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James Westerfield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James A. Westerfield (22 March 1913 – 20 September 1971) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, to candy-maker Brasher Omier Westerfield and his wife Dora Elizabeth Bailey, he was raised in Detroit, Michigan. (A news story in the June 12, 1949, issue of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle calls the information in the preceding sentence into question. It describes Westerfield as "the son of a famous producer-director" and says that he was "a youngster in Denver, Col.") He became interested in theatre as a young man and in the 1930s joined Gilmor Brown's famed Pasadena Community Playhouse, appearing in dozens of plays. He played in numerous films following his debut in 1940, then went to New York City and appeared on Broadway, winning two New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for his supporting roles in The Madwoman of Chaillot and Detective Story. He then returned to Hollywood and made more than 40 more films. Westerfield maintained an interest in the theatre. He directed more than 50 musicals in a summer-musical tent he owned in Danbury, Connecticut, and was the original stage director and producer for the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. He directed three seasons of "Theatre Under the Stars" in Vancouver, British Columbia, and appeared in musical roles with the Detroit Civic Light Opera, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and the San Francisco Civic Light Opera. On film, Westerfield had roles in The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), On The Waterfront (1954), Lucy Gallant (1955), the 1957 Budd Boetticher-directed Western Decision at Sundown starring Randolph Scott, Cowboy (1958), a repeating role in The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) and its sequel Son of Flubber (1963), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), Man's Favorite Sport (1964), The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), Hang 'Em High (1968) and True Grit (1969). Westerfield had many roles on television, including seven episodes as John Murrel from 1963 to 1964 on ABC's The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, starring child actor Kurt Russell in the title role. He made two guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the role of Sheriff Bert Elmore in the 1957 episode, "The Case of the Angry Mourner." He also appeared in an episode of The Lone Ranger in 1954 entitled "Texas Draw." Westerfield's other appearances were on such series as The Rifleman, The Californians, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Alaskans, The Rebel, Straightaway, Going My Way, The Asphalt Jungle, Hazel, The Andy Griffith Show, Daniel Boone, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Gunsmoke. He played the circus leader, Dr. Marvello, in an episode of Lost in Space "Space Circus" (1966). Westerfield as a young man was a roommate of fellow Pasadena Playhouse actor George Reeves. The two remained close friends until Reeves's death in 1959. Westerfield was married to Alice G. Fay (an actress under the name Fay Tracey), who, along with his mother, survived him. Westerfield died from a heart attack in Woodlands Hills, California, at the age of fifty-eight.


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Born:
Mar 22, 1913 In Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Movie/TV Credits:
103
First Appeared:
In the movie The Howards of Virginia 1940-09-19
Latest Project:
Movie Set This Town on Fire 1973-01-08
Known For
Poster of Bartleby
Poster of Smith!
Poster of The Plunderers
Poster of Jungle Heat
Filmography
Movie Set This Town on Fire Cark Rickter 1973-01-08
Movie Dead Aim John Applebee 1971-01-01
Movie The Boy Who Stole the Elephant Sheriff Berry 1970-09-20
Movie True Grit Judge Parker 1969-06-11
Movie Smith! Sheriff 1969-03-21
Movie The Love God? Rev. Wilkerson 1969-08-01
Movie Bartleby The Lawyer 1969-10-10
Movie Hang 'em High Prisoner 1968-04-12
Movie A Man Called Gannon Amos 1968-03-08
Series The Outcasts Unknown 1968-09-23
Movie Blue Abe Parker 1968-05-09
Movie Now You See It, Now You Don't Capt. Boyle 1968-11-11
Series Judd for the Defense Unknown 1967-09-08
Series Mannix Unknown 1967-09-16
Movie Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round Jack Balter 1966-10-12
Movie Scalplock Nehemiah 1966-04-10
Series The Time Tunnel Unknown 1966-09-09
Movie That Funny Feeling Officer Brokaw 1965-08-14
Movie The Sons of Katie Elder Mr. Vennar 1965-06-23
Series Green Acres Unknown 1965-09-15
Series The Big Valley Unknown 1965-09-15
Series Lost in Space Unknown 1965-09-15
Movie The Further Adventures of Gallegher Charley Mardis 1965-10-03
Movie Man's Favorite Sport? Policeman 1964-01-31
Movie Bikini Beach Cop #2 1964-07-22
Series Daniel Boone Unknown 1964-09-24
Series Bewitched Unknown 1964-09-17
Series Profiles in Courage Unknown 1964-11-08
Series The Dakotas Unknown 1963-01-07
Movie Son of Flubber Officer Hanson 1963-01-16
Series The Great Adventure Unknown 1963-09-27
Series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters Unknown 1963-09-29
Movie Birdman of Alcatraz Jess Younger 1962-07-04
Series Going My Way Unknown 1962-10-03
Series The Beverly Hillbillies Unknown 1962-09-26
Movie The Absent-Minded Professor Officer Hanson 1961-03-16
Series The Asphalt Jungle Unknown 1961-04-02
Movie Homicidal Alfred S. Adrims 1961-07-26
Series Straightaway Unknown 1961-10-06
Series The Tall Man Unknown 1960-09-10
Movie Wild River Cal Garth 1960-05-26
Series Thriller Unknown 1960-09-13
Series My Three Sons Unknown 1960-09-29
Movie The Plunderers Mike Baron 1960-11-05
Series The Andy Griffith Show Unknown 1960-10-03
Series Tightrope Unknown 1959-09-08
Movie The Gunfight at Dodge City Reverend Howard 1959-05-01
Series Rawhide Unknown 1959-01-09
Movie The Shaggy Dog Officer Hanson 1959-03-19
Movie The Hangman Herb Loftus 1959-06-17
Series Law of the Plainsman Unknown 1959-10-01
Series The Alaskans Unknown 1959-10-04
Series The Rebel Unknown 1959-10-04
Series The Twilight Zone Unknown 1959-10-02
Series Johnny Ringo Unknown 1959-10-02
Series Wanted: Dead or Alive Unknown 1958-09-06
Movie The Proud Rebel Birm Bates 1958-07-01
Movie Cowboy Mike Adams 1958-01-23
Series The Texan Unknown 1958-09-29
Series Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse Unknown 1958-10-06
Movie Old Man Warden 1958-11-20
Series The Rifleman Unknown 1958-09-30
Series Bat Masterson Unknown 1958-10-08
Movie Jungle Heat Harvey Mathews 1957-07-22
Series Richard Diamond, Private Detective Unknown 1957-07-01
Series Perry Mason Unknown 1957-09-21
Series Trackdown Unknown 1957-10-04
Series Maverick Unknown 1957-09-22
Movie Decision at Sundown Otis, the Bartender 1957-11-10
Series The Walter Winchell File Unknown 1957-10-02
Series The Adventures of Jim Bowie Unknown 1956-09-07
Movie Away All Boats 1956-08-16
Series State Trooper Unknown 1956-09-25
Series Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Unknown 1956-10-05
Movie Three Brave Men Chief O'Reilly 1956-12-01
Movie The Cobweb James Petlee 1955-06-07
Movie Chief Crazy Horse Caleb Mantz 1955-04-01
Movie The Violent Men Sheriff Magruder 1955-01-26
Movie The Scarlet Coat Col. Jameson 1955-07-29
Movie Lucy Gallant Harry Wilson 1955-10-20
Series Gunsmoke Unknown 1955-09-10
Movie Man with the Gun Mr. Zender 1955-11-05
Series The 20th Century Fox Hour Unknown 1955-10-05
Series Alfred Hitchcock Presents Unknown 1955-10-02
Series Inner Sanctum Unknown 1954-01-09
Movie On the Waterfront Big Mac 1954-06-22
Movie The Human Jungle Marty Harrison 1954-10-03
Movie Three Hours to Kill Sam Minor 1954-11-04
Series Lassie Unknown 1954-09-12
Series General Electric Theater Unknown 1953-02-01
Movie The Whistle at Eaton Falls Joe London 1951-08-02
Movie Side Street Charlie (policeman) 1950-03-23
Movie Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town Harvey (Zoo Attendant) (uncredited) 1950-04-01
Series Studio One Unknown 1948-11-07
Series The Philco Television Playhouse Unknown 1948-10-03
Movie Undercurrent Henry Gilson 1946-11-11
Movie The Chase Job the Butler 1946-11-16
Movie Around the World Bashful Marine 1943-11-27
Movie The Pride of the Yankees Spectator (uncredited) 1942-07-14
Movie About Face Soldier with Daisy (uncredited) 1942-04-16
Movie The Magnificent Ambersons Policeman at Accident (uncredited) 1942-07-10
Movie Highway West Swede, Trucker at Cafe 1941-08-07
Movie The Howards of Virginia Backwoodsman 1940-09-19