American actor (1928-2002). Born in
Laurel, Nebraska, Coburn studied
acting in
Los Angeles and in
New York with
Stella Adler. He made his film
debut in 1959's "
Ride Lonesome" and soon caught the public's eye in "
The Magnificent Seven".
Coburn's
career really took off when he starred in the '60s
spy spoofs "
Our Man Flint" and "
In Like Flint". He
produced and starred in "
The President's Analyst", an even more whacked-out spy movie and also starred in "
The Great Escape" and "
Goldengirl".
He made very few movies in the 1980s because of
painful arthritis. He returned to the screen in the '90s after taking
sulfur-based pills that he claimed
healed him. However, his
knuckles still appeared
gnarled. But then, who goes to movies to bitch that James Coburn's knuckles look
funky? He won an
Oscar for
Best Supporting Actor in 1997 playing the abusive father of
Nick Nolte in "
Affliction".
Coburn also appeared in a number of TV shows, including "
The Rifleman", "
Perry Mason", "
Bonanza", "
The Twilight Zone", "
Murder, She Wrote", "
Picket Fences", and "
Profiler".
Coburn was never a particularly
handsome actor, but he's been able to be
successful through his
charm,
wit,
physicality, and his great
voice. When he presented an
award at one of the recent Oscar ceremonies, I
desperately wanted him to present
all the awards, just so I could continue to hear that
deep,
rich,
beautiful voice.