Anthony James, the lanky actor who frequently appeared as bad guys in films such as “In the Heat of the Night” and “Unforgiven,” has died at 77. James died of cancer on May 26, according to an obituary announcement from a funeral home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
James’ first film role was in the Best Picture winner from 1967 “In the Heat of the Night,” where he played Ralph, a mischievous and racist diner clerk alongside Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier. His final film role was then in another Best Picture winner, playing Skinny Dubois in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Western “Unforgiven.”
His villainous roles were so distinctive that Hollywood took to calling similarly creepy and skinny roles as needing an “Anthony James type.” He also starred in films such as “High Plains Drifter,” “The Naked Gun 2 1/2” and “Vanishing Point.”
Also Read: Marge Redmond, Who Played Sister Jacqueline on 'The Flying Nun,...
James’ first film role was in the Best Picture winner from 1967 “In the Heat of the Night,” where he played Ralph, a mischievous and racist diner clerk alongside Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier. His final film role was then in another Best Picture winner, playing Skinny Dubois in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 Western “Unforgiven.”
His villainous roles were so distinctive that Hollywood took to calling similarly creepy and skinny roles as needing an “Anthony James type.” He also starred in films such as “High Plains Drifter,” “The Naked Gun 2 1/2” and “Vanishing Point.”
Also Read: Marge Redmond, Who Played Sister Jacqueline on 'The Flying Nun,...
- 5/29/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Anthony James, an instantly recognizable character actor who often played the creepy guy including in Best Picture Oscar winners In the Heat of the Night and Unforgiven, died May 26 of cancer. He was 77.
James had made a single brief appearance on a TV series before Norman Jewison cast him as the killer Ralph in 1967’s In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. The film went on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture.
He would bookend his career with a key role in Unforgiven as the slimy brothel owner Skinny Dubois, who ends up on the losing end of Bill Munny’s gun. That 1992 pic starring and helmed by Eastwood won four Academy Awards, including the marquee prize, and would be James’ final screen credit.
It was the second time an Eastwood character would dispatch James in a revenge Western. Two decades earlier, his Cole...
James had made a single brief appearance on a TV series before Norman Jewison cast him as the killer Ralph in 1967’s In the Heat of the Night, starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. The film went on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture.
He would bookend his career with a key role in Unforgiven as the slimy brothel owner Skinny Dubois, who ends up on the losing end of Bill Munny’s gun. That 1992 pic starring and helmed by Eastwood won four Academy Awards, including the marquee prize, and would be James’ final screen credit.
It was the second time an Eastwood character would dispatch James in a revenge Western. Two decades earlier, his Cole...
- 5/29/2020
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Anthony James, an actor best-known for his work in the Oscar-winning films “In The Heat of the Night” and “Unforgiven,” died on May 26 of cancer in Massachusetts. He was 77.
Born Jimmy Anthony, he discovered there was already an actor with that name and created his stage persona of Anthony James, according to his obituary. James had a career in the arts that spanned five decades, focusing on acting in his early years and later shifting to writing and painting.
James was born in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on July 22, 1942 to two Greek immigrants, George and Marika. When James was 18, he and his mother moved to Los Angeles so that he could pursue acting. Marika cleaned houses and James cleaned bathrooms in order to make ends meet and pay for acting classes.
James broke into the industry as Ralph, a hateful diner employee in 1967’s “In The Heat of the Night,...
Born Jimmy Anthony, he discovered there was already an actor with that name and created his stage persona of Anthony James, according to his obituary. James had a career in the arts that spanned five decades, focusing on acting in his early years and later shifting to writing and painting.
James was born in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on July 22, 1942 to two Greek immigrants, George and Marika. When James was 18, he and his mother moved to Los Angeles so that he could pursue acting. Marika cleaned houses and James cleaned bathrooms in order to make ends meet and pay for acting classes.
James broke into the industry as Ralph, a hateful diner employee in 1967’s “In The Heat of the Night,...
- 5/28/2020
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
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