James Westerfield
James Westerfield (born March 22, 1913 in Nashville , Tennessee , † September 20, 1971 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actor.
life and career
James Westerfield made his film debut in 1940 with a small role as the hillbilly in the historical drama The Howards of Virginia , after having previously gained experience as a stage actor at the Pasadena Playhouse . Although he was mentioned in the credits for Highway West for the first time the following year , the roles for the heavyweight character actor, who tended to be bald at an early age, initially remained small. A high point of his early film career was the portrayal of the butler in the film noir The Chase (1946). In December 1944, Westerfield made his Broadway debut in the musical comedy Sing Out, Sweet Land ; in the following ten years he worked mainly at the theater in New York and gained recognition, partly with self-written and self-produced pieces. He has twice received the prestigious New York Drama Critics Award .
He made a successful return to Hollywood in 1954 with the portrayal of the beefy dockworker Big Mac in Elia Kazan's classic film The Fist in the Neck . Six years later he was to play again in Wilder Strom , directed by Kazan . Until his death, numerous supporting roles for Westerfield followed, especially in westerns or crime films, in which he played mostly down-to-earth workers or rough criminals. In the Disney comedies The Unheimliche Zotti (1959), The Flying Pauker (1961) and The Pauker Can't Keep It (1962) he appeared as a police officer. He had other appearances in addition to Rock Hudson in Howard Hawks ' comedy A Goldfish on a Leash (1964) and in a historical role as judge Isaac Charles Parker in Henry Hathaway's western The Marshal (1969) opposite John Wayne . Westerfield has also made regular guest appearances on television series such as Bonanza , Smoking Colts , The People at Shiloh Ranch, and In Love with a Witch .
Westerfield died of a heart attack in September 1971 at the age of 58, leaving behind his wife Alice G. Fay, who had been married since 1962. His last film, Lucky Johnny , was not released posthumously until 1975.
Filmography (selection)
- 1940: The Howards of Virginia
- 1941: Highway West
- 1942: The Magnificent Ambersons (The Magnificent Ambersons)
- 1942: Pride of the Yankees (The Pride of the Yankees)
- 1944: Since You Went Away (Since You Went Away)
- 1946: The Unknown Beloved (Undercurrent)
- 1946: The Chase
- 1951: The Whistle at Eaton Falls
- 1954: The fist in the neck (On the Waterfront)
- 1954: Three Hours to Kill
- 1954: Always chasing blondes (The Human Jungle)
- 1955: The Scarlet rock (The Scarlet Coat)
- 1955: The Spear of Vengeance (Chief Crazy Horse)
- 1955: Rauhe Gesellen (The Violent Men)
- 1955: The Lost (The Cobweb)
- 1955: Man with the Gun
- 1956: Away All Boats
- 1957: Ticket to the Hereafter (Decision at Sundown)
- 1957: Hell of the Jungle (Jungle Heat)
- 1958: cowboy
- 1958: The proud rebel (The Proud Rebel)
- 1959: The Gunfight at Dodge City
- 1959: The Shaggy Dog (The Shaggy Dog)
- 1959: The Executioner (The Hangman)
- 1960: Wild River (Wild River)
- 1960: The Marauders (The Plunderers)
- 1961: Murderous (Homicidal)
- 1961: The Flying Timpani (The Absent-Minded Professor)
- 1962: The timpanist can't help it (Son of Flubber)
- 1962: The Prisoner of Alcatraz (Birdman of Alcatraz)
- 1963–1964: The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series, 7 episodes)
- 1964: A goldfish on a leash (Man's Favorite Sport?)
- 1964: Bikini Beach
- 1965: The Sons of Katie Elder (The Sons of Katie Elder)
- 1965: The bedroom is next door (That Funny Feeling)
- 1966: Whenever He Smelled Dollars (Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round)
- 1968: Inferno on the River (Blue)
- 1968: Hang 'Em High
- 1969: Smith! - One man against everyone (Smith!)
- 1969: The Marshal (True Grit)
- 1969: Reluctant sexual protagonist (The Love God?)
- 1975: Lucky Johnny [shot in 1971]
Web links
- James Westerfield in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- James Westerfield in the Internet Broadway Database (English)
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Westerfield, James |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-American actor |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 22, 1913 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Nashville , Tennessee |
DATE OF DEATH | 20th September 1971 |
Place of death | Los Angeles , California |