American actor (1928-2002). Born in Laurel, Nebraska, Coburn studied acting in Los Angeles and in New York with Stella Adler. He was drafted into the Army in 1950, where he worked as a truck driver and DJ at an Army radio station in Texas. 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 also a student of Bruce Lee, and they considered each other friends. Coburn was one of the pallbearers when Lee died and gave a short speech at the service.
Coburn was never a particularly handsome actor, but he was 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.