J.T. was one of those guys you saw in practically every
movie. You usually couldn't remember his name but would spend several minutes during the movie whispering to the person in the seat next to you about how you had seen him in this other film and he was really great. J.T. was one of the greatest
bit actors and certainly one of the hardest working
supporting actors in
Hollywood. He appeared in more than sixty films in the two short decades that marked his film career. He was known for playing the older protagonist;
the short tempered, ill mannered bad guy with a hard voice and occasionally a heart of gold.
J.T. passed away suddenly in February of 1998 of a
heart attack. Despite the characters he portrayed J.T. was well liked and respected in Hollywood.
Jack Nicholson dedicated his 1998
Oscar to the memory of J.T. in a very moving speech.