James Whitmore
Biography
James Whitmore was an American actor whose roughly fifty-year career covered more than 150 stage, film, and television roles. Born in White Plains, New York, he took up acting at Yale and later trained at the American Theatre Wing and the Actors Studio. His first Broadway play, Command Decision, won him a Special Tony Award. For Battleground (1949) he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe. He went on to appear in The Asphalt Jungle, Kiss Me Kate (1953), Them! (1954), Oklahoma! (1955), Black Like Me (1964), Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969), and Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970). A Grammy, an Emmy, and a Tony were among his honors. His one-man show Give 'em Hell, Harry! (1975) brought an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Later films included The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Relic (1997), and The Majestic. In 1999 he won a Primetime Emmy for The Practice. He died in 2009.
87years old at death
- Born White Plains
- Died Malibu
- Star sign: LibraThe sign runs September 23 to October 22
- Also credited as James Allen Whitmore
Movie Career
- Films
- 28
- Career span
- 53 years1949 to 2002
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Big break
Whitmore was cast in his first major film role in Battleground after Spencer Tracy turned the part down, and the performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
First role
Whitmore earned a Special Tony Award as Best Newcomer of the Season for his first Broadway play, Command Decision, in which he played Tech Sergeant Harold Evans.
Early training
After moving to Hollywood, Whitmore taught an acting workshop. Young James Dean was one of his students in the early '50s, and Whitmore told him to go to New York.
A first
Whitmore earned the title King of the One Man Show for his solo performances as Will Rogers, Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt, with the Truman show leading to an Oscar nomination.
James Whitmore movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
George Sidney directed three of these films, Frank Darabont two and Gordon Douglas two. Jeffrey DeMunn appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Jeffrey DeMunn's page
John McIntire's page
Denver Pyle's page
Leon Ames's page
Barry Kelley's page
All films by George Sidney
All films by Frank Darabont
Also two films together12 more actors
- Anthony CarusoThe Asphalt Jungle (1950) and The Undercover Man (1949)
- David ProvalThe Relic (1997) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
- James ArnessThem! (1954) and Battleground (1949)
- Simon OaklandChato's Land (1972) and Who Was That Lady? (1960)
- Virginia GreggMadigan (1968) and Crime in the Streets (1956)
- Larry KeatingWho Was That Lady? (1960) and The Eddy Duchin Story (1956)
- Raymond St. JacquesMadigan (1968) and Black Like Me (1964)
- Guy MadisonThe Last Frontier (1955) and The Command (1954)
- Fess ParkerBattle Cry (1955) and Them! (1954)
- Joan WeldonThe Command (1954) and Them! (1954)
- Bobby VanKiss Me Kate (1953) and Because You're Mine (1952)
- Don SheltonThe Command (1954) and Them! (1954)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What James Whitmore's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$159 million
9 of the 28 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 28 films: 9 worldwide figure; 6 us gross only; 1 never in cinemas; 12 figure not found.
- 9Worldwide figure
- 6US gross only
- 1Never in cinemas
- 12Figure not found
Top grosser
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 99% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$37M23.5% of the total
- 2$37M23.4% of the total
- 3$34M21.3% of the total
- 4$28M17.8% of the total
- 5$14M8.9% of the total
- 6$3.1M2.0% of the total
- 7$2.1M1.3% of the total
- 8$2.0M1.3% of the total
$849,915from the other 1 film with a worldwide figure, 1% of the total
Awards
Six awards and honors from 1948 to 2000, three of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1950 | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Battleground | Won |
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 2000 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | The Practice | Won |
| Tony Awards | |||
| 1948 | Best Newcomer | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| 1948 | Theatre World Award | Won | |
| Donaldson Awards | Won | ||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.