collector for a bookie. He was later arrested after breaking into an office. Although no charges were filed, he received a stern lecture from the arresting police officer, and never committed another crime.
While growing up, Elkins had difficulty reading, and consequently was a poor student. After joining the U.S. Navy at the age of 18, he was diagnosed with dyslexia
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a very broad term defining a learning disability that impairs a person's fluency or comprehension accuracy in being able to read, and which can manifest itself as a difficulty with phonological awareness, phonological decoding, orthographic coding, auditory short-term memory, or rapid...
. While in the Navy, his reading skills improved dramatically, as a result of the tutoring he received from a fellow sailor. After four years of service as a petty officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
, Elkins received an honorable discharge and returned home to the Cincinnati area.
After leaving the Navy, Elkins spotted a newspaper ad for an acting school in Cincinnati and enrolled because, as he says, "I had always liked movies." One year later, he began acting professionally in plays and television commercials. In 1980, he landed his first role in a major motion picture, playing Bobby Day the DJ in the Academy Award-winning Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter is a 1980 American biographical film which tells the story of country music icon Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek in her Academy Award for Best Actress winning role, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted.-Background:The film was...
, starring Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She came to international prominence for her for role as Carrie White in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination...
and Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
.
Elkins has appeared in other movies and television productions through the years, including Tattered Angel with Lynda Carter
Lynda Carter
Lynda Jean Carter is an American actress and singer, best known for being Miss World USA and as the star of the 1970s television series The New Original Wonder Woman and The New Adventures of Wonder Woman ....
and Sandra Seacat
Sandra Seacat
Sandra Seacat is an American actor, director and acting teacher, whose students include Jessica Lange, Lance Henriksen, Laura Dern, Mickey Rourke, Meg Ryan and Steve Railsback...
, and The Pennsylvania Miners' Story on ABC Television. In 2003, he received the award for Best Actor in the Dublin Film and Music Festival in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, for his portrayal of a homeless man in an independent film entitled Homefree.
Filmography
- Tattered Angel (2007)
- The Greater Good (2006)
- Flavor Invisible (2006)
- Within (2005)
- Homefree (2003)
- The Pennsylvania Miners' Story (TV- 2002)
- James CameronJames CameronJames Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's Expedition: Bismarck (TV- 2002) - The Elevator Man (2002)
- April's Fool (2001)
- Brotherly Love (TV- 2000)
- Zombie Cult Massacre (1998)
- Just Another Stupid Kid (TV- 1984)
- Coal Miner's DaughterCoal Miner's DaughterCoal Miner's Daughter is a 1980 American biographical film which tells the story of country music icon Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek in her Academy Award for Best Actress winning role, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted.-Background:The film was...
(1980) - This Other Eden (TV- 1980)
- The Trouble with Mother (TV- 1979)
- Just Passing Through (TV)
- Andrew (TV)