Anthony James(1942-2020)

Character actor Anthony James was born on July 22, 1942 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Unusually tall (6' 6½) and lanky, with a rough, pockmarked face, a lean, stringy build, and an extremely intense screen presence, James was often cast in Westerns as scary, sleazy villains. He was especially memorable as the racist diner counterman in the outstanding Dans la chaleur de la nuit (1967). Other noteworthy parts include a gay hitchhiker in the cult classic Point limite zéro (1971), a priest in La Poussière, la Sueur et la Poudre (1972), an outlaw in L'Homme des hautes plaines (1973), a deranged psycho in The Teacher (1974), the chauffeur from hell in the chiller Trauma (1976), and the vicious leader of a gang of ferocious barbarians in the science fiction film Ravagers (1979).

James was hilarious in a rare change-of-pace good guy role as a heroic cannibal (!) in the post-nuke sci-fi romp Les anges de la haine (1987), and also parodying his evil persona in Y a-t-il un flic pour sauver le président ? (1991). Among the many television shows in which he appeared in guest roles were Mariés, deux enfants (1987), La belle et la bête (1987), Star Trek: La nouvelle génération (1987), Simon et Simon (1981), L'agence tous risques (1983), Riptide (1984), L'homme qui tombe à pic (1981), Rick Hunter (1984), Buck Rogers (1979), Quincy (1976), Drôles de dames (1976), Vegas (1978), Starsky et Hutch (1975), Section 4 (1975), L'homme de fer (1967), Hawaii police d'état (1968), Bonanza (1959), Gunsmoke (1955) and La grande vallée (1965).

James's last film appearance to date was as the owner of a seedy bordello in Clint Eastwood's Impitoyable (1992). After quitting acting in the early 1990s, he pursued a successful career as an artist. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in such major cities as New York, Boston and Miami.