
Born on October 1, 1921, just outside New York City in White Plains, New York, character veteran James Whitmore was well regarded in his early years for his award-winning dramatic capabilities on Broadway and in films. Later he conquered TV with the same trophy-winning results. Educated at Connecticut's Choate School after receiving a football scholarship, he later earned his BA from Yale University in 1944 before serving with the Marines in World War II. Following his discharge and study in the American Theatre Wing,he met first of four wives, Nancy Mygatt. In the summer of 1947, Whitmore's debuted on Broadway as Tech Sergeant Evans in "Command Decision". His gritty performance reaped the stage acting trifecta -- Tony, Donaldson and Theatre World awards --in one fell swoop. Following the release of the war picture Battleground (1949), earning himself both Golden Globe and an Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor. He went on to find a solid footing in films throughout the early part of the 1950s, before turning to television performances and only returning to film decades later. Earning distinction throughout his six-decade career, Whitmore showed worthy Oscar potential once again with his touching role as an aged, ill-fated prison parolee in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and copped an Emmy for a recurring part on "The Practice" in the late 90s. A household face in commercials as well, one of his ultimate passions was gardening and he eventually became the commercial spokesman for Miracle-Gro plant food.
Series | A Minute with Stan Hooper | Unknown | 2003-10-29 |
Series | Mister Sterling | 2003-01-10 | |
Movie | A Ring of Endless Light | Grandfather | 2002-07-04 |
Movie | The Majestic | Stan Keller | 2001-12-21 |
Series | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Unknown | 2000-10-06 |
Movie | Swing Vote | Daniel Morissey | 1999-04-19 |
Series | The Practice | Unknown | 1997-03-04 |
Movie | The Relic | Dr. Albert Frock | 1997-01-10 |
Movie | The Shawshank Redemption | Brooks Hatlen | 1994-09-23 |
Movie | Old Explorers | Leinen Roth | 1990-09-28 |
Movie | Glory! Glory! | Lester Babbitt | 1989-09-25 |
Movie | Tricks of the Trade | 1988-01-01 | |
Movie | Nuts | Judge Stanley Murdoch | 1987-11-20 |
Movie | The Adventures of Mark Twain | Mark Twain (voice) | 1985-03-01 |
Series | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Unknown | 1985-05-21 |
Series | George Burns Comedy Week | Unknown | 1985-09-18 |
Movie | The Klan: A Legacy of Hate in America | Narrator | 1982-10-01 |
Movie | Hail Columbia! | Narrator | 1982-01-01 |
Movie | The First Deadly Sin | Dr. Sanford Ferguson | 1980-10-03 |
Series | The White Shadow | Unknown | 1978-11-27 |
Series | The Word | George Wheeler | 1978-11-12 |
Movie | Bully: An Adventure with Teddy Roosevelt | Teddy Roosevelt | 1978-09-29 |
Movie | The Serpent's Egg | Priester | 1977-10-28 |
Movie | The Flying Misfits | Capt. James 'Jim' Gutterman | 1976-09-21 |
Movie | Give 'em Hell, Harry! | Harry S. Truman | 1975-09-17 |
Movie | I Will Fight No More Forever | General Oliver O. Howard | 1975-04-13 |
Movie | The Balloon Vendor | Antonio | 1974-12-21 |
Movie | Where the Red Fern Grows | Grandpa | 1974-06-21 |
Movie | High Crime | Commissioner Aldo Scavino | 1973-08-12 |
Movie | The Harrad Experiment | Philip Tenhausen | 1973-05-11 |
Movie | Chato's Land | Joshua Everette | 1972-01-01 |
Series | Temperatures Rising | 1972-09-12 | |
Movie | If Tomorrow Comes | Frank Phillips | 1971-12-17 |
Movie | The Challenge | Overman | 1970-02-10 |
Movie | Tora! Tora! Tora! | Vice Admiral William F. 'Bull' Halsey Jr. | 1970-01-26 |
Series | Then Came Bronson | Unknown | 1969-09-17 |
Movie | Guns of the Magnificent Seven | Levi | 1969-07-14 |
Series | My Friend Tony | Prof. John Woodruff | 1969-01-05 |
Movie | The Split | Herb Sutro | 1968-11-04 |
Series | The Name of the Game | Unknown | 1968-09-20 |
Movie | Madigan | Chief Insp. Charles Kane | 1968-03-29 |
Movie | Planet of the Apes | President of the Assembly | 1968-02-07 |
Movie | Nobody's Perfect | Capt. Mike Riley | 1968-01-12 |
Movie | Chuka | Lou Trent | 1967-07-23 |
Series | Custer | Unknown | 1967-09-06 |
Series | Judd for the Defense | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Series | The Danny Thomas Hour | Unknown | 1967-09-11 |
Series | Cowboy in Africa | Unknown | 1967-09-11 |
Movie | Waterhole #3 | Captain Shipley | 1967-10-10 |
Series | The CAT | Unknown | 1966-09-16 |
Series | Tarzan | Unknown | 1966-09-08 |
Series | The Monroes | Unknown | 1966-09-07 |
Series | The Loner | Unknown | 1965-09-18 |
Series | The Big Valley | Unknown | 1965-09-15 |
Series | Run for Your Life | Unknown | 1965-09-13 |
Series | For the People | Unknown | 1965-01-31 |
Movie | The Tenderfoot | Captain Ewell | 1964-11-08 |
Series | Slattery's People | Unknown | 1964-09-21 |
Series | Twelve O'Clock High | Unknown | 1964-09-18 |
Movie | Black Like Me | John Finley Horton | 1964-01-01 |
Series | Arrest and Trial | Unknown | 1963-09-15 |
Series | The Greatest Show on Earth | Unknown | 1963-09-17 |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Series | The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters | Unknown | 1963-09-29 |
Series | Kraft Suspense Theatre | Unknown | 1963-10-10 |
Series | Going My Way | Unknown | 1962-10-03 |
Series | Combat! | Unknown | 1962-10-02 |
Series | The Virginian | Unknown | 1962-09-19 |
Movie | Icarus Montgolfier Wright | 1962-01-01 | |
Series | Alcoa Premiere | Unknown | 1961-10-10 |
Series | Ben Casey | Unknown | 1961-10-02 |
Series | Bus Stop | Unknown | 1961-10-01 |
Series | Dr. Kildare | Unknown | 1961-09-27 |
Series | The Wonderful World of Disney | Unknown | 1961-09-24 |
Series | Route 66 | Unknown | 1960-10-07 |
Series | The Law and Mr. Jones | 1960-10-07 | |
Series | Checkmate | Unknown | 1960-09-17 |
Movie | Who Was That Lady? | Harry Powell | 1960-04-15 |
Series | Rawhide | Unknown | 1959-01-09 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1959-10-02 |
Movie | Face of Fire | Monk Johnson | 1959-08-09 |
Series | The Detectives | Unknown | 1959-10-16 |
Movie | The Restless Years | Ed Henderson | 1958-12-01 |
Series | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Unknown | 1958-10-06 |
Series | Decision | Unknown | 1958-07-06 |
Movie | The Deep Six | Cmdr. Warren Meredith | 1958-01-15 |
Movie | The Young Don't Cry | Rudy Krist | 1957-07-26 |
Series | Panic! | Unknown | 1957-03-05 |
Series | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Movie | Crime in the Streets | Ben Wagner | 1956-06-10 |
Movie | The Eddy Duchin Story | Lou Sherwood | 1956-05-02 |
Movie | The McConnell Story | SSgt. / Maj . / Col. Ty 'Dad' Whitman | 1955-09-29 |
Movie | Battle Cry | MSgt. Mac | 1955-02-02 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Unknown | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Crossroads | Unknown | 1955-10-07 |
Series | Playwrights '56 | Unknown | 1955-10-04 |
Series | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Unknown | 1955-10-05 |
Movie | Oklahoma! | Mr. Carnes | 1955-10-10 |
Movie | The Last Frontier | Gus | 1955-12-07 |
Series | Climax! | Unknown | 1954-10-07 |
Movie | Them! | Sgt. Ben Peterson | 1954-06-16 |
Movie | The Command | Sgt. Elliott | 1954-02-13 |
Movie | The Great Diamond Robbery | Mr. Remlick, Lawyer | 1954-01-29 |
Movie | Kiss Me Kate | Slug | 1953-11-26 |
Movie | All the Brothers Were Valiant | Fetcher | 1953-11-13 |
Series | The United States Steel Hour | Unknown | 1953-10-27 |
Movie | The Girl Who Had Everything | Charles 'Chico' Menlow | 1953-03-27 |
Series | The Academy Awards | Unknown | 1953-03-18 |
Movie | Shadow in the Sky | Lou Hopke | 1952-07-18 |
Movie | Because You're Mine | Sergeant 'Bat' Batterson | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | Above and Beyond | Maj William M. Uanna | 1952-12-31 |
Movie | It's a Big Country | Mr. Stacey | 1951-11-20 |
Movie | Angels in the Outfield | Angel (voice) (uncredited) | 1951-10-19 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Movie | Across the Wide Missouri | Old Bill (uncredited) | 1951-10-01 |
Movie | Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone | John J. Malone | 1950-12-08 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Unknown | 1950-10-02 |
Movie | The Next Voice You Hear.... | Joe Smith | 1950-06-29 |
Movie | The Asphalt Jungle | Gus Minissi | 1950-05-22 |
Movie | Please Believe Me | Vincent Maran | 1950-05-12 |
Movie | The Outriders | Clint Priest | 1950-03-01 |
Movie | Battleground | Kinnie | 1949-11-09 |
Movie | The Undercover Man | George Pappas | 1949-03-21 |
Series | Studio One | Unknown | 1948-11-07 |