James Coburn

James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American actor who featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.

Coburn was in numerous leading roles in Westerns and action films. He had starring roles in The Magnificent Seven, Hell Is for Heroes, The Great Escape, Charade and Hard Times as well as the lead role in Our Man Flint and its sequel In Like Flint, The President's Analyst, Duck, You Sucker!, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and Cross of Iron. In 1998, Coburn won an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction. In 2002, he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries nomination for producing The Mists of Avalon.

During the New Hollywood era, he cultivated an image synonymous with "cool".

Early life James Harrison Coburn III was born in Laurel, Nebraska, on August 31, 1928, the son of James Harrison Coburn II (1902–1975) and Mylet S. Coburn (née Johnson; 1900–1984). His father and namesake was of Scots-Irish ancestry and his mother was an immigrant from Sweden. His father had a garage business in Laurel that was destroyed by the Great Depression. Coburn was raised in Compton, California, where he attended Compton Junior College.

In 1950, Coburn was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a truck driver and occasionally a disc jockey on an Army radio station in Texas. He also narrated Army training films in Mainz, West Germany.

He attended Los Angeles City College,

Career Early television work Coburn's first television appearance was in 1953 on Four Star Playhouse.

He was selected for a Remington Products razor commercial, where 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.

Coburn's film debut came in 1959 as the sidekick of Pernell Roberts in the Randolph Scott Western Ride Lonesome. He soon got a job in another Western, Face of a Fugitive (1959). Filmink argued "he made a terrific cowboy and was thus easily castable in the scores of Westerns being made for American TV at the time; indeed, Coburn guest starred in pretty much all of them." These included several episodes of NBC's Bonanza and appearing twice each on three other NBC Westerns: Laramie with Robert Fuller,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. "Butch Cassidy" aired in 1958. He played a rustler in The Rifleman - Season 1, Episode 13 - The Young Englishman.

Coburn's third film was a major breakthrough for him, as the knife-wielding Britt in The Magnificent Seven (1960), directed by John Sturges for the Mirisch Company. Coburn was hired on the recommendation of his friend Robert Vaughn. During the 1960–61 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 Col. Briscoe in the "Hostage Child" of CBS's Rawhide.

Supporting actor in films

Coburn had a good role in Hell Is for Heroes (1962), a war film with Steve McQueen. He followed it with another war film with McQueen, The Great Escape (1963), directed by Sturges for the Mirisches, where Coburn played an Australian POW. For the Mirisches, Coburn narrated Kings of the Sun (1963).

Coburn was one of the villains in Charade (1963), starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. He followed that role playing a glib naval officer in Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily, replacing James Garner, who had moved up to the lead role when William Holden withdrew from the production. As a result, Coburn was signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.

Coburn had another excellent supporting role as a one-armed Indian tracker in Major Dundee (1965), directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Charlton Heston.

At Fox, he was second-billed in the pirate film A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), supporting Anthony Quinn in the lead role. He had a cameo in the black comedy The Loved One (1965).

Stardom In December 1964 it was announced Coburn would star in Fox's James Bond parody film Our Man Flint (1966), playing super agent Derek Flint. Producer Saul David commented, Coburn "is undoubtedly one of the most interesting looking actors in the business today. I would describe him as a cross between Humphrey Bogart and Jean Paul Belmondo - a true descendant of that bygone generation of character actors who became leading men by accident... Coburn has a fantastic effect on women filmgoers and I think it's because ladies go more for masculinity and charm than prettiness in a male star."" The movie was a big success at the box office on its release in 1966 and established Coburn as a star.

Coburn followed it with What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966), a wartime comedy from Blake Edwards, which was made for the Mirisches; Coburn was top billed although the lead was Dick Shawn. It was a commercial disappointment. Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) was a crime movie made at Columbia.

Back at Fox, Coburn made a second Flint film, In Like Flint (1967), which was popular, but Coburn did not wish to make any more movies in that series. This has been called a "mistake" by Coburn as films in which he starred in where he did not play Flint were not as successful.

Over at Columbia, Coburn was in a Swinging '60s heist film, Duffy (1968), which flopped. He was one of several stars who had cameos in Candy (1968), then played a hitman in Hard Contract (1969) for Fox, another flop.

Coburn tried a change of pace, an adaptation of a Tennessee Williams play, Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) directed by Sidney Lumet, but the film was not popular. In July 1970, Richard F Zanuck of Fox dropped the $300,000 option it had with Coburn.

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. In 1964, Coburn had said he would do A Fistful of Dollars if they paid him $25,000, which was too expensive for the production's tiny budget. Duck You Sucker, also called A Fistful of Dynamite, was not as highly regarded as Leone's four previous Westerns, but was hugely popular in Europe, especially France.

Back in the US, Coburn made another film with Blake Edwards, the thriller The Carey Treatment (1972). It was badly cut by MGM and was commercially unsuccessful. So, too, was The Honkers (1972), where Coburn played a rodeo rider.

Coburn went back to Italy to make another Western, A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1973), or Massacre at Fort Holman. He then reteamed with director Sam Peckinpah for the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, playing Pat Garrett. In 1973, he was voted the 23rd-most popular star in Hollywood.

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 was one of the pallbearers at the funeral of Bruce Lee along with Steve McQueen, Bruce's brother, Robert Lee, Peter Chin, Danny Inosanto, and Taky Kimura. Coburn gave a speech: "Farewell, Brother. It has been an honor to share this space in time with you. As a friend and a teacher, you have given to me, have brought my physical, spiritual, and psychological selves together. Thank you. May peace be with you."

Coburn was one of several stars in the popular The Last of Sheila (1973). He then starred in a series of thrillers: Harry in Your Pocket (1974), the debut feature from Mission Impossible creator Bruce Geller, and The Internecine Project (1975). Neither was widely seen.

Mid-career Coburn began to drop back down the credit list: he was third billed in writer-director Richard Brooks' film Bite the Bullet (1975) behind Gene Hackman and Candice Bergen. He co-starred with Charles Bronson in Hard Times (1975), the directorial debut of Walter Hill. The movie was popular.

Coburn played the lead in the action film Sky Riders (1976), then played Charlton Heston's antagonist in The Last Hard Men (1976). He narrated the official documentary film of the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, White Rock. He was one of the many stars in Midway (1976), then had the star role in Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron (1977) playing a German soldier. He finished directing the film because of Peckinpah's constant drunkenness. This critically acclaimed war epic 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.

Coburn returned to television in 1978 to star in a three-part miniseries version of a Dashiell Hammett detective novel, The Dain Curse, tailoring his character to bear a physical resemblance to the author. During the previous 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.

Coburn starred in Firepower (1979) with Sophia Loren, replacing Charles Bronson when the latter pulled out. He had a cameo in The Muppet Movie (1979) and had leading roles in Goldengirl (1980) and The Baltimore Bullet (1980). He was Shirley MacLaine's husband in Loving Couples (1980) and had the lead in a Canadian film, Crossover (1980).

Later years In 1981, Coburn moved almost entirely into supporting roles, such as those of the villains in both High Risk (1981) and Looker (1981). He hosted a TV series of the horror-anthology type, Darkroom, in 1981 and 1982. According to Mr. T, Coburn was slated to play the Hannibal character on the hit television series The A-Team, but NBC changed their mind and went with George Peppard. He supported Walter Mondale's campaign in the 1984 presidential election. Coburn also portrayed Dwight Owen Barnes in the PC video game C.E.O., developed by Artdink as a spin-off of its A-Train series.

Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, despite continuing to work during his final years. This disease had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. He told ABC News in a 1999 interview: "You start to turn to stone. See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." For 20 years, Coburn tried a host of both conventional and unconventional treatments, but none of them worked. "There was so much pain that...every time I stood up, I would break into a sweat," he recalled. Then, in 1996, Coburn tried methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), 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." Though the MSM did not cure Coburn's arthritis, it did relieve his pain, allowing him to move more freely and resume his career.

Coburn was in a four-year relationship with British singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul from the late 1970s. They co-wrote her songs "Losin' the Blues for You" and "Melancholy Melon" that appeared on her album Tigers and Fireflies. Coburn resumed his film career in the 1990s, where he 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. His performance as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. One of his final roles was in the Pixar animated film Monsters, Inc. as the voice of Henry J. Waternoose III.

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 13th of just 56 built. Coburn imported the used car in 1964, shortly after completing The Great Escape.

Cal Spyder #2377 was repainted several times during Coburn's ownership; it has been black, silver, and possibly red. 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 the Mustang GTs used in the filming of McQueen's Bullitt. Coburn sold the Spyder in 1987 after 24 years of ownership. The car was restored, had several owners, and was sold in 2008 for $10,894,400 to English broadcaster Chris Evans. At that time, it set a new world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction.

Over time, he also owned a Ferrari Daytona, at least one Ferrari 308, and a 1967 Ferrari 412P sports racer. From 1998 until his death, Coburn did the voiceovers for Chevrolet's Like a Rock commercials.

Personal life Coburn was married twice. His first marriage was to Beverly Kelly, in 1959; they had two children together. The couple divorced in 1979 after 20 years of marriage.

In spite of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn was a martial arts student and a friend of fellow actor Bruce Lee. Upon Lee's early death, Coburn was one of his pallbearers at the funeral on July 25, 1973.

Death

Coburn died from a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills on November 18, 2002, at the age of 74. His wife, Paula, said that he died in her arms when they were listening to music together. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Paula Coburn died from cancer less than two years later, on July 30, 2004, at the age of 48.

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 García called him "the personification of class, the hippest of the hip", and Paul Schrader noted "he was of that 50s 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 Film Year Title Role Notes 1959 Ride Lonesome Whit Face of a Fugitive Purdy 1960 The Magnificent Seven Britt 1962 Hell Is for Heroes Corporal Frank Henshaw 1963 The Great Escape Flying Officer Louis Sedgwick, "The Manufacturer" Charade Tex Panthollow Kings of the Sun Narrator Uncredited The Man from Galveston Boyd Palmer Television pilot of Temple Houston 1964 The Americanization of Emily Lieutenant Commander 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 A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die Colonel Pembroke Renamed Massacre at Fort Holman for U.S. release 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 Unfinished film 1976 Sky Riders Jim McCabe The Last Hard Men Zach Provo Midway Captain Vinton Maddox 1977 White Rock Narrator 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 Lieutenant Lardner 1986 Death of a Soldier Major 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 The Avenging Angel Porter Rockwell Television film Ray Alexander: A Menu for Murder Jeffery Winslow Television film Christmas Reunion Santa Television film 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 ActorNominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting MaleNominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role 1999 Payback Justin Fairfax 2000 Intrepid Captain Hal Josephson The Good Doctor Dr. Samuel Roberts Short 2001 Texas Rangers Narrator Proximity Jim Corcoran The Yellow Bird Reverend Increase Tutwiler Short The Man from Elysian Fields Alcott Monsters, Inc. Henry J. Waternoose III Voice 2002 Snow Dogs James "Thunder Jack" Johnson American Gun Martin Tillman Final film role

Television Year Title Role Notes 1953 Four Star Playhouse Sailor Episode: "The Last Voyage" 1957 Studio One in Hollywood Sam Episode: "The Night America Trembled" 1958 Suspicion Carson Episode: "The Voice in the Night" Alfred Hitchcock Presents Andrews Season 4 Episode 3: "The Jokester" General Electric Theater Claude Firman Episode: "Ah There, Beau Brummel" Wagon Train Ike Daggett "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 Uncredited3 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" Alfred Hitchcock Presents Union Sergeant Season 5 Episode 13: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" State Trooper Dobie Episode: "Hard Money, Soft Touch" Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Jess Episode: "A Thread of Respect" 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 Floyd Episode: "The Girl" The Millionaire Lew Bennett Episode: "Millionaire Timothy Mackail" Dead or Alive Henry Turner Episode: "Reunion for Revenge" Bat Masterson Pole Otis Episode: "The Black Pearls" 1959–1960 Bronco Jesse James / Adam Coverly 2 episodes Wichita Town Wally / Fletcher 2 episodes Bat Masterson Leo Talley Episode: "Six Feet of Gold" 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 Finch / Gil Spanner 2 episodes 1959–1966 Bonanza Pete Jessup / Ross Marquette / Elmer Trace / Heckler 4 episodes 1960 The Texan Cal Gruder Episode: "Friend of the Family" Sugarfoot Rome Morgan "Blackwater Swamp" Men into Space Dr. Narry Episode: "Contraband" Bourbon Street Beat Buzz Griffin "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 Cheyenne Kell Episode: "Trouble Street" 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 Murder Men Arthur Troy Television film 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" (television pilot for a series based on The African Queen) 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 Mini-series 1980 The Muppet Show Himself Guest appearance Superstunt Television film 1981 Darkroom Host Series The Fall Guy Himself Episode: "Pilot" Valley of the Dolls Henry Bellamy Mini-series 1982 Saturday Night Live Himself Episode: "James Coburn/Lindsey Buckingham" 1983 Digital Dreams Television film Malibu Tom Wharton Television film 1984 Faerie Tale Theatre The Gypsy Episode: "Pinocchio" Draw! Sam Starret Television film 1985 Sins of the Father Frank Murchison Television film 1986 The Wildest West Show of the Stars Grand Marshall Television film 1990–1992 Captain Planet and the Planeteers Looten Plunder (voice) 15 episodes 1992 The Fifth Corner Dr. Grandwell 2 episodes Silverfox Robert Fox Television film True Facts Television film Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 Jim Hathaway Television film Mastergate Major Manley Battle Television film Murder, She Wrote Cyrus Ramsey Episode: "Day of the Dead" 1994 Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice Jeffrey Winslow Television film Greyhounds John Television film 1995 Picket Fences Walter Brock Episode: "Upbringings" 1996 Football America Narrator Television film Okavango: Africa's Savage Oasis Narrator Television film The Cherokee Kid Cyrus B. Bloomington Television film 1997 Profiler Charles Vanderhorn 2 episodes Skeletons Frank Jove Television film The Second Civil War Jack Buchan Television film 1998 Mr. Murder Drew Oslett, Sr. Television mini-series Stories from My Childhood The Archbishop (voice) Episode: "The Wild Swans" 1999 Vengeance Unlimited Boone Paladin (voice) UncreditedEpisode: "Judgment" Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story Morris Gunn Television film Noah's Ark The Peddler Television film 2000 Scene by Scene Himself Missing Pieces Atticus Cody Television film 2001 Walter and Henry Charlie Television film 2002 Arliss Slaughterhouse Sid Perelli Episode: "The Immortal" (final appearance)

Video games Year Title Role Notes 1995 C.E.O Dwight Owen Barnes 2001 Monsters, Inc. Henry J. Waternoose III Monsters, Inc. Scream Team

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