James Whitmore

Biography

James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American film, theatre, and television actor. During his career, Whitmore won three of the four EGOT honors; - a Tony, a Grammy, and an Emmy. Whitmore also won a Golden Globe and was nominated for two Academy Awards. Following World War II, Whitmore appeared on Broadway in the role of the sergeant in Command Decision. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer gave Whitmore a contract, but his role in the film adaptation was played by Van Johnson. His first major picture for MGM was Battleground, in a role that was turned down by Spencer Tracy, to whom Whitmore bore a noted physical resemblance. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this role, and won the Golden Globe Award as Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role. Other major films included Angels in the Outfield, The Asphalt Jungle, The Next Voice You Hear, Above and Beyond, Kiss Me, Kate, Them!, Oklahoma!, Black Like Me, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and Give 'em Hell, Harry!, a one-man show for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of former U.S. President Harry S Truman. In the film Tora! Tora! Tora!, he played Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey. Whitmore appeared during the 1950s on many television anthology series. He was cast as Father Emil Kapaun in the 1955 episode "The Good Thief" in the ABC religion anthology series Crossroads. Other roles followed on Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theater, Lux Video Theatre, Kraft Theatre, Studio One in Hollywood, Schlitz Playhouse, Matinee Theatre, and the Ford Television Theatre. In 1958, he carried the lead in "The Gabe Carswell Story" of NBC's Wagon Train, with Ward Bond. Whitmore has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6611 Hollywood Boulevard. The ceremony was held on February 8, 1960.

Known For

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Shawshank Redemption

Bonanza

The Mike Douglas Show

Golden Globe Awards

The Practice

The Virginian

All Movies (81)

• Arthur Miller: Writer2017 · as Self (archive footage)
• Meet Mr. Miracle-Gro: The Horace Hagedorn Story2005
• Cole Porter in Hollywood: Too Darn Hot2003 · as Self
• A Ring of Endless Light2002 · as Grandfather
• The Majestic2001 · as Stan Keller
• Here's to Life!2000 · as Gus Corley
• Swing Vote1999 · as Daniel Morissey
• The Relic1997 · as Dr. Albert Frock
• Wild Bill: Hollywood Maverick1995 · as Self
• The Shawshank Redemption1994 · as Brooks Hatlen
• Old Explorers1990 · as Leinen Roth
• Sky High1990 · as Gus Johnson
• Glory! Glory!1989 · as Lester Babbitt
• Nuts1987 · as Judge Stanley Murdoch
• All My Sons1987 · as Joe Keller
• I Will Fight No More Forever1985 · as General Oliver O. Howard
• The Adventures of Mark Twain1985 · as Mark Twain (voice)
• Love Those Trains1984 · as Narrator
• The Klan: A Legacy of Hate in America1982 · as Narrator
• Hail Columbia!1982 · as Narrator
• Mark, I Love You1980 · as Dwight Hamilton
• The First Deadly Sin1980 · as Dr. Sanford Ferguson
• Rage!1980 · as Borski
• The Golden Honeymoon1980 · as Charley Tate
• The Horror Show1979 · as (archive footage)
• Bully: An Adventure with Teddy Roosevelt1978 · as Teddy Roosevelt
• The Serpent's Egg1977 · as Priester
• The Flying Misfits1976 · as Capt. James 'Jim' Gutterman
• Give 'em Hell, Harry!1975 · as Harry S. Truman
• The Canterville Ghost1974 · as Hyram B. Otis
• The Balloon Vendor1974 · as Antonio
• Where the Red Fern Grows1974 · as Grandpa
• Man Belongs to the Earth1974 · as Narrator
• High Crime1973 · as Commissioner Aldo Scavino
• The Harrad Experiment1973 · as Philip Tenhausen
• Chato's Land1972 · as Joshua Everette
• If Tomorrow Comes1971 · as Frank Phillips
• The Challenge1970 · as Overman
• Tora! Tora! Tora!1970 · as Admiral William F. Halsey
• Guns of the Magnificent Seven1969 · as Levi
• The Split1968 · as Herb Sutro
• Madigan1968 · as Chief Inspector Charles Kane
• Planet of the Apes1968 · as President of the Assembly
• Nobody's Perfect1968 · as Capt. Mike Riley
• Waterhole #31967 · as Capt. Shipley
• Chuka1967 · as Lou Trent
• The Tenderfoot1966 · as Captain Ewell
• Black Like Me1964 · as John Finley Horton
• Icarus Montgolfier Wright1962
• Who Was That Lady?1960 · as Harry Powell
• Face of Fire1959 · as Monk Johnson
• The Restless Years1958 · as Ed Henderson
• The Deep Six1958 · as Cmdr. Warren Meredith
• The Young Don't Cry1957 · as Rudy Krist
• Crime in the Streets1956 · as Ben Wagner
• The Eddy Duchin Story1956 · as Lou Sherwood
• The Last Frontier1955 · as Gus
• Oklahoma!1955 · as Mr. Carnes
• The McConnell Story1955 · as SSgt. / Maj . / Col. Ty 'Dad' Whitman
• Battle Cry1955 · as MSgt. Mac
• Them!1954 · as Sgt. Ben Peterson
• The Command1954 · as Sgt. Elliott
• The Great Diamond Robbery1954 · as Mr. Remlick, Lawyer
• Kiss Me Kate1953 · as Slug
• All the Brothers Were Valiant1953 · as Fetcher
• The Girl Who Had Everything1953 · as Charles "Chico" Menlow
• Above and Beyond1953 · as Maj. William M. Uanna
• The Hoaxters1952 · as Narrator (voice)
• Because You're Mine1952 · as Sergeant 'Bat' Batterson
• Shadow in the Sky1952 · as Lou Hopke
• It's a Big Country1951 · as Mr. Stacey
• Angels in the Outfield1951 · as Angel (voice) (uncredited)
• Across the Wide Missouri1951 · as Old Bill (uncredited)
• The Red Badge of Courage1951 · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
• Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone1950 · as John Malone
• The Next Voice You Hear...1950 · as Joe Smith
• The Asphalt Jungle1950 · as Gus Minissi
• Please Believe Me1950 · as Vincent Maran
• The Outriders1950 · as Clint Priest
• Battleground1949 · as Kinnie
• The Undercover Man1949 · as George Pappas

All TV Shows (92)

• A Minute with Stan Hooper2003 · as Dr. Goldman
• Mister Sterling2003 · as William Sterling Sr.
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation2000 · as Milton
• The Practice1997 · as Raymond Oz
• Favorite Son1988 · as The President
• George Burns Comedy Week1985 · as Ebenezer Scrooge
• The Ray Bradbury Theater1985 · as Craig Bennett Stiles
• Celebrity1984 · as Clifford Casey
• Code Red1981
• The White Shadow1978 · as Jake Reeves
• The Word1978 · as George Wheeler
• Dinah!1974 · as Self
• Temperatures Rising1972 · as Vincent Campanelli
• Then Came Bronson1969 · as Wilson Ford
• My Friend Tony1969 · as Prof. John Woodruff
• The Name of the Game1968 · as Harry Roarke
• Cowboy in Africa1967
• The Danny Thomas Hour1967 · as Professor John Woodruff
• Judd, for the Defense1967
• Custer1967
• The Invaders1967 · as Harry Swain
• T.H.E. Cat1966
• Shane1966 · as Harry Himber
• Tarzan1966
• The Monroes1966
• The Loner1965
• The Loner1965 · as Doc Fritchman
• The Big Valley1965 · as Handy
• The Big Valley1965 · as Joshua Hawks
• The Big Valley1965 · as Marshal Seth Campbell
• The Big Valley1965 · as Tom Wills
• Run for Your Life1965 · as Chief Jim Holland
• National Geographic Specials1965 · as Narrator (voice)
• For the People1965
• The Tenderfoot1964 · as Captain Ewell
• Slattery's People1964
• 12 O'Clock High1964
• Kraft Suspense Theatre1963 · as J. Marvin Bean
• Kraft Suspense Theatre1963 · as Major Will Stanton
• The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters1963 · as Foxy Smith
• Burke's Law1963 · as Joe Piante
• The Greatest Show on Earth1963
• Arrest and Trial1963 · as Martin Burnham
• Going My Way1962
• Combat!1962 · as Hertzbrun
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson1962 · as Self
• The Virginian1962 · as Capt. Piper Pritican
• The Virginian1962 · as Carl Kabe
• The Virginian1962 · as Marshal Krug
• The Virginian1962 · as Ezra Hollis
• The Mike Douglas Show1961 · as Self
• Alcoa Premiere1961
• Ben Casey1961
• Bus Stop1961
• Dr. Kildare1961 · as Henry Clay Kincaid
• The Wonderful World of Disney1961
• Route 661960
• The Law and Mr. Jones1960 · as Abraham Lincoln Jones
• Checkmate1960 · as Detective Lt. Dave Harker
• The Chevy Mystery Show1960 · as Philip Selby
• The Detectives1959
• The Twilight Zone1959
• Bonanza1959 · as John Postley
• Rawhide1959 · as Sgt. Joe Duclos
• Rawhide1959 · as Colonel John Macklin
• Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse1958
• Decision1958
• Panic!1957
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Jeb
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Ben Kincaid
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Joel Begley
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Jonas - Blacksmith
• Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre1956 · as Narrator (voice)
• Crossroads1955
• The 20th Century Fox Hour1955
• Playwrights '561955
• Gunsmoke1955 · as Amos Campbell
• Gunsmoke1955 · as Jim Forbes
• Gunsmoke1955 · as Timothy Fitzpatrick
• Climax!1954 · as Stash Prohaska
• Climax!1954 · as Tom Miller
• Studio 571954
• The United States Steel Hour1953
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Tommy McDermott
• Schlitz Playhouse of Stars1951 · as Joe Benson
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Tracy
• Lux Video Theatre1950 · as Self
• Studio One1948 · as Sam
• Kraft Television Theatre1947
• Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Nominated
• Tony e il Professore— · as il professore