James Harrison Coburn III[1] (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.[2]
In 1950, Coburn was drafted into theU.S. Army, where he served as a truck driver and occasionally a disc jockey on an Army radio station inTexas. He also narrated Army training films inMainz, West Germany.[7]
He was selected for aRemington Products razor commercial, where he was able to shave off 11 days of beard growth in less than 60 seconds[10] while joking that he had more teeth to show on camera than the other 12 candidates for the part.[11]
Coburn's film debut came in 1959 as the sidekick ofPernell Roberts in theRandolph Scott WesternRide Lonesome.[12] He soon got a job in another Western,Face of a Fugitive (1959).Filmink argued "he made a terrific cowboy and was thus easily castable in the scores of Westerns being made for American TV at the time; indeed, Coburn guest starred in pretty much all of them."[13] These included several episodes ofNBC'sBonanza and appearing twice each on three other NBC Westerns:Laramie withRobert Fuller,Tales of Wells Fargo withDale Robertson, one episode in the role ofButch Cassidy; andThe Restless Gun withJohn Payne in "The Pawn" and "The Way Back", the latter segment alongsideBonanza'sDan Blocker.[14] "Butch Cassidy" aired in 1958. He played a rustler inThe Rifleman - Season 1, Episode 13 - The Young Englishman.
Coburn's third film was a major breakthrough for him, as the knife-wielding Britt inThe Magnificent Seven (1960), directed byJohn Sturges for theMirisch Company. Coburn was hired on the recommendation of his friendRobert Vaughn. During the 1960–61 season, Coburn co-starred withRalph Taeger andJoi Lansing in the NBC adventure/drama seriesKlondike, set in theAlaskangold rush town ofSkagway. WhenKlondike was cancelled, Taeger and Coburn were regrouped as detectives in Mexico in NBC's equally short-livedAcapulco.
Coburn also made two guest appearances onCBS'sPerry Mason, both times as the murder victim, in "The Case of the Envious Editor" and "The Case of the Angry Astronaut". In 1962, he portrayed Col. Briscoe in the "Hostage Child" of CBS'sRawhide.
Coburn had a good role inHell Is for Heroes (1962), a war film withSteve McQueen. He followed it with another war film with McQueen,The Great Escape (1963), directed by Sturges for the Mirisches, where Coburn played an Australian POW. For the Mirisches, Coburn narratedKings of the Sun (1963).
In December 1964 it was announced Coburn would star in Fox'sJames Bond parody filmOur Man Flint (1966), playing super agentDerek Flint.[16] ProducerSaul David commented, Coburn "is undoubtedly one of the most interesting looking actors in the business today. I would describe him as a cross betweenHumphrey Bogart andJean Paul Belmondo - a true descendant of that bygone generation of character actors who became leading men by accident... Coburn has a fantastic effect on women filmgoers and I think it's because ladies go more for masculinity and charm than prettiness in a male star.""[17] The movie was a big success at the box office on its release in 1966 and established Coburn as a star.
Back at Fox, Coburn made a second Flint film,In Like Flint (1967), which was popular, but Coburn did not wish to make any more movies in that series. This has been called a "mistake" by Coburn as films in which he starred in where he did not play Flint were not as successful.[13] He went over to Paramount for a Western comedy made through Edwards' company,Waterhole No. 3 (1967) and the political satireThe President's Analyst (1967). Neither performed particularly well commercially, but over the years,The President's Analyst has become a cult film. In 1967, Coburn was voted the 12th-biggest star in Hollywood.[18]
Over at Columbia, Coburn was in a Swinging '60s heist film,Duffy (1968), which flopped. He was one of several stars who had cameos inCandy (1968), then played a hitman inHard Contract (1969) for Fox, another flop.
Coburn tried a change of pace, an adaptation of aTennessee Williams play,Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) directed bySidney Lumet, but the film was not popular.In July 1970, Richard F Zanuck of Fox dropped the $300,000 option it had with Coburn.[19]
In 1971, Coburn starred in theZapata WesternDuck, You Sucker!, withRod Steiger and directed bySergio Leone, as an Irish explosives expert and revolutionary who has fled to Mexico during the time of theMexican Revolution in the early 20th century. In 1964, Coburn had said he would doA Fistful of Dollars if they paid him $25,000, which was too expensive for the production's tiny budget.[20]Duck You Sucker, also calledA Fistful of Dynamite, was not as highly regarded as Leone's four previous Westerns, but was hugely popular in Europe, especially France.
Back in the US, Coburn made another film with Blake Edwards, the thrillerThe Carey Treatment (1972). It was badly cut by MGM and was commercially unsuccessful. So, too, wasThe Honkers (1972), where Coburn played a rodeo rider.
In 1973, Coburn was among the featured celebrities dressed in prison gear on the cover of the albumBand on the Run made byPaul McCartney and his bandWings.[22]
Coburn was one of thepallbearers at the funeral ofBruce Lee along with Steve McQueen, Bruce's brother, Robert Lee, Peter Chin,Danny Inosanto, and Taky Kimura. Coburn gave a speech: "Farewell, Brother. It has been an honor to share this space in time with you. As a friend and a teacher, you have given to me, have brought my physical, spiritual, and psychological selves together. Thank you. May peace be with you."[23]
Coburn was one of several stars in the popularThe Last of Sheila (1973). He then starred in a series of thrillers:Harry in Your Pocket (1974), the debut feature fromMission Impossible creator Bruce Geller, andThe Internecine Project (1975). Neither was widely seen.
Coburn played the lead in the action filmSky Riders (1976), then played Charlton Heston's antagonist inThe Last Hard Men (1976). He narrated the official documentary film of the1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics,White Rock. He was one of the many stars inMidway (1976), then had the star role in Sam Peckinpah'sCross of Iron (1977) playing a German soldier. He finished directing the film because of Peckinpah's constant drunkenness. This critically acclaimed war epic performed poorly in the United States, but was a huge hit in Europe. Peckinpah and Coburn remained close friends until Peckinpah's death in 1984.
Coburn returned to television in 1978 to star in athree-part miniseries version of aDashiell Hammett detective novel,The Dain Curse, tailoring his character to bear a physical resemblance to the author. During the previous year as a spokesman for theJoseph Schlitz Brewing Company, he was paid $500,000 to promote its new product in television advertisements by saying only two words: "Schlitz Light."[24][25] In Japan, his masculine appearance was so appealing, he became an icon for its leading cigarette brand. He also supported himself in later years by exporting rare automobiles to Japan.[26] He was deeply interested in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and collected sacred Buddhist artwork.[27] He narrated a film about the16th Karmapa calledThe Lion's Roar.[28]
In 1981, Coburn moved almost entirely into supporting roles, such as those of the villains in bothHigh Risk (1981) andLooker (1981). He hosted a TV series of the horror-anthology type,Darkroom, in 1981 and 1982. According toMr. T, Coburn was slated to play the Hannibal character on the hit television seriesThe A-Team, but NBC changed their mind and went withGeorge Peppard. He supportedWalter Mondale's campaign in the1984 presidential election.[29] Coburn also portrayed Dwight Owen Barnes in the PC video gameC.E.O., developed byArtdink as a spin-off of itsA-Train series.[30]
Because of his severerheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, despite continuing to work during his final years. This disease had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. He toldABC News in a 1999 interview: "You start to turn to stone. See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." For 20 years, Coburn tried a host of both conventional and unconventional treatments, but none of them worked. "There was so much pain that...every time I stood up, I would break into a sweat," he recalled. Then, in 1996, Coburn triedmethylsulfonylmethane (MSM), a sulfur compound available at most health food stores. The result, he said, was nothing short of miraculous. "You take this stuff and it starts right away," said Coburn. "Everyone I've given it to has had a positive response." Though the MSM did not cure Coburn's arthritis, it did relieve his pain, allowing him to move more freely and resume his career.[31][32]
Coburn's interest in fast cars began with his father's garage business and continued throughout his life, as he exported rare cars to Japan.[8] Coburn was credited with having introduced Steve McQueen toFerraris, and in the early 1960s, owned aFerrari 250 GT Lusso and aFerrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB. His Spyder was the 13th of just 56 built. Coburn imported the used car in 1964, shortly after completingThe Great Escape.[35]
Cal Spyder #2377 was repainted several times during Coburn's ownership; it has been black, silver, and possibly red. He kept the car at hisBeverly Hills-area home, where it was often serviced byMax Balchowsky, who also worked on the suspension and frame modifications on theMustang GTs used in the filming of McQueen'sBullitt. Coburn sold the Spyder in 1987 after 24 years of ownership. The car was restored, had several owners, and was sold in 2008 for $10,894,400 to English broadcasterChris Evans. At that time, it set anew world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction.[36]
Coburn was married twice. His first marriage was to Beverly Kelly, in 1959; they had two children together.[38] The couple divorced in 1979 after 20 years of marriage.[38]
He later married actress Paula Murad on October 22, 1993, in Versailles, France; they remained married until Coburn's death in 2002.[38] The couple set up a charitable organization, the James and Paula Coburn Foundation.[39]
In spite of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn was amartial arts student and a friend of fellow actorBruce Lee. Upon Lee's early death, Coburn was one of his pallbearers at the funeral on July 25, 1973.[40]
Coburn died from aheart attack at his home in Beverly Hills on November 18, 2002, at the age of 74. His wife, Paula, said that he died in her arms when they were listening to music together. He was rushed toCedars-Sinai Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.[41][38][42][43] Paula Coburn died fromcancer less than two years later, on July 30, 2004, at the age of 48.[44]
InThe New Biographical Dictionary of Film, criticDavid Thomson states that "Coburn is a modern rarity: an actor who projects lazy, humoroussexuality. He has made a variety of flawed, pleasurable films, the merits of which invariably depend on his laconic presence. Increasingly, he was the best thing in his movies, smiling privately, seeming to suggest that he was in contact with some profound source of amusement".[45] Film criticPauline Kael remarked on Coburn's unusual characteristics, stating that "he looked like the child of the liaison between Lt. Pinkerton andMadame Butterfly".[46] George Hickenlooper, who directed Coburn inThe Man from Elysian Fields called him "the masculine male".[47]Andy García called him "the personification of class, the hippest of the hip", andPaul Schrader noted "he was of that 50s generation. He had that part hipster, part cool-cat aura about him. He was one of those kind of men who were formed by theRat Pack kind of style."[48]
^Miller, Ron (January 22, 1995). "Coburn's Comfort Zone at Home in Western with Heston and Berenger Supporting".San Jose Mercury News. p. 6.JAMES COBURN began his movie career in a saddle 36 years ago, playing the gangly and not-too-bright sidekick to bad guy Pernell Roberts in the 1959 Randolph Scott western "Ride Lonesome."
^"Entertainment: Coburn Wins Pact, Role in 'High Wind' He'll Star with Anthony Quinn; Mrs. Ames Pens Kidnaping Tale" Hopper, Hedda.Los Angeles Times June 4, 1964: A10.
^"Best of hollywood".The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 30, 1964. p. 23.
^"Coburn just right for 'Our Man Flint'".The Los Angeles Times. February 5, 1965. p. 9 Part 4.
^"Star Glitter Is Catching" by Richard L. Coe.The Washington Post and Times-Herald [Washington, D.C.] January 7, 1968: H1.
