James Whitmore

James Allen Whitmore, Jr. (born October 1, 1921) is an American two-time Academy Award-nominated, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning film actor.

Biography

Early life

Whitmore was born in White Plains, New York, the son of Florence Belle (née Crane) and James Allen Whitmore, Sr., who was a park commission official.^[1] He graduated from Amherst High School in Amherst, New York, and subsequently Yale University, where he was a member of Skull and Bones, and served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.

Career

Following World War II, Whitmore appeared on Broadway in the role of the Sergeant in Command Decision. MGM hired Whitmore on contract, however his role in the film was played by Van Johnson. Whitmore's first major movie was Battleground that was turned down by Spencer Tracy, for which Whitmore was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other major films included The Asphalt Jungle, The Next Voice You Hear,^[2][3] Above and Beyond, Kiss Me, Kate, Them!, Oklahoma!, Black Like Me, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Give 'em Hell, Harry!, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of former President of the United States Harry S. Truman.

In the 1960-1961 television season, Whitmore starred in his own crime drama on ABC entitled The Law and Mr. Jones,having played the role of Abraham Lincoln Jones. The program ran at the 10:30 Eastern half-hour slot on Friday. It was cancelled after one year but returned in April 1962 for thirteen additional episodes on Thursday to fill the half-hour vacated by the cancellation of the ABC sitcom Margie starring Cynthia Pepper, set during the 1920s.

In 1963, Whitmore played Captain William Benteen in The Twilight Zone episode "On Thursday We Leave for Home." In 1967 he guest starred as a security guard in The Invaders episode, Quantity: Unknown. In 1969 Whitmore played the leading character of Professor Woodruff in the TV series My Friend Tony, produced by NBC. Whitmore also made several memorable appearances on the classic ABC western "The Big Valley" starring Barbara Stanwyck during the second half of the 1960s. Generally portraying a villain (corrupt sheriff or politician), his role was often that of a layered, complicated, and tormented character noted for intensity. Whitmore's natural ability to utilize the period slang terms and late 19th century language of the Old West gave a credibility to the performance seldom matched by other actors. His characters dominated the scenes and episodes in which he appeared.

Whitmore also appeared as General Oliver O. Howard in the 1975 TV movie I Will Fight No More Forever, based on the 1877 conflict between the United States Army and the Nez Percé tribe, led by Chief Joseph. In 1986 Whitmore voiced Mark Twain in the first claymation film "The Adventures of Mark Twain". Whitmore's last major role was that of librarian Brooks Hatlen in the critically-acclaimed and Academy award-nominated 1994 Tim Robbins film The Shawshank Redemption; who commits suicide near the end of the film. To a younger generation, he is probably best known, in addition to his role in Shawshank, as the commercial spokesman for Miracle-Gro plant food for many years.

In addition to his film career, Whitmore has done extensive theatre work. He won a Tony Award for "Best Performance by a Newcomer" in the Broadway production of Command Decision (1948). He later won the title "King of the One Man Show" after appearing in the solo vehicles Will Rogers' USA (1970), Give 'em Hell, Harry! (1975) (repeating the role in the film version, for which he was nominated for an Oscar) and as Theodore Roosevelt in Bully (1977) although the latter production did not repeat the success of the first two. In 1999, he played Raymond Oz in two episodes of The Practice, earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. In 2002, Whitmore got the role of the Grandfather in the Disney Channel original movie A Ring of Endless Light. Whitmore has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6611 Hollywood Blvd. In April 2007 he also appeared in C.S.I. in an episode titled "Ending Happy" as Milton, an elderly man who provides a clue of dubious utility.

Personal life

Whitmore is the father of actor James Whitmore Jr. and the grandfather of actor James Whitmore III. He was married to actress Audra Lindley. Whitmore spends most of his summers in Peterborough, New Hampshire, performing with the Peterborough Players and of course his wife since 2001, Noreen Nash. She is the grandmother of film actor Sebastian Siegel.

Although not always politically active, in 2007, Whitmore generated some publicity with his endorsement of Barack Obama for President of the United States. In January 2008, Whitmore appeared in television commercials for the First Freedom First campaign, which advocates preserving the separation of church and state, and protecting religious liberty.^[4]

References

External links

• James Whitmore at the Internet Movie Database
• James Whitmore at the Internet Broadway Database
• Actors Master Class: James Whitmore in How To Steal A Scene

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