James Craig (actor)
James Craig (born February 4, 1912 in Nashville , Tennessee , † June 28, 1985 in Santa Ana , California ), actually James Henry Meador , was an American actor .
Life
After graduating from Rice University , Craig took acting classes with Cyril Delevanti . After a few extras he got his first speaking role as a waiter in Sophie Lang Goes West with Buster Crabbe in 1937 . In 1938 he also starred on Broadway in the comedy Missouri Legend alongside Karl Malden and José Ferrer . By 1940 he made a large number of feature films, but mostly without being named in the credits; only with his role as Dr. Mark iron in the film drama Miss Kitty alongside Ginger Rogers he started in the film business a name. The following year he starred alongside Edward Arnold and Walter Huston in the fantasy film The Devil and Daniel Webster in the central role.
He then received a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer , where studio boss Louis B. Mayer regarded him as a kind of replacement for Clark Gable , who was in the military service . At MGM he got some big roles in prestigious films like And Life Goes On (1943) and Spring Of Life (1945), but he was unable to establish himself as a star permanently. In the late 1940s he often starred in B-movies , including some westerns . However, none of these films were a major commercial success, and so the importance of his films diminished noticeably. In the 1960s he starred in other westerns, including Die Wegelagerer with Howard Keel and Yvonne De Carlo . In the mid-1970s, he completely withdrew from the film business and instead worked as a real estate agent .
Craig died of lung cancer at the age of 73. The actor, divorced three times, had three children.
Filmography (selection)
- 1937: The Wyoming gambling den (Born to the West)
- 1938: The Big Broadcast of 1938
- 1940: Miss Kitty (Kitty Foyle: The Natural History of a Woman)
- 1940: The House of Seven Sins (Seven Sinners)
- 1940: Black Friday (Black Friday)
- 1941: The Devil and Daniel Webster (All That Money Can Buy)
- 1942: Friendly Enemies
- 1943: The Little Angel (Lost Angel)
- 1943: And Life Goes On (The Human Comedy)
- 1944: Kismet (Kismet)
- 1945: Spring of Life (Our Vines Have Tender Grapes)
- 1945: Dangerous Partnership (Dangerous Partners)
- 1947: Dark Delusion
- 1948: Silver King (Northwest Stampede)
- 1950: Side Street
- 1951: Deadly Pavement Sunset Strip (The Strip)
- 1952: Mistress of the Outlaws ( Hurricane Smith )
- 1953: Fort of Vengeance (Fort Vengeance)
- 1956: The Beast (While the City Sleeps)
- 1957: naked in the sun ( Naked in the Sun )
- 1960: Four Fast Guns
- 1968: ... but the blood is always red (If He Hollers, Let Him Go!)
- 1968: The Highwaymen (Arizona Bushwhackers)
- 1968: The Devil's Brigade (The Devil's Brigade)
- 1970: Big Foot (Bigfoot)
- 1972: Hydra Lost in Galaxy 4 (Doomsday Machine)
Broadway
- 1938: Missouri Legend
Web links
- James Craig in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- James Craig in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
- James Craig in the All Movie Guide (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Los Angeles Times: James Craig, Once Billed as 2nd Gable, Dies. July 9, 1985. Retrieved July 10, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ James Craig, Actor, 74, Dies - Once Called Gable Successor - NYTimes.com. November 6, 2017, accessed July 10, 2020 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Craig, James |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Meador, James Henry (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1912 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Nashville , Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 28, 1985 |
| Place of death | Santa Ana , California |