James Whitmore, whose rugged, weather-beaten looks earned him a reputation as one of Hollywood's most distinguished actors, has died from cancer at age 87. Whitmore was a familiar face who generally appeared in supporting roles, but his filmed stage production of the Harry Truman biography
Give 'Em Hell, Harry! earned him a Best Actor Oscar for the 1975 release. (Whitmore remains the only actor to receive a nomination for a film in which he was the only cast member). Whitmore was as diversified as he was talented, as evidenced by a sample of the films in which he appeared:
Battleground, The Asphalt Jungle, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Red Badge of Courage, Kiss Me, Kate, Oklahoma!, Planet of the Apes, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, and
The Shawshank Redemption. He occasionally landed the starring roles in films such as
The Next Voice You Hear (in which God addresses the people of earth via their radios!),
Them (in which the same luckless earthlings are menaced by giant ants) and, his favorite film,
Black Like Me. The latter was based on the real life exploits of a writer who dyed his skin black to study prejudice in the segregated American South. Whitmore was also an accomplished stage actor who won acclaim for his portrayal of Will Rogers. A Tony Award winner, Whitmore also appeared in countless classic TV series, earning an Emmy nomination for his 1999 guest starring role in
The Practice. Whitmore was active politically and in support of social causes including efforts to support the separation of church and state. He was also an early supporter of Barack Obama's presidential run and actively campaigned for him until stricken by illness several months ago. -
Lee Pfeiffer