George Clifton James (May 29, 1920 – April 15, 2017) was an American actor of film, theatre, and television. He was best known to screen audiences for his various character roles, including prison floorwalker Carr in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), the sheriff in Silver Streak (1976) and Superman II (1980), a Texas tycoon in The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977), and Charles Comiskey in Eight Men Out (1988).

Early life and education James was born in Spokane, Washington, the son of Grace (née Dean), a teacher, and Harry James, a journalist. He grew up in Oregon in the Gladstone area of Clackamas County.

James was a decorated World War II United States Army veteran. He served as an infantry platoon sergeant with Co. "A" 163rd Infantry, 41st Division. He served forty-two months in the South Pacific from January 1942 until August 1945. His decorations include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.

After the war, James attended the University of Oregon on the G.I. Bill, where he developed his interesting in acting. He later moved to New York City, where he continued his studies at the Actors Studio.

Career James began his career in theater in New York City, and was a graduated of the Actors Studio. He became well known for playing the comic-relief role of Louisiana Sheriff J.W. Pepper in the James Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). He played very similar characters in both Silver Streak (1976) and Superman II (1980). Years earlier he portrayed a serious character in The Reivers (1969), opposite Steve McQueen, playing a mean, corrupt country sheriff. Two years before that, he had portrayed a hard-nosed Southern prison floor-walker in Cool Hand Luke (1967). In Juggernaut (1974) he portrayed one of the first passengers aboard a luxury liner to realize there was a serious problem with the ship.

James appeared in the uncredited role of the district attorney who prosecuted Al Capone in the film The Untouchables (1987). He played a Navy master-at-arms in The Last Detail (1973), starring Jack Nicholson, and Chicago White Sox baseball team owner Charles Comiskey in Eight Men Out (1988), a drama about the corrupt 1919 Chicago White Sox.

Despite being born in the Northwest and spending much of his life in New York (where he was an Actors Studio member of long standing),Actors Studio Recordings, 1956-1969, University of Wisconsin–Madison James was cast as a Southerner in many of his screen roles, such as his appearances in the James Bond films, and as powerful Houston lawyer Striker Bellman in the daytime soap opera Texas from 1981 to 1982.

In 1965, he played “Sam Hare”, a slimy, blackmailing salesman on the TV Western Gunsmoke in the episode “The Lady” (S10E27). He guest-starred again as Tenner Jackson, a successful poker player later killed for his winnings in the episode “The Wrong Man” - alongside Carroll O’Connor (S12E7). Later, he played the train passenger Wilkes on the Gunsmoke episode "Snow Train" (1970).

James again portrayed a Southern character when he played Sheriff Lester Crabb, a temporary one-off replacement for regular Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (James Best) in the second-season Dukes of Hazzard episode "Treasure of Hazzard" (1980). He appeared on 13 episodes of the sitcom Lewis & Clark in 1981–1982. Other television credits include the 1976 private-eye drama City of Angels and the miniseries Captains and the Kings (1976). He appeared in two episodes of The A-Team: as murderous prison warden Beale in the first-season episode "Pros and Cons" (1983) and as corrupt Sheriff Jake Dawson in the second season's "The White Ballot" (1983). In 1996, he played the role of Red Kilgreen on All My Children. James appeared in the 1979 pilot episode of Hart to Hart playing the part of a highway cop.

His other film roles include those of a wealthy Montana land baron whose cattle are being rustled in Rancho Deluxe (1975) and as the source who tips off a newspaperman to a potentially explosive story in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). James was featured a number of times by writer-director John Sayles, including Eight Men Out (1988), Lone Star (1996) and Sunshine State (2002).

James' last known film appearance was in Raising Flagg (2006), although he had been cast in a starring role to appear in the feature film Old Soldiers, playing a true-to-life elderly veteran of World War II. Production on that film was halted in 2016.

Personal life James married twice: to Donna Lea Beach from 1948 to 1950, with whom he had one child, and to Laurie Harper, from 1951 until her death in 2015, with whom he had five children. He resided in Gladstone, Oregon.

Death James died from complications of diabetes on April 15, 2017, aged 96.Clifton James, Sheriff in James Bond Films, Dies at 96 Variety, April 15, 2017

Theatre credits YearTitleRoleVenueNotes1955The Time of Your LifeCopNew York City Center, New York1957CareerRobert Kensington7th Avenue South Playhouse, New York1957–1958The Cave DwellersWrecking Crew BossBijou Theatre, New York1958–1959J.B.RoustaboutANTA Playhouse, New York1959Sweet ConfessionMichaudTheatre de Lys, New York1960The TempestStephanoAmerican Shakespeare Theatre, StratfordAntony and CleopatraSextus PompeiusTwelfth NightAntonioThe Long DreamClemAmbassador Theatre, New York1960–1961All the Way HomeRalph FolletBelasco Theatre, New York1962Great Day in the MorningBrennan FarrellHenry Miller's Theatre, New York1962–1963A Man's a ManPolly BakerStage 42, New York1963AndorraThe CarpenterBiltmore Theatre, New York1965And Things That Go Bump in the NightFaRoyale Theatre, New YorkThe Last Days of LincolnTheatre de Lys, New YorkDirector1966The CoopDannyActors' Playhouse, New York1967The Trial of Lee Harvey OswaldLawrence PhelpsANTA Playhouse, New York1977The Shadow BoxJoeMorosco Theatre, New YorkReplacementLunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York1980American BuffaloDonny DubrowLong Wharf Theatre, New Haven1981Circle in the Square Theatre, New York1983Total AbandonBen HammersteinBooth Theatre, New York Sources:

Selected filmography

The Strange One (1957) as Colonel Ramsey The Last Mile (1959) as Harris Something Wild (1961) as Detective Bogart Experiment in Terror (1962) as Captain Moreno David and Lisa (1962) as John Black Like Me (1964) as Eli Carr Invitation to a Gunfighter (1964) as Tuttle The Chase (1966) as Lem Brewster The Happening (1967) as O'Reilly The Caper of the Golden Bulls (1967) as Philippe Cool Hand Luke (1967) as Carl Will Penny (1967) as Catron The Reivers (1969) as Butch Lovemaiden ...tick...tick...tick... (1970) as D.J. Rankin WUSA (1970) as "Speed", Sailor In Bar The Biscuit Eater (1972) as Mr. Eben The New Centurions (1972) as "Whitey" Kid Blue (1973) as Mr. Hendricks Live and Let Die (1973) as Sheriff J.W. Pepper The Werewolf of Washington (1973) as Attorney General The Iceman Cometh (1973) as Pat McGloin The Last Detail (1973) as M.A.A. The Laughing Policeman (1973) as Officer Jim Maloney SFPD Bomb Squad Bank Shot (1974) as Streiger Buster and Billie (1974) as Jake Juggernaut (1974) as Corrigan The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) as Sheriff J.W. Pepper Rancho Deluxe (1975) as John Brown Friendly Persuasion (1975) as Sam Jordan The Deadly Tower (1975) as Captain Fred Ambrose From Hong Kong with Love (1975) as Bill Silver Streak (1976) as Sheriff Oliver Chauncey The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977) as Sy Orlansky Caboblanco (1980) as Lorrimer Superman II (1980) as Sheriff The Dukes of Hazzard (1980) as Sheriff Lester Crabb Talk to Me (1984) as State Trooper Kidco (1984) as Orville Peterjohn Stiffs (1985) as Uncle Leo Where Are the Children? (1986) as Chief Coffin The Untouchables (1987) as George E.Q. Johnson (uncredited) Whoops Apocalypse (1988) as Maxton S. Pluck Eight Men Out (1988) as Charles "Commy" Comiskey Murder She Wrote - The Last Flight of the Dixie Damsel (1988) as Ray Dressler Walter & Carlo i Amerika (1989) as "Tex" She-Devil (1989) as Bob's Father (uncredited) The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) as Albert Fox Lone Star (1996) as Hollis Pogue Interstate 84 (2000) as Buddy Sunshine State (2002) as Buster Bidwell Raising Flagg (2006) as Ed McIvor

References

External links

Clifton James at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Actors Studio audio collection Clips from Texas episodes