James Anderson (American actor)
James Anderson | |
|---|---|
.jpg/1280px-James_Anderson_in_To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_(1962).jpg) Anderson in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) | |
| Born | (1920-07-13)July 13, 1920[1] Birmingham, Alabama, U.S |
| Died | September 14, 1969(1969-09-14) (aged 49) Billings, Montana, U.S |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1941–1969 |
| Family | Mary Anderson (sister) |
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James O. Anderson Jr.[2] (July 13, 1920 – September 14, 1969), sometimes billed as Kyle James and known as Buddy Anderson, was an American television and film actor of the 1950s and 1960s. He is probably best known for his role as Bob E. Lee Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).
Early life
Anderson was born to J. O. Anderson and his wife. His sister was Mary Anderson, who also had an acting career.[3]
In 1938, while attending Shades-Cahaba High School, he played halfback on the football team.[4] He later studied acting for a year at the University of Alabama.[2]
Career
After leaving Alabama for Los Angeles, Anderson trained under Max Reinhardt for six months. While there, he starred in the play Zero Hour,[2] written by George Sklar and Albert Maltz.[5] Weeks after starring in the play, in November 1940, Anderson signed a contract with Warner Bros.[2]
He made more than 120 appearances, mostly in television and several films between 1941 and 1969. He made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of murder victim Frank Anderson in the 1958 episode, "The Case of the Pint-Sized Client," and murder victim Stanley Piper in the 1960 episode, "The Case of the Ill-Fated Faker." He appeared in a number of westerns throughout his career, often playing a gun-for-hire or outlaw...including "Sanctuary at Crystal Springs", the controversial 1963 episode of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series The Dakotas, that led to the series' cancellation, where he played the main antagonist.. He also appeared on Gunsmoke in 1963, playing an outlaw named "Harmon" in S12E7's "The Wrong Man". That same year he guest starred on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the 1963 episode "Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans" (S1E28).
Personal life
Anderson was taken to the UCLA Medical Center with a serious injury - a skull fracture - in the summer of 1956. The hospital reported the injury to the police, but newspapers at the time reported that Anderson couldn't be questioned due to the severity of his injury. [6]
Death
Anderson died suddenly on September 14, 1969 while on location for Little Big Man in Billings, Montana. He was two months past his 49th birthday and was survived by his mother and sister.[7][8] His cause of death was reported as drug intoxication (barbiturate poisoning).[9]
Legacy
In 2010, Mary Badham, who starred alongside Anderson in To Kill a Mockingbird, praised his method acting style: "[W]hen he walked on the set, he was that character. He gave everybody the willies and we were all intimidated by him".[10]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Sergeant York | Eb | Uncredited | [4] |
| Dive Bomber | Pilot | Uncredited | [4] | |
| 1942 | Reap the Wild Wind | Callboy in Café | Uncredited | [4] |
| 1945 | Mildred Pierce | Diner Customer | Uncredited | |
| 1949 | Bride of Vengeance | Guard | Uncredited | |
| The Great Sinner | Nervous Young Gambler | Uncredited | ||
| 1950 | Johnny One-Eye | Apartment House Switchboard Operator | Uncredited | |
| The Fireball | Strong Arm Man | Uncredited | ||
| Hunt the Man Down | Richard Kincaid / William H. Jackson | |||
| 1951 | Five | Eric | ||
| Along the Great Divide | Dan Roden | [11] | ||
| The Blue Veil | Jim Tappan | Uncredited | ||
| 1952 | The Last Musketeer | Russ Tasker | ||
| Has Anybody Seen My Gal? | Chauffeur | Uncredited | ||
| The Duel at Silver Creek | Rat Face Blake | As Kyle James | ||
| Hellgate | Vern Brechene | As Kyle James | ||
| The Star | Bailey – Actor playing Jed Garfield in The Fatal Winter | Uncredited | ||
| Ruby Gentry | Jewel Corey | |||
| 1953 | The Great Jesse James Raid | Johnny Dorette | ||
| Arrowhead | Jerry August | |||
| China Venture | Cpl. Walters | Uncredited | ||
| Donovan's Brain | Chief Tuttle | |||
| Flight to Tangier | Dullah | |||
| 1954 | Riot in Cell Block 11 | Guard Acton | ||
| Drums Across the River | Jed Walker | |||
| Pushover | Beery—Mechanic | Uncredited | ||
| Dragnet | Fred Kemp | Uncredited | ||
| Private Hell 36 | Patrolman in Locker Room | Uncredited | ||
| The Bamboo Prison | Progressive | Uncredited | ||
| They Rode West | Wounded Trooper | Uncredited | ||
| The Violent Men | Hank Purdue | Uncredited | ||
| 1955 | Highway Patrol | Gus Montana | Episode: "Phony Insurance" | |
| Seven Angry Men | Henry Thompson | |||
| An Annapolis Story | Instructor | Uncredited | ||
| The Marauders | Louis Ferber | |||
| At Gunpoint | Barlow | Uncredited | ||
| 1956 | Inside Detroit | Reller | Uncredited | |
| Fury at Gunsight Pass | O'Neil | |||
| The Rawhide Years | Deputy Wade | |||
| Tension at Table Rock | Lerner | Uncredited | ||
| Friendly Persuasion | Poor Loser Dunked by Jess | Uncredited | ||
| Running Target | Strothers | |||
| The Rack | Skinny | Uncredited | ||
| 1957 | The Big Land | Bob Cole | ||
| Perry Mason (1957 TV series) (Season 1 Episode 9, "The Case of the Vagabond Vixen") | Peter Handsell | |||
| 1958 | The Thing That Couldn't Die | Boyd Abercrombie | ||
| As Young as We Are | Barney | Uncredited | ||
| I Married a Monster from Outer Space | Weldon | |||
| 1962 | Pressure Point | Father | Uncredited | |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell | [12] | ||
| 1966 | The Chase | Simmons | Uncredited | |
| 1969 | Take the Money and Run | Chain Gang Warden | ||
| The Ballad of Cable Hogue | Preacher | |||
| 1970 | Little Big Man | Sergeant | (final film role) |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Rawhide | Troxel | S1:E8, "Incident West of Lano" |
| 1961 | Rawhide | Morse | S3:E25, "Incident of the Running Man" |
| 1961 | Rawhide | Sheriff | S4:E7, "The Black Sheep" |
| 1963 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Vince Cates | Season 1 Episode 28: "Last Seen Wearing Blue Jeans" |
| 1964 | Gunsmoke | Hewitt | S10:E4, "The Violators" |
| 1964 | Rawhide | Sheriff | S7:E2, "The Enormous Fist" |
References
- ^World War 2 Draft Cards, Young Men 1940-1947
- ^ abcd"Bebe Anderson's Brother Buddy Goes Into Movies; Warner Bros. Sign Him". The Birmingham Post. November 25, 1940. p. 5. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^Croft, Lulu (April 10, 1957). "Birmingham star, hubby stop here between dates". The Birmingham News. p. 5. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ abcd"Hollywood Star Buys Own Ducat to Game". The Birmingham News. October 19, 1941. p. 19. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^"'Zero Hour' Due Tonight". Los Angeles Times. November 8, 1940. p. 17. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^"Actor James Anderson Suffers Skull Fracture". Muskogee Times-Democrat. July 17, 1956. p. 12.
- ^"Obituaries: James Anderson". Variety. October 1, 1969. p. 79. ProQuest 1014854140.
James Anderson, age unreported, screen actor, died suddenly Sept. 14 in Billings, Montana while on location for Cinema Center Films' 'Little Big Man.' Among credits were 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Take the Money and Run.' Mother survives.
- ^Noland, Claire (April 8, 2014). "OBITUARIES; MARY ANDERSON, 1918 - 2014; Actress had role in 'Gone With the Wind'". Los Angeles Times. p. AA5. ProQuest 1513289253.
Her brother, James, became an actor who specialized in westerns. He died in 1969.
- ^Montana State Deaths 1907-2018
- ^Rotstein, Gary (July 4, 2010). "Scout recalls bonding with actors on the set". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. E4. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^Caldwell, Lily May (August 3, 1951). "Buddy Anderson steals show from vet actor". The Birmingham News. p. 36. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^Nickel, John (2004). "Disabling African American Men: Liberalism and Race Message Films". Cinema Journal. 44 (1): 40. doi:10.1353/cj.2004.0051. ISSN 0009-7101. JSTOR 3661171. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
External links
