Clifton James, a blustery, stocky, and loud character actor, carved out a niche for himself by playing often frustrated and fast-talking Southern characters. His most notable roles were as Sheriff J.W. Pepper alongside Roger Moore in the James Bond adventures Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).
Born on May 29, 1921, in Spokane, Washington, James was a graduate of the Actors Studio. He regularly appeared in guest roles on television series, including Gunsmoke (1955),Bonanza (1959),and The Virginian (1962). James was also busy in the cinema, with minor roles in classy productions such as Cool Hand Luke (1967),Will Penny (1967),and The New Centurions (1972).
Following his James Bond escapades, James continued to work steadily, delivering a great dramatic performance in The Deadly Tower (1975),playing another loud-mouthed Sheriff in the action comedy Silver Streak (1976),and giving a superb performance as team owner Charles Comiskey in the dramatization of the 1919 Chicago White Sox scandal, Eight Men Out (1988).
James's other notable roles include that of a wealthy Montana baron whose cattle are being rustled in Rancho Deluxe (1975),and as the source who tips off a newspaper reporter (Bruce Willis) to a potentially explosive story in The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). Although he was quieter in his later years, James still contributed an enjoyable performance in the wonderful John Sayles movie Sunshine State (2002).
Clifton James passed away at the age of 96 from complications of diabetes at his home in Gladstone, Oregon on April 15, 2017.
