- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- Eliot Press
- Eliot Ness was an American Prohibition agent; primarily remembered for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago. He dedicated much of his efforts against the local crime boss Al Capone and Capone's criminal organization, the Chicago Outfit. Ness led a team of law enforcement agents known as "The Untouchables", who were reputedly incorruptible. Ness' posthumously released memoir, "The Untouchables" (1957), has been adapted into two television series, one film, and one video game.
- IMDb mini biography by: Dimos I
- SpousesBetty Anderson Seaver(January 1946 - May 16, 1957) (his death, 1 child)Evaline McAndrew(October 1939 - October 1944) (divorced)Edna Stahle(August 9, 1929 - 1939) (divorced)
- Knew jujitsu, and practiced this skill three times a week.
- Not long after his stint as the leader of The Untouchables, Ness was appointed Public Safety Director in Cleveland, Ohio. There he helped to clean up the city's notoriously corrupt police department, improved traffic safety and led the hunt for the first confirmed serial killer in American history.
- According to the documentary "The Untouchables: The Real Story" for the Smithsonian Channel, when Eliot Ness collaborated on the novel "The Untouchables" with writer Oscar Fraley, the body of the book, which was used as the basis for the 1950s and 1990s TV series and the 1987 film, was mostly a fictionalized account created by Fraley. For years, Eliot Ness was actually reluctant to sell his life story to the media because he didn't want to appear as though he was a glory hound. However, he gave in after meeting Fraley. Ness wrote a 21 page outline which he gave to Fraley to use as the basis for the book. Fraley then expanded in into a 200-plus page novel which he filled in Ness's details by pulling info from other lawmen involved in the case to get Al Capone. Ness never actually read the final draft that was submitted to the publisher and did not get to see the false stories Fraley inserted into the book. According to the historians who examined Ness's original draft, he never claimed to be "the man who got Capone". Ness did credit others, including IRS Investigator Frank J. Wilson, with ultimately putting Capone behind bars.
- After the end of Prohibition, he attempted to transfer into the FBI. His application for transfer was denied by none other than J. Edgar Hoover himself who felt that Ness was "too famous", according to historians.
- Ironically, the Prohibition Agent who enforced the laws against alcohol, died an alcoholic.
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