Acting
May 7, 1941
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, US
James Mitchum
Acting
Biography
James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor and the eldest son of actor Robert Mitchum. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he was the uncle of actor Bentley Mitchum. He had his first role, which was small and unbilled, at the age of eight in the Western Colorado Territory (1949) with Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, and Dorothy Malone. His credited debut was in Thunder Road (1958), in which he played his father's much younger brother, a role written for Elvis Presley, who was eager to do it until his manager demanded too much money. This film became a drive-in cult favorite, revived in the 1970s and ’80s. Curiously, he was again credited as being "introduced" in the Have Gun Will Travel pilot episode "Genesis" (1962). He has appeared in more than 30 films including The Beat Generation in 1959; The Victors in 1963; as a surfer named Eskimo in Ride the Wild Surf in 1964; In Harm's Way (1965) with John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Henry Fonda; Ambush Bay (1966); The Invincible Six (1970); Two-Lane Blacktop (1971); and The Last Movie (1971). In 1975 he starred in the movie Moonrunners, where he played the character Grady Hagg in the influence for the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was also in Zebra Force and Trackdown co-starring Karen Lamm and Erik Estrada in 1976; Ransom (a k a Assault on Paradise) (1977); Blackout (1978); Monstroid (1980); Crazy Jungle Adventure (1982); Code Name Zebra (1987); Hollywood Cop (1987); Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989); and Fatal Mission (1990). Description above from the Wikipedia article James Mitchum, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Feature Films (33)
Intercutting dramatic vignettes with newsreel footage, the story follows the characters from an infantry squad as they make their way from Sicily to Germany during the end of World War II.
The Victors
A group of friends go to Hawaii during the height of surfing season, to compete with other surf bums and find girlfriends along the way.
Ride the Wild Surf
A group of beatniks unwittingly harbor a serial rapist. A cop goes after him after his wife is attacked.
The Beat Generation
When half a million dollars disappears from a doctor office's safe, the cops assigned to the burglary case, Joe and Pete, decide to find the money and keep it for themselves.
The Money Trap
Unrepentant Tennessee moonshine runner Luke Doolin makes dangerous high-speed deliveries for his liquor-producing father, Vernon, but won't let his younger brother Robin join the family business. Under pressure from both out-of-town gangster Kogan, who wants a piece of the local action, and Treasury agent Barrett, who wants to destroy the moonshine business, Luke fights for his fast-fading way of life.
Thunder Road
Grady and Bobby Lee run moonshine for Uncle Jesse, who prides himself on his old-school moonshining methods, and refuses to buckle in to the 'big business moonshine' of Jake, who controls these parts for New York mobsters
