James Coburn Biography

James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 - November 18, 2002) was an American actor. He featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career, ultimately winning an Academy Award in 1998 for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction.

A capable, rough-hewn leading man, his toothy grin and lanky physique made him a perfect tough guy in numerous leading and supporting roles in westerns and action films, such as The Magnificent Seven, Hell Is for Heroes, The Great Escape, Charade, Our Man Flint, In Like Flint, Duck, You Sucker!, and Cross of Iron. Coburn provided the voice of Henry Waternoose in the Pixar film Monsters, Inc.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s Coburn cultivated an image synonymous with "cool", and along with such contemporaries as Lee Marvin, Steve McQueen, and Charles Bronson became one of the prominent "tough-guy" actors of his day.

Early life

Coburn was born on August 31, 1928 in Laurel, Nebraska, the son of James Harrison Coburn II and Mylet Coburn. His father was of Scottish-Irish ancestry and his mother was an immigrant from Sweden. The elder Coburn had a garage business that was destroyed by the Great Depression. Coburn himself was raised in Compton, California, where he attended Compton Junior College. In 1950, he enlisted in the United States Army, in which he served as a truck driver and occasionally a disc jockey on an Army radio station in Texas. Coburn also narrated Army training films in Mainz, Germany. Coburn attended Los Angeles City College, where he studied acting alongside Jeff Corey and Stella Adler, and later made his stage debut at the La Jolla Playhouse in Herman Melville's Billy Budd. Coburn was selected for a Remington Products razor commercial in which he was able to shave off 11 days of beard growth in less than 60 seconds, while joking that he had more teeth to show on camera than the other 12 candidates for the part.

Career

Early work

Coburn's film debut came in 1959 as the sidekick of Pernell Roberts in the Randolph Scott western Ride Lonesome. Coburn also appeared in dozens of television roles including, with Roberts, several episodes of NBC's Bonanza. Coburn appeared twice each on two other NBC westerns Tales of Wells Fargo with Dale Robertson, one episode in the role of Butch Cassidy, and The Restless Gun with John Payne in "The Pawn" and "The Way Back", the latter segment alongside Bonanza's Dan Blocker. During the 1960 to 1961 season, Coburn co-starred with Ralph Taeger and Joi Lansing in the NBC adventure/drama series, Klondike, set in the Alaskan gold rush town of Skagway. When Klondike was cancelled, Taeger and Coburn were regrouped as detectives in Mexico in NBC's equally short-lived Acapulco. Coburn also made two guest appearances on CBS's Perry Mason, both times as the murder victim in "The Case of the Envious Editor" and "The Case of the Angry Astronaut." In 1962, he portrayed the role of Col. Briscoe in the episode "Hostage Child" on CBS's Rawhide.

Stardom

Coburn became well known in the 1960s and the 1970s for his tough-guy roles in numerous action and western films. He first appeared with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson in the John Sturges film, The Magnificent Seven, and with Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson in The Great Escape, another Sturges film. Coburn played the part of a villainous Texan in the successful Charade (1963). He was then cast as a glib naval officer in Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily. Coburn was signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. His performance as a one-armed Indian tracker in Major Dundee (1965) gained him much notice.

Our Man Flint

In 1966, Coburn became a genuine star following the release of the James Bond parody film Our Man Flint. The following year, he was voted the twelfth biggest star in Hollywood.

In 1971, Coburn starred in the Zapata Western Duck, You Sucker!, with Rod Steiger and directed by Sergio Leone, as an Irish explosives expert and revolutionary who has fled to Mexico during the time of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. Coburn teamed with director Sam Peckinpah for the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, in which he played Pat Garrett. The two had worked together in 1965 on Major Dundee.

In 1973 Coburn was voted the 23rd most popular star in Hollywood. Coburn, Steve McQueen and Chuck Norris were pallbearers of Bruce Lee's casket and Coburn was considered to be one of Lee's friends.

Peckinpah and Coburn turned next to Cross of Iron, a critically acclaimed war epic that performed poorly in the United States but was a huge hit in Europe. Peckinpah and Coburn remained close friends until Peckinpah's death in 1984. In 1973, Coburn was among the featured celebrities dressed in prison gear on the cover of the album Band on the Run made by Paul McCartney and his band Wings. Coburn returned to television in 1978 to star in a three-part mini-series version of a Dashiell Hammett detective novel, The Dain Curse, tailoring his character to bear a physical resemblance to the author. During that same year as a spokesman for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, he was paid $500,000 to promote its new product in television advertisements by saying only two words: "Schlitz. Light." In Japan his masculine appearance was so appealing he became an icon for its leading cigarette brand. He also supported himself in later years by exporting rare automobiles to Japan. He was deeply interested in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and collected sacred Buddhist artwork. He narrated a film about the 16th Karmapa called "The Lion's Roar".

Final years

Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, yet continued working until his death in 2002. This disease had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. "You start to turn to stone," he told ABCNEWS in an April 1999 interview. "See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." For 20 years he tried a host of conventional and unconventional treatments, but nothing worked. "There was so much pain that "? every time I stood up, I would break into a sweat," he recalled. Then, at age 68, Coburn tried something called MSM, methylsulfonylmethane, a sulfur compound available at most health food stores. The result, he said, was nothing short of miraculous. "You take this stuff and it starts right away," said Coburn. "Everyone I've given it to has had a positive response." MSM did not cure Coburn's arthritis, but it did relieve his pain, allowing him to move more freely and resume his career.

He spent much of his life writing songs with British singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul and working on television series, such as Darkroom. Coburn returned to film in the 1990s and appeared in supporting roles in Young Guns II, Hudson Hawk, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Maverick, Eraser, The Nutty Professor, Affliction, and Payback. Coburn's performance in Affliction eventually earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In addition, he provided the voice of Henry J. Waternoose III in Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc.

Cars

Coburn's interest in fast cars began with his father's garage business and continued throughout his life, as he exported rare cars to Japan. Coburn was credited with having introduced Steve McQueen to Ferraris, and in the early 1960s owned a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and a Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB. His Spyder was the thirteenth of just fifty-six built. Coburn imported the pre-owned car in 1964, shortly after completing The Great Escape. The car was restored and sold for $10,894,400 to English broadcaster Chris Evans, setting a new world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction.

Cal Spyder #2377 was repainted several times during Coburn's ownership; it has been black, silver and possibly burgundy. He kept the car at his Beverly Hills-area home, where it was often serviced by Max Balchowsky, who also worked on the suspension and frame modifications on those Mustang GTs used in the filming of McQueen"?s Bullitt. Coburn sold the Spyder in 1987 after twenty-four years of ownership. Over time he also owned the above-noted Lusso, a Ferrari Daytona, at least one Ferrari 308 and a 1967 Ferrari 412P sports racer.

Death and legacy

Coburn died of a heart attack on November 18, 2002 while listening to music at his Beverly Hills home. He was survived by his second wife, Paula (ne Murad), two children and two grandchildren.

His wife Paula died two years later on July 30, 2004 at the age of 48, due to cancer.

Critical analysis

In The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, critic David Thomson states that "Coburn is a modern rarity: an actor who projects lazy, humorous sexuality. He has made a variety of flawed, pleasurable films, the merits of which invariably depend on his laconic presence. Increasingly, he was the best thing in his movies, smiling privately, seeming to suggest that he was in contact with some profound source of amusement". Film critic Pauline Kael remarked on Coburn's unusual characteristics, stating that "he looked like the child of the liaison between Lt. Pinkerton and Madame Butterfly". George Hickenlooper, who directed Coburn in The Man from Elysian Fields called him "the masculine male". Andy Garca called him "the personification of class, the hippest of the hip", and Paul Schrader noted "he was of that 50's generation. He had that part hipster, part cool-cat aura about him. He was one of those kind of men who were formed by the Rat Pack kind of style."

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1959	Ride Lonesome	Whit
	Face of a Fugitive	Purdy
1960	The Magnificent Seven	Britt
1962	Hell Is for Heroes	Cpl. Frank Henshaw
1963	The Great Escape	Fg. Off. Louis Sedgwick, "The Manufacturer"
	Charade	Tex Panthollow
	Kings of the Sun	Narrator	Uncredited
	The Man from Galveston	Boyd Palmer
1964	The Americanization of Emily	Lt. Cmdr. Paul "Bus" Cummings
1965	Major Dundee	Samuel Potts
	A High Wind in Jamaica	Zac
	The Loved One	Immigration Officer
1966	Our Man Flint	Derek Flint
	What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?	Lieutenant Christian
	Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round	Eli Kotch
1967	In Like Flint	Derek Flint
	Waterhole No. 3	Lewton Cole
	The President's Analyst	Dr. Sidney Schaefer	Also producer
1968	Duffy	Duffy
	Candy	Dr. A.B. Krankheit
1969	Hard Contract	John Cunningham
1970	Last of the Mobile Hot Shots	Jeb Thornton
1971	Duck, You Sucker!	John H. Mallory	Renamed A Fistful of Dynamite for U.S. release
1972	The Carey Treatment	Dr. Peter Carey
	The Honkers	Lew Lathrop	Steve Ihnat
	A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die	Colonel Pembroke
1973	Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid	Pat Garrett
	The Last of Sheila	Clinton Green
	Harry in Your Pocket	Harry
1974	The Internecine Project	Robert Elliot
1975	Bite the Bullet	Luke Matthews
	Hard Times	Speed
	Jackpot
1976	Sky Riders	Jim McCabe
	The Last Hard Men	Zach Provo
	Midway	Capt. Vinton Maddox
1977	Cross of Iron	Sergeant Rolf Steiner
1978	California Suite	Pilot in Diana Barrie's Film on Airplane	Uncredited
1979	Firepower	Fanon
	The Muppet Movie	El Sleezo Cafe Owner	Cameo
	Goldengirl	Jack Dryden
1980	The Baltimore Bullet	Nick Casey
	Loving Couples	Dr. Walter Kirby
	Mr. Patman	Patman
1981	High Risk	Serrano
	Looker	John Reston
1985	Martin's Day	Lt. Lardner
1986	Death of a Soldier	Maj. Patrick Dannenberg
1989	Train to Heaven	Gregorius
	Call from Space		Short
1990	Young Guns II	John Simpson Chisum
1991	Hudson Hawk	George Kaplan
1993	The Hit List	Peter Mayhew
	Deadfall	Mike/Lou Donan
	Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit	Mr. Crisp
1994	Maverick	Commodore Duvall
1995	The Set-Up	Jeremiah Cole
1996	The Disappearance of Kevin Johnson	Himself
	Eraser	WitSec Chief Arthur Beller
	The Nutty Professor	Harlan Hartley
1997	Keys to Tulsa	Harmon Shaw
	Affliction	Glen Whitehouse	Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Won - Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
1999	Payback	Justin Fairfax	Uncredited
2000	Intrepid	Captain Hal Josephson
	The Good Doctor	Dr. Samuel Roberts	Short
2001	Texas Rangers	Narrator	Uncredited
	Proximity	Jim Corcoran
	The Yellow Bird	Rev. Increase Tutwiler	Short
	The Man from Elysian Fields	Alcott
	Monsters, Inc.	Mr. Henry J. Waternoose III	Voice only
2002	Snow Dogs	James "Thunder Jack" Johnson
	American Gun	Martin Tillman

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1957	Studio One in Hollywood	Sam	Episode: "The Night America Trembled"
1958	Suspicion	Carson	Episode: "The Voice in the Night"
	General Electric Theater	Claude Firman	Episode: "Ah There, Beau Brummel"
	Wagon Train	Ike Daggett	Episode: "The Millie Davis Story"
1958; 1959	The Restless Gun	Vestry / Tom Quinn	2 episodes
	Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color	Jack - Outlaw Leader / Mexican Police Captain	Uncredited 3 episodes
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Union Sergeant / Andrews	2 episodes
1958; 1961	The Rifleman	Ambrose / Cy Parker	2 episodes
1958; 1962	Tales of Wells Fargo	Ben Crider / Idaho	2 episodes
1959	Trackdown	Joker Wells	Episode: "Hard Lines"
	State Trooper	Dobie	Episode: "Hard Money, Soft Touch"
	Black Saddle	Niles	Episode: "Client: Steele"
	M Squad	Harry Blacker	Episode: "The Fire Makers"
	The Rough Riders	Judson	Episode: "Deadfall"
	The Californians	Deputy Anthony Wayne	2 episodes
	Johnny Ringo	Moss Taylor	Episode: "The Arrival"
	Whirlybirds	Steve Alexander	Episode: "Mr. Jinx"
	Tombstone Territory	Chuck Ashley	Episode: "The Gunfighter"
	The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp	Buckskin Frank Leslie	Episode: "The Noble Outlaws"
	The DuPont Show with June Allyson	Episode: "The Girl"
	The Millionaire	Lew Bennett	Episode: "Millionaire Timothy Mackail"
1959-1960	Bronco	Jesse James / Adam Coverly	2 episodes
	Wichita Town	Wally / Fletcher	2 episodes
	Bat Masterson	Leo Talley / Poke Otis	2 episodes
	Have Gun - Will Travel	Bill Sledge / Jack	2 episodes
	Wanted: Dead or Alive	Howard Catlett / Jesse Holloway / Henry Turner	3 episodes
	Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre	Doyle / Jess Newton	2 episodes
1959; 1961	Laramie	Gil Spanner / Finch	2 episodes
1959; 1961-1962	Bonanza	Elmer Trace / Ross Marquette / Pete Jessup	3 episodes
1960	The Texan	Cal Gruder	Episode: "Friend of the Family"
	Sugarfoot	Rome Morgan	Episode: "Blackwater Swamp"
	Men into Space	Dr. Narry	Episode: "Contraband"
	Bourbon Street Beat	Buzz Griffin	Episode: "Target of Hate"
	Peter Gunn	Bud Bailey	Episode: "The Murder Clause"
	The Deputy	Coffer	Episode: "The Truly Yours"
	Tate	Jory	Episode: "Home Town"
	Richard Diamond, Private Detective		Episode: "Coat of Arms"
	Death Valley Days		"Pamela's Oxen"
	Lawman	Lank Bailey / Blake Carr	2 episodes
1960-1961	Klondike	Jeff Durain / Jefferson Durain	10 episodes
1961	The Murder Men	Arthur Troy	TV film
	The Untouchables	Dennis Garrity	Episode: "The Jamaica Ginger Story"
	The Tall Man	John Miller	Episode: "The Best Policy"
	Stagecoach West	Sam Murdock	Episode: "Come Home Again"
	The Detectives	Duke Hawkins	Episode: "The Frightened Ones"
	The Aquanauts	Joe Casey	Episode: "River Gold"
1961-1962	Perry Mason	General Addison Brand / Donald Fletcher	2 episodes
1962	Naked City	Harry Brind	Episode: "Goodbye Mama, Hello Auntie Maud"
	The Dick Powell Show	Charlie Allnut	Episode:" The Safari"
	Checkmate	Gresch	Episode: "A Chant of Silence"
	Rawhide	Colonel Briscoe	Episode: "Hostage Child"
	Cain's Hundred	Arthur Troy	Episode: "Blues for a Junkman: Arthur Troy"
1963	Stoney Burke	Jamison	Episode: "The Test"
	Combat!	Corporal Arnold Kanger	Episode: "Masquerade"
	The Greatest Show on Earth	Kelly	Episode: "Uncaged"
	The Eleventh Hour	Steve Kowlowski	Episode: "Oh, You Shouldn't Have Done It"
	The Twilight Zone	Major French	Episode: "The Old Man in the Cave"
1964	Route 66	Hamar Neilsen	Episode: "Kiss the Monster - Make Him Sleep"
	The Defenders	Earl Chafee	Episode: "The Man Who Saved His Country"
1977	The Rockford Files	Director	Episode: "Irving the Explainer"
1978	The Dain Curse	Hamilton Nash	Miniseries
1980	Superstunt		TV film
1981	Darkroom (TV series)	Host	Series
1981	Valley of the Dolls	Henry Bellamy	Miniseries
1983	Malibu	Tom Wharton	TV film
	Digital Dreams		TV film
1984	Faerie Tale Theatre	The Gyspy	Episode: "Pinocchio"
	Draw!	Sam Starret	TV film
1985	Sins of the Father	Frank Murchison	TV film
1986	The Wildest West Show of the Stars	Grand Marshall	TV film
1990-1992	Captain Planet and the Planeteers	Looten Plunder (voice)	15 episodes
1991	Silverfox	Robert Fox	TV film
1992	True Facts		TV film
	Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232	Jim Hathaway	TV film
	The Fifth Corner	Dr. Grandwell	2 episodes
	Murder, She Wrote	Cyrus Ramsey	Episode: "Day of the Dead"
	Mastergate	Major Manley Battle	TV film
1994	Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice	Jeffrey Winslow	TV film
	Greyhounds		TV film
1995	The Avenging Angel	Porter Rockwell	TV film
	Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder	Jeffery Winslow	TV film
	Picket Fences	Walter Brock	Episode: "Upbringings"
	Christmas Reunion	Santa	TV film
1996	Football America	Narrator	TV film
	Okavango: Africa's Savage Oasis	Narrator	TV film
	The Cherokee Kid	Cyrus B. Bloomington	TV film
1997	Profiler	Charles Vanderhorn	2 episodes
	Skeletons	Frank Jove	TV film
	The Second Civil War	Jack Buchan	TV film
1998	Mr. Murder	Drew Oslett, Sr.	TV film
	Stories from My Childhood	The Archbishop (voice)	Episode: "The Wild Swans"
1999	Vengeance Unlimited	Boone Paladin (voice)	Uncredited Episode: "Judgment"
	Noah's Ark	The Peddler	TV film
	Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story	Morris Gunn	TV film
2000	Missing Pieces	Atticus Cody	TV film
	Scene by Scene	Himself
2001	Walter and Henry	Charlie	TV film
2002	Arliss	Slaughterhouse Sid Perelli	Episode: "The Immortal",

See also