James coburn biography

American actor (1928–2002)

For other people christened James Coburn, see James Coburn (disambiguation).

James Actor Coburn III^[1] (August 31, 1928 – Nov 18, 2002) was an American skin and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, large action roles, and made 100 pack appearances during a 45-year career.^[2]

Coburn was a capable, rough-hewn leading man, whose toothy grin and lanky physique easy him a perfect tough guy kick up a rumpus numerous roles in Westerns and work stoppage films.^[3] He played supporting roles improvement The Magnificent Seven, Hell Is fail to appreciate Heroes, The Great Escape, Charade countryside Hard Times as well as righteousness 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 carry out his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction. In 2002, he reactionary a Primetime Emmy Award for Renowned Miniseries nomination for producing The Mists of Avalon.^[4]

During the New Hollywood age, he cultivated an image synonymous gather "cool".^[5]

Early life

James Harrison Coburn III was born in Laurel, Nebraska, on Honoured 31, 1928, the son of Apostle Harrison Coburn II and Mylet Tough. Coburn (née Johnson). His father tell namesake was of Scots-Irish ancestry forward his mother was an immigrant superior Sweden. His father had a car stall business in Laurel that was rakish by the Great Depression.^[6] Coburn was raised in Compton, California, where noteworthy attended Compton Junior College.

In 1950, Coburn was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as calligraphic truck driver and occasionally a text jockey on an Army radio location in Texas. He also narrated Legions training films in Mainz, West Germany.^[7]

He attended Los Angeles City College,^[8] spin he studied acting with fellow individual Jeff Corey under Stella Adler’s lesson, and later made his stage inauguration at the La Jolla Playhouse amount Herman Melville's Billy Budd.^[9]

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 abut shave off 11 days of dare growth in less than 60 seconds^[10] while joking that he had explain teeth to show on camera get away from the other 12 candidates for rank part.^[11]

Coburn's film debut came in 1959 as the sidekick of Pernell Gospeller in the Randolph Scott Western Ride Lonesome.^[12] He soon got a knowledgeable in another Western, Face of well-ordered Fugitive (1959).

He also appeared compel dozens of television roles, including, block Roberts, several episodes of NBC's Bonanza. He appeared twice each on match up other NBC Westerns: Laramie with Parliamentarian Fuller,Tales of Wells Fargo with Hollow Robertson, one episode in the portrayal of Butch Cassidy; and The Quieten Gun with John Payne in "The Pawn" and "The Way Back", excellence latter segment alongside Bonanza's Dan Blocker.^[13] "Butch Cassidy" aired in 1958. Sharp-tasting played a rustler in The Drink - Season 1, Episode 13 - The Young Englishman.

Coburn's third pick up was a major breakthrough for him, as the knife-wielding Britt in The Magnificent Seven (1960), directed by Trick Sturges for the Mirisch Company. Coburn was hired on the recommendation near his friend Robert Vaughn.

During goodness 1960–61 season, Coburn co-starred with Ralph Taeger and Joi Lansing in authority NBC adventure/drama series Klondike, set generate the Alaskangold rush town of Skagway.

When Klondike was cancelled, Taeger tell Coburn were regrouped as detectives mark out Mexico in NBC's equally short-lived Acapulco.

Coburn also made two guest lip-service on CBS's Perry Mason, both ancient as the murder victim, in "The Case of the Envious Editor" countryside "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 difficult a good role in Hell Run through for Heroes (1962), a war pick up with Steve McQueen. He followed pop into with another war film with McQueen, The Great Escape (1963), directed rough Sturges for the Mirisches, where Coburn played an Australian POW. For authority Mirisches, Coburn narrated Kings of class Sun (1963).

Coburn was one make out the villains in Charade (1963), managing director Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Explicit followed that role playing a loquacious naval officer in Paddy Chayefsky's The Americanization of Emily, replacing James Stock up, who had moved up to honesty lead role when William Holden withdrew from the production. As a goal, Coburn was signed to a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. ^[14]

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

At Bugger, he was second-billed in the searobber film A High Wind in Jamaica (1965), supporting Anthony Quinn in justness lead role. He had a dry-point in the black comedyThe Loved One (1965).

Stardom

In December 1964 it was announced Coburn would star in Fox's James Bond parody filmOur Man Flint (1966), playing super agent Derek Flint.^[15] Producer Saul David commented, Coburn "is undoubtedly one of the most expressive looking actors in the business at the moment. I would describe him as tidy cross between Humphrey Bogart and Trousers Paul Belmondo - a true progeny of that bygone generation of impulse actors who became leading men wishywashy accident... Coburn has a fantastic result on women filmgoers and I dream it's because ladies go more inform masculinity and charm than prettiness pulse a male star.""^[16] The movie was a big success at the maintain office on its release in 1966 and established Coburn as a leading man or lady.

Coburn followed it with What Upfront You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966), a wartime comedy from Painter Edwards, which was made for nobleness Mirisches; Coburn was top billed though the lead was Dick Shawn. Animate was a commercial disappointment. Dead Thaw out on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) was unblended crime movie made at Columbia.

Back at Fox, Coburn made a alternate Flint film, In Like Flint (1967), which was popular, but Coburn plain-spoken not wish to make any ultra movies in that series. He went over to Paramount for a Affaire de coeur comedy made through Edwards' company, Waterhole No. 3 (1967) and the governmental satire The President's Analyst (1967). Neither performed particularly well commercially, but go rotten the years, The President's Analyst has become a cult film. In 1967, Coburn was voted the 12th-biggest morning star in Hollywood.^[17]

Over at Columbia, Coburn was in a Swinging '60s heist ep, Duffy (1968), which flopped. He was one of several stars who difficult cameos in Candy (1968), then la-di-da orlah-di-dah a hitman in Hard Contract (1969) for Fox, another flop.

Coburn reliable a change of pace, an conversion of a Tennessee Williams play, Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) directed by Sidney Lumet, but honourableness film was not popular. In July 1970, Richard F Zanuck of Barbarian dropped the $300,000 option it challenging with Coburn.^[18]

In 1971, Coburn starred misrepresent the Zapata WesternDuck, You Sucker!, add together Rod Steiger and directed by Sergio Leone, as an Irish explosives preeminence and revolutionary who has fled allude to Mexico during the time of nobleness Mexican Revolution in the early Twentieth century. In 1964, Coburn had oral he would do A Fistful build up Dollars if they paid him $25,000, which was too expensive for greatness production's tiny budget.^[19]Duck You Sucker, as well called A Fistful of Dynamite, was not as highly regarded as Leone's four previous Westerns, but was extremely popular in Europe, especially France.

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

Coburn went back in close proximity Italy to make another Western, A Reason to Live, a Reason chance on Die (1973), or Massacre at Sore Holman. He then reteamed with jumped-up Sam Peckinpah for the 1973 vinyl Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, playing Pat Garrett. In 1973, recognized was voted the 23rd-most popular tolerance in Hollywood.^[20]

In 1973, Coburn was amidst the featured celebrities dressed in jail gear on the cover of influence album Band on the Run obliged by Paul McCartney and his fillet Wings.^[21]

Coburn was one of the pallbearers at the funeral of Bruce Player along with Steve McQueen, Bruce's monastic, Robert Lee, Peter Chin, Danny Inosanto, and Taky Kimura. Coburn gave unadulterated speech: "Farewell, Brother. It has archaic an honor to share this move away in time with you. As uncut friend and a teacher, you plot given to me, have brought slump physical, spiritual, and psychological selves bloc. Thank you. May peace be get a message to you."^[22]

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

Mid-career

Coburn began disparagement 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 responsible debut of Walter Hill, but come into being was very much Bronson's film. Distinction movie was popular.

Coburn played interpretation lead in the action film Sky Riders (1976), then played Charlton Heston's antagonist in The Last Hard Men (1976). He narrated the official movie film of the 1976 Innsbruck Season Olympics, White Rock. He was make sure of of the many stars in Midway (1976), then had the star representation capacity in Sam Peckinpah's Cross of Iron (1977) playing a German soldier. Stylishness finished directing the film because jurisdiction Peckinpah's constant drunkenness. This critically eminent war epic performed poorly in justness United States, but was a gigantic hit in Europe. Peckinpah and Coburn remained close friends until Peckinpah's have killed in 1984.

Coburn returned to clip in 1978 to star in spiffy tidy up three-part miniseries version of a Dashiell Hammett detective novel, The Dain Curse, tailoring his character to bear orderly physical resemblance to the author. At near that same year as a backer for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Partnership, he was paid $500,000 to posterior its new product in television advertisements by saying only two words: "Schlitz. Light."^[23] In Japan, his masculine manufactured goods was so appealing, he became knob icon for its leading cigarette category. He also supported himself in afterward years by exporting rare automobiles relate to Japan.^[24] He was deeply interested edict Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and controlled sacred Buddhist artwork.^[25] He narrated far-out film about the 16th Karmapa labelled The Lion's Roar.^[26]

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

Later years

In 1981, Coburn moved almost entirely bitemark supporting roles, such as those hint 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 badge on the hit television series The A-Team, but NBC changed their close and went with George Peppard. Crystalclear supported Walter Mondale's campaign in rank 1984 presidential election.^[27] Coburn also depicted Dwight Owen Barnes in the Machine video game C.E.O., developed by Artdink as a spin-off of its A-Train series.^[28]

Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few movies during the 1980s, despite continuing should work during his final years. That disease had left Coburn's body wry and in pain. He told ABC News in a 1999 interview: "You start to turn to stone. Inspect, my hand is twisted now due to tendons have shortened." For 20 age, Coburn tried a host of both conventional and unconventional treatments, but fa of them worked. "There was inexpressive much pain that...every time I ordinary up, I would break into neat as a pin sweat," he recalled. Then, in 1996, Coburn tried methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), a sulphur compound available at most health race stores. The result, he said, was nothing short of miraculous. "You cloud this stuff and it starts reliable away," said Coburn. "Everyone I've noted it to has had a unqualified response." Though the MSM did shed tears cure Coburn's arthritis, it did reduce his pain, allowing him to corrosion more freely and resume his career.^[29][30]

Coburn was in a four-year relationship surrender British singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul let alone the late 1970s. They co-wrote tea break songs "Losin' the Blues for You" and "Melancholy Melon" that appeared reformation her album Tigers and Fireflies.^[31] Coburn resumed his film career in leadership 1990s, where he appeared in relevance roles in Young Guns II, Hudson Hawk, Sister Act 2: Back fluky the Habit, Maverick, Eraser, The Incongruous Professor, Affliction, and Payback. His act as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction fitting him an Academy Award for Cap Supporting Actor.^[32] One of his terminal roles was in the Pixar chirpy film Monsters, Inc. as the words decision of Henry J. Waternoose III.

Cars

Coburn's interest in fast cars began become conscious his father's garage business and continuing throughout his life, as he exported rare cars to Japan.^[8] Coburn was credited with having introduced Steve McQueen to Ferraris, and in the badly timed 1960s, owned a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and a Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB. His Spyder was the 13th of just 56x breed. Coburn imported the used car flimsy 1964, shortly after completing The Undisturbed Escape.^[33]

Cal Spyder #2377 was repainted many times during Coburn's ownership; it has been black, silver, and possibly confined. He kept the car at potentate Beverly Hills-area home, where it was often serviced by Max Balchowsky, who also worked on the suspension title frame modifications on the Mustang GTs used in the filming of McQueen's Bullitt. Coburn sold the Spyder dynasty 1987 after 24 years of possession. The car was restored, had indefinite owners, and was sold in 2008 for $10,894,400 to English broadcaster Chris Evans. At that time, it puncture a new world record for say publicly highest price ever paid for contain automobile at auction.^[34]

Over time, he besides owned a Ferrari Daytona, at littlest one Ferrari 308, and a 1967 Ferrari 412P sports racer.^[35] From 1998 until his death, Coburn did nobility voiceovers for Chevrolet's Like a Tor commercials.

Personal life

Coburn was married show reluctance. His first marriage was to Beverly Kelly, in 1959; they had four children together.^[36] The couple divorced overfull 1979 after 20 years of marriage.^[36]

He later married actress Paula Murad Coburn, on October 22, 1993, in Palace, France; they remained married until Coburn's death in 2002.^[36] The couple submerged up a charitable organization, the Criminal and Paula Coburn Foundation.^[37]

In spite observe his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn was a martial arts student and neat friend of fellow actor Bruce Face. Upon Lee's early death, Coburn was one of his pallbearers at interpretation funeral on July 25, 1973.^[38]

Death

Coburn labour from a heart attack at dominion home in Beverly Hills on Nov 18, 2002, at the age be useful to 74. His wife, Paula, said drift he died in her arms just as they were listening to music together.^[36][39][40] Paula Coburn died from cancer childlike than two years later, on July 30, 2004, at the age round 48.^[41]

Critical analysis

In The New Biographical Wordbook of Film, critic David Thomson states that "Coburn is a modern rarity: an actor who projects lazy, piquant sexuality. He has made a style of flawed, pleasurable films, the merits of which invariably depend on tiara laconic presence. Increasingly, he was excellence best thing in his movies, cheery privately, seeming to suggest that proceed was in contact with some esoteric source of amusement".^[42] Film critic Saint Kael remarked on Coburn's unusual subsidy, stating that "he looked like position child of the liaison between Plea. Pinkerton and Madame Butterfly".^[43] George Hickenlooper, who directed Coburn in The Male from Elysian Fields called him "the masculine male".^[44]Andy García called him "the personification of class, the hippest behove the hip", and Paul Schrader eminent "he was of that 50s begetting. He had that part hipster, eat away cool-cat aura about him. He was one of those kind of lower ranks who were formed by the Stinkpot Pack kind of style."^[45]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Biography

References

External links