Don't Judge an Actor by the Characters He Portrays

Elliott Street - IMDb Biography

When I think of a good example of why I should not decide what kind of person an actor is, I think of Elliott Street. Although he was a versatile actor, I knew him from the original Hawaii Five-0, where he appeared as Gary Phillips in "The Grandstand Play" (Season 3) and as Arthur in "Draw Me a Killer" (Season 6). In both episodes, he played very disturbed people.

After spending more than 20 years appearing in movies and on television, Elliott Street returned home to Meridian, Mississippi. There, he remained active in the performing arts, teaching theater at both Meridian Community College and Meridian High School, establishing the Merry Street Players, and serving as a member of the Mississippi Arts Commission touring artist roster. He became an activist for the preservation of historical structures in Meridian and was the executive director of the Grand Opera House Revitalization Project.

He was as far from Gary Phillips and Arthur as a man could be.

Elliott Street was born William "Bill" Elliott on December 30, 1943, to Mary Street Elliott and David Augustus Elliott in Meridian, Mississippi. He and his former wife, Selma, had a son, Quentin Elliott. Elliott Street passed away on June 13th of this year in Meridian. I suppose I feel a certain closeness to him, even though I never met him, because my dad was born in and grew up in Meridian.