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James Coburn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| James Coburn | |
 James Coburn in Charade, 1963 |
|
| Born | August 31, 1928 Laurel, Nebraska |
| Died | November 18, 2002, (aged 74) Beverly Hills, California |
| Notable roles | Derek Flint in Our Man Flint (1966) |
| Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Best Supporting Actor 1997 Affliction |
|
James Coburn (August 31, 1928, Laurel, Nebraska – November 18, 2002) was an Oscar-winning American actor.
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Coburn became famous as the "tough guy" in a variety of films, first mostly with his friends Robert Vaughn and Charles Bronson (with whom he co-starred in The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape).
In 1966, Coburn finally became a bona-fide star with the release of Our Man Flint, a James Bond spoof released by 20th Century Fox as competition. After a sequel, Coburn decided to branch off into the independent film world. Due to his interests in karate (which he discovered by training with Bruce Lee), Buddhism, and gong-playing, the remainder of the decade (which included less-than-memorable films) proved uneventful to Coburn. In 1973, however, Coburn teamed up with radical director Sam Peckinpah for the film Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (they had first worked together in 1965 on Major Dundee). But an MGM producer tried to sabotage the production causing the film to be drastically edited when it opened. Both Peckinpah and Coburn were disappointed and delved into Cross of Iron, a war epic which also flopped. The two still remained good friends until the legendary director's death in 1984 of a stroke.
Due to severe rheumatoid arthritis, he appeared in very few films during the 1980s and spent time writing songs with his partner at that time, British singer-songwriter Lynsey De Paul. He claimed to have healed himself with pills containing a sulfur-containing compound, and returned to screen in the 1990s.
He then appeared in films such as Young Guns II (1990), Sister Act 2 (1993), The Nutty Professor (1996), Maverick (1994), and Payback (1999), mostly in small but memorable roles. For his appearance as the abusive father of protagonist Nick Nolte in Affliction he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998.
He died suddenly on November 18, 2002 at the age of 74, from a cardiac arrest, while listening to the radio. He was survived by his wife Paula Murad, a son, and a stepdaughter. Paula Murad died of cancer on July 30, 2004, at the age of 49.
He is also the grandson of also Oscar-winning character actor Charles Coburn.
Films: The Magnificent Seven (1960) • The Great Escape (1960) • Charade (1963) • The Americanization of Emily (1964) • Major Dundee (1965) • Our Man Flint (1966) • In Like Flint (1967) • The President's Analyst (1967) • Candy (1968) • A Fistful of Dynamite(1971) • Harry in Your Pocket (1973) • Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) • The Last of Sheila (1973) • Bite the Bullet (1975) • Midway (1976) • Cross of Iron (1977) • Young Guns II (1990) • Hudson Hawk (1991) • The Player (1992) • Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) • Maverick (1994) • Eraser (1996) • The Nutty Professor (1996) • Affliction (1997) • Payback (1999) • Monsters, Inc. (voice) (2001) • Snow Dogs (2002) • American Gun (2002)
TV Series: Bat Masterson • Wanted: Dead or Alive • Bronco • Peter Gunn • Lawman • The Deputy • Laramie • Cheyenne • Bonanza • The Rifleman • Combat! • The Twilight Zone • Route 66 • Faerie Tale Theatre • Route 66 • Murder She Wrote • Picket Fences • The Cherokee Kid • Profiler
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robin Williams for Good Will Hunting |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1998 for Affliction |
Succeeded by Michael Caine for The Cider House Rules |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Coburn, James |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 31, 1928 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Laurel, Nebraska |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 18, 2002 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Beverly Hills, California |