James Gammon
| James Gammon | |
|---|---|
| Born |
April 20, 1940 Newman, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died |
July 16, 2010 (aged 70) Costa Mesa, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Liver cancer |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1966–2009 |
| Spouse(s) |
Nancy Jane Kapusta (1972-2010; his death) |
James Richard Gammon (April 20, 1940 – July 16, 2010)[1] was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon is best known as Lou Brown, the manager in the movies Major League and Major League II, which portrayed a fictitious version of the Cleveland Indians.
Biography
Early life
Gammon was born in Newman, the son of Doris Latimer (née Toppe), a farm girl,[2] and Donald Gammon, a musician.[3] After his parents divorced and he bounced around home to home, he made his way to Orlando, Florida. He worked at Orlando's ABC TV affiliate WLOF-TV Channel 9 as a cameraman and director. In his 20s, he packed up and moved to Hollywood to try to find work.[2]
Acting career
His early television credits include appearing twice as Deputy Virgil Bramley in the NBC western series The Road West in the 1966–1967 season, which co-starred Barry Sullivan, Andrew Prine, and Glenn Corbett.
In the 1970s, he helped found the Met Theatre in Los Angeles. While performing there, a rep from The Public Theater saw him and had him cast as Weston in Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class in 1978. The two became friends afterward.[2] He made his sole Broadway appearance as "Dodge" in a revival of Sam Shepard's Buried Child. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.[4] He also appeared on stage in Shepard's San Francisco debut of The Late Henry Moss along with Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Cheech Marin and Woody Harrelson in 2000.
Gammon may be best-remembered for his characters Lou Brown, manager of the Cleveland Indians in the Major League films, and Nick Bridges, the father of Don Johnson's title character in the television series Nash Bridges. He appeared in the films Cool Hand Luke (1967), Urban Cowboy (1980), Silverado (1985), Noon Wine (1985), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Major League (1989), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Major League II (1994), Wyatt Earp (1994), Wild Bill (1995), Truman (1995), Cold Mountain (2003), and more recently Appaloosa (2008). He also had an uncredited role in Natural Born Killers (1994).
Gammon portrayed a Korean War veteran on the hit ABC series Grey's Anatomy. He played Charles Goodnight in Streets of Laredo. In 2006, he played the stern grandfather, Sam, brother of notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy, in the film Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy. Gammon also plays a supporting role in Appaloosa (2008).
Gammon provided the voices of the animated characters Marv Loach and Floyd Turbeaux in the 1999 Warner Bros. feature film The Iron Giant.[5]
Death
Gammon died of adrenal gland and liver cancer in Costa Mesa, California.[6]
Legacy
His friend, Sam Shepard, said this of Gammon: "This was a guy who could act circles around most other actors, and he never pretended to be other than a working kind of actor."[2] He would go on to say about the star-studded cast of The Late Henry Moss, "I mean, a bunch of notoriously famous guys, and every single one of them would come up to me, alone, and say, ‘Who’s that Jim Gammon guy? Where did he come from?’"[2] Shepard also would talk about why he cast Gammon, saying: "You’re probably aware of the notorious father figures in my plays, alcoholic Midwesterners who leave their families and get lost in the Southwestern desert. Jimmy had that familiarity about him with the way I grew up, the guys with the voice and the face and the whiskey. He definitely rang a bell with me."[2]
Personal life
His first marriage ended in divorce. He has a brother, Phillip, and a sister, Sandra (Glaudell). He was married to Nancy Jane Kapusta from 1972 until his death. He has two daughters, Allison Mann and Amy Gammon.[2][3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Cool Hand Luke | Sleepy (uncredited) | Supporting Role |
| 1968 | Journey to Shiloh | Tellis Yeager | |
| 1969 | The Thousand Plane Raid | Major Varga | |
| 1970 | A Man Called Horse | Ed | |
| Macho Callahan | Cowboy | ||
| The Intruders | Chaunce Dykstra | television film | |
| 1972 | Cry for Me, Billy | Amos | Supporting Role |
| 1974 | Macon County Line | Elisha | |
| 1975 | The Wild McCullochs | 1st Police Officer | |
| The Kansas City Massacre | Garth | television film | |
| 1976 | Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw | Leather Salesman | Minor Role |
| The Pom Pom Girls | Coach | ||
| 1977 | Black Oak Conspiracy | Deputy | |
| The Greatest | Mr. Harry | ||
| 1979 | The Sacketts | Wes Bigelow | television film |
| 1980 | On the Nickel | Peanut John | Supporting Role |
| Urban Cowboy | Steve Strange | ||
| Rage! | Joe Dean | television film | |
| It's My Turn | Connie Foxworth | Uncredited | |
| Any Which Way You Can | Palomino Bartender | Supporting Role | |
| Below the Belt | Luke | ||
| 1981 | The Big Black Pill | Captain Jake Jacqualone | television film |
| 1982 | The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez | Sheriff Frank Fly | |
| Deadly Encounter | Frank Kitchens | ||
| 1983 | M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers | Willard Kohler | television film |
| Women of San Quentin | Officer | ||
| 1985 | Noon Wine | Sheriff | |
| Vision Quest | Kuch's Dad | Supporting Role | |
| Hell Town | Lieutenant Raymond Tracy | television film | |
| Sylvester | Steve | Supporting Role | |
| Silverado | Dawson | ||
| The Long Hot Summer | Billy Quick | television film | |
| Silver Bullet | Arnie Westrum | Supporting Role | |
| 1986 | Hard Traveling | Sgt. Slattery | |
| 1987 | Stacking | Clate Connaloe | |
| Made in Heaven | Steve Shea | ||
| Laguna Heat | Grimes | television film | |
| Ironweed | Reverend Chester | Supporting Role | |
| 1988 | The Milagro Beanfield War | Horsethief Shorty | |
| Lincoln | Gen. Ulysses S. Grant | television film | |
| 1989 | Major League | Lou Brown | Supporting Role |
| Roe vs. Wade | television film | ||
| 1990 | Revenge | Texan | Supporting Role |
| Coupe de Ville | Dr. Sturgeon the Cadillac Surgeon | ||
| I Love You to Death | Lt. Larry Schooner | ||
| 1991 | Conagher | Smoke Parnell, Ladder Five Owner | television film |
| Stranger at My Door | Sheriff Bitterman | ||
| 1992 | Leaving Normal | Walt | Supporting Role |
| CrissCross | Emmett | ||
| Criminal Behavior | Roy Stubbs | television film | |
| 1993 | Running Cool | Ironbutt Garrett | Supporting Role |
| Painted Desert | Al | ||
| Men Don't Tell | Jack | television film | |
| The Adventures of Huck Finn | Deputy Hines | Supporting Role | |
| 1994 | Cabin Boy | Paps | |
| Major League II | Lou Brown | ||
| Hard Vice | Bronski | ||
| Wyatt Earp | Mr. Sutherland | ||
| Natural Born Killers | Redneck's Buddy in the Diner | ||
| 1995 | Wild Bill | California Joe | |
| Truman | Sam Rayburn | television film | |
| 1996 | Two Mothers for Zachary | Chalmer | |
| 1997 | Traveller | Double D | Supporting Role |
| The Apostle | — | Uncredited | |
| 1998 | The Man in the Iron Mask | The Commandant | Supporting Role |
| Point Blank | Dad | ||
| Love from Ground Zero | Hat | ||
| The Hi-Lo Country | Hoover Young | ||
| Logan's War: Bound by Honor | Ben | television film | |
| 1999 | You Know My Name | Real Arkansas Tom | |
| The Iron Giant | Marv Loach/Floyd Turbeaux | Voice | |
| One Man's Hero | Gen. Zachary Taylor | Supporting Role | |
| 2000 | The Cell | Teddy Lee | |
| 2002 | Life or Something Like It | Pat Kerrigan | |
| The Country Bears | Big Al | Voice | |
| 2003 | Monte Walsh | Fighting Joe Hooker/Albert Miller | television film |
| Cold Mountain | Esco Swanger | Supporting Role | |
| 2004 | Paradise | Old cowboy | television film |
| Silver City | Sheriff Joe Skaggs | Supporting Role | |
| 2005 | Don't Come Knocking | Old Ranch Hand | |
| 2006 | Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy | Sam | |
| The Far Side of Jericho | The Preacher | ||
| Altered | Sheriff Henderson | ||
| What I Did for Love | Karl Ryder | television film | |
| 2007 | Jesse Stone: Sea Change | Bob | |
| The Final Season | Jared Akers | Supporting Role | |
| 2008 | Appaloosa | Earl May | |
| 2009 | In the Electric Mist | Ben Hebert |
Television series
| Year | Title | Role | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | The Wild Wild West | Egan | The Night of the Freebooters | Episodic character |
| The Monroes | Stennis | Night of the Wolf | ||
| 1966—1967 | The Road West | Deputy Virgil Bramley, Pete Fowler | The Agreement (1967), The Gunfighter (1966) | |
| 1966—1973 | Gunsmoke | Arnie Jeffords, Dudley | My Father, My Son (1966), Susan Was Evil (1973) | |
| 1967 | Captain Nice | — | Whatever Lola Wants | |
| Bonanza | Harry Jeffers | The Man Without Land | ||
| The Invaders | Hal | The Spores | ||
| Batman | Osiris | The Unkindest Tut of All | ||
| Felony Squad | Mickey | Ordeal by Terror | ||
| The Virginian | Cal Mason | A Small Taste of Justice | ||
| 1968—1969 | Lancer | Clint Meek, Wes | Blind Man's Bluff (1969), Chase a Wild Horse (1968) | |
| 1970 | The High Chaparral | Lafe | Only the Bad Come to Sonora (1970) | |
| 1971—1974 | The F.B.I. | Cauldwell, Ben McCarty | Diamond Run (1974), Turnabout (1971) | |
| 1971—1976 | Cannon | Sheriff Ryder, Keely | The Quasar Kill (1976), Country Blues (1971) | |
| 1973 | Dusty's Trail | Roy | Horse of Another Color (1973) | |
| 1973—1975 | The Waltons | Zack Rosswell | 8 Episodes (1973–1975) | Recurring Character |
| 1974 | Kung Fu | Jake | The Nature of Evil (1974) | Episodic character |
| 1975 | Barnaby Jones | Andy Lucker | The Final Burial (1974) | |
| 1976 | Petrocelli | Harry | Blood Money (1976) | |
| Most Wanted | — | The Torch (1976) | ||
| 1977—1978 | Charlie's Angels | Gates, Billy | Angels in the Stretch (1978), Angels on Ice (1977) | |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | — | Samaritan (1979) | |
| 1984 | The Master | — | A Place to Call Home (1984) | |
| Cagney & Lacey | Brian Holgate | Old Debts (1984) | ||
| 1985 | Murder, She Wrote | Billy Don Baker | Armed Response (1985) | |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Michael Cub | Out of the Past (1986) | |
| 1987 | Crime Story | Jack Claymore | The Pinnacle; The Survivor (1987) | |
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | Pete Hanrahan | Tarnished Shield (1989) | |
| In the Heat of the Night | Sheriff Ketch Monroe | A Trip Upstate (1986) | ||
| 1990—1991 | Bagdad Cafe | Rudy | 15 Episodes (1990–1991) | Recurring Character |
| 1991 | The Young Riders | Elias Mills | The Blood of Others (1991) | Episodic Character |
| 1992 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Teddy Roosevelt | British East Africa, September 1909 (1992) | |
| 1992—1993 | Homefront | Coach Zelnick | 8 Episodes (1992–1993) | Recurring Character |
| 1993—1994 | L.A. Law | Rev. Joseph Halliday, Thomas Quinn | God is My Co-Counsel (1994), F.O.B. (1993) | Episodic Character |
| 1996—2001 | Nash Bridges | Nick Bridges | 49 Episodes (1996–2001) | Recurring Character |
| 2003 | Fillmore! | Doc Hemlock | Two Wheels, Full Throtle, No Brakes (2003) | Voice |
| 2004 | LAX | Bill Barkley | The Longest Morning (2004) | Episodic Character |
| Crossing Jordan | Olin Price | Justice Delayed (2004) | ||
| 2007 | Monk | Oates | Mr. Monk Visits a Farm (2007) | |
| Grey's Anatomy | Mr. Scofield | Scars and Souvenirs (2007) |
References
- ↑ Dave Schlenker. "Actor James Gammon, who called Ocala home, dies at 70".
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Weber, Bruce (July 20, 2010). "James Gammon, Character Actor, Dies at 70". The New York Times.
- 1 2 James Gammon bio
- ↑ James Gammon's profile at IBDb
- ↑ "Actor James Gammon, 70, starred in "Iron Giant"". forum.bcdb.com July 16, 2010
- ↑ Notice of Gammon's death