James Richard Gammon (April 20, 1940 – July 16, 2010) was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon portrayed Lou Brown, the manager of fictionalized versions of the Cleveland Indians in the movies Major League and Major League II. He was also known for his role as the retired longshoreman Nick Bridges on the CBS television crime drama Nash Bridges.
Biography
Early life Gammon was born in Newman, Illinois, the son of Doris Latimer (née Toppe), a farm girl, and Donald Gammon, a musician. After his parents divorced, he made his way to Orlando, Florida. He worked at Orlando's ABC TV affiliate WLOF-TV (Channel 9), as a cameraman and director. In his 20s, he moved to Hollywood to find work.
Acting career In the 1970s, Gammon helped found the Met Theatre in Los Angeles. While performing there, a representative from The Public Theater saw him and had him cast as Weston in Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class in 1978. The two became friends afterward. He made his sole Broadway appearance as Dodge in a revival of Sam Shepard's Buried Child. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. He appeared on stage in Sam Shepard's San Francisco debut of The Late Henry Moss along with Nick Nolte, Sean Penn, Cheech Marin (both from Nash Bridges), and Woody Harrelson in 2000.
Gammon may be best remembered for his characters Lou Brown, manager of the Cleveland Indians in the Major League films; and Nick Bridges, the father of Don Johnson's title character in the television series Nash Bridges. He appeared in the films Cool Hand Luke (1967), Macon County Line (1974), Urban Cowboy (1980), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Silverado (1985), Noon Wine (1985), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Major League (1989), Revenge (1990), The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993), Major League II (1994), Wyatt Earp (1994), Wild Bill (1995), Truman (1995), The Hi-Lo Country (1998), Cold Mountain (2003), and more recently Appaloosa (2008). He also had an uncredited role in Natural Born Killers (1994).
Gammon portrayed a Korean War veteran on the hit ABC series Grey's Anatomy. He played Charles Goodnight in Streets of Laredo. In 2006, he played the stern grandfather, Sam, brother of notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy, in the film Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy.
Gammon provided the voices of the animated characters Marv Loach and Floyd Turbeaux in the 1999 Warner Bros. feature film The Iron Giant.
Personal life His first marriage ended in divorce. He has a brother, Philip, and a sister, Sandra (Glaudell). He was married to Nancy Jane Kapusta from 1972 until his death. He had two daughters, Allison Mann and Amy Gammon.
Death and legacy Gammon died of adrenal gland and liver cancer in Costa Mesa, California, at the age of 70.
His friend Sam Shepard paid tribute to Gammon, saying: "You're probably aware of the notorious father figures in my plays, alcoholic Midwesterners who leave their families and get lost in the Southwestern desert. Jimmy had that familiarity about him with the way I grew up, the guys with the voice and the face and the whiskey. He definitely rang a bell with me."
Filmography Film + James Gammon film credits Year Title Role Notes 1967 Cool Hand Luke "Sleepy" Uncredited, Supporting Role 1968 Journey to Shiloh Tellis Yeager Supporting Role 1969 The Thousand Plane Raid Major Varga Supporting Role1970 A Man Called Horse Ed Supporting Role Macho Callahan Cowboy Supporting Role The Intruders (filmed in 1967) Chaunce Dykstra TV movie, Supporting Role 1972 Cry for Me, Billy Amos Supporting Role1974 Zandy's Bride Man In Gunfight Uncredited Macon County Line Elisha Supporting Role1975 The Wild McCullochs 1st Police Officer Supporting Role The Kansas City Massacre Garth TV movie, Supporting Role1976 Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw Leather Salesman Minor Role The Pom Pom Girls Coach Minor Role1977 Black Oak Conspiracy Deputy Minor Role The Greatest Mr. Harry Minor Role 1979 The Sacketts Wesley "Wes" Bigelow TV movie1980 On the Nickel John "Peanut John" Supporting Role Urban Cowboy Steve Strange Supporting Role Rage! Joe Dean TV movie It's My Turn Connie Foxworth Uncredited Any Which Way You Can The Palomino Bartender Supporting Role Below the Belt Luke Supporting Role 1981 The Big Black Pill Captain Jake Jacqualone TV movie1982 Deadly Encounter Frank Kitchens TV movie The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez Sheriff Frank Fly 1983 M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Willard Kohler TV movie Women of San Quentin Officer TV movie1985 Noon Wine Sheriff TV movie Vision Quest Mr. Kuchera Supporting Role Hell Town Lieutenant Raymond Tracy TV movie Sylvester Steve Supporting Role Silverado Dawson Supporting Role The Long Hot Summer Billy Quick TV movie Silver Bullet Arnie Westrum Supporting Role 1986 Hard Traveling Sergeant Slattery Supporting Role1987 Made in Heaven Steve Shea Supporting Role Laguna Heat Grimes TV movie Ironweed Reverend Chester Supporting Role 1988 The Milagro Beanfield War "Horsethief Shorty" Wilson Supporting Role1989 Major League Lou Brown Roe vs. Wade Jimmy Russell TV movie1990 Revenge Texan Supporting Role Coupe de Ville Dr. Sturgeon the Cadillac Surgeon Supporting Role I Love You to Death Lieutenant Larry Schooner Supporting Role1991 Conagher "Smoke" Parnell, Ladder Five Owner TV movie Stranger at My Door Sheriff Bitterman TV movie1992 Leaving Normal Walt Supporting Role CrissCross Emmett Supporting Role Criminal Behavior Roy Stubbs TV movie1993 Men Don't Tell Jack MacAffrey TV movie The Adventures of Huck Finn Deputy Hines Supporting Role Running Cool "Ironbutt" Garrett Supporting Role Painted Desert Al Supporting Role1994 Cabin Boy "Pappy" Supporting Role Major League II Lou Brown Supporting Role Wyatt Earp Mr. Sutherland Supporting Role Hard Vice Bronski Supporting Role Natural Born Killers Redneck's Buddy In The Diner Uncredited, Supporting Role1995 Truman Sam Rayburn TV movie Wild Bill Moses "California Joe" Milner Supporting Role 1996 Two Mothers for Zachary Chalmer TV movie1997 Traveller "Double D" Supporting Role The Apostle Brother Edwards Uncredited1998 The Man in the Iron Mask The Commandant Supporting Role Point Blank Dad Supporting Role Love from Ground Zero Hat Supporting Role Logan's War: Bound by Honor Ben TV movie The Hi-Lo Country Hoover Young Supporting Role1999 You Know My Name Real Arkansas Tom TV movie The Iron Giant Marvin "Marv" Loach / Floyd Turbeaux Voice One Man's Hero General Zachary Taylor Supporting Role 2000 The Cell Teddy Lee Supporting Role2002 Life or Something Like It Pat Kerrigan Supporting Role The Country Bears Big Al Voice2003 Monte Walsh Joe "Fighting Joe" Hooker / Albert Miller TV movie Cold Mountain Esco Swanger Supporting Role2004 Silver City Sheriff Joe Skaggs Supporting Role Paradise Old Cowboy TV movie 2005 Don't Come Knocking Old Ranch Hand Supporting Role2006 Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy Sam Parker Supporting Role The Far Side of Jericho The Preacher Supporting Role Altered Sheriff Henderson Supporting Role What I Did for Love Karl Ryder TV movie2007 Jesse Stone: Sea Change Bob TV movie The Final Season Jared Akers Supporting Role 2008 Appaloosa Earl May Supporting Role2009 In the Electric Mist Ben Hebert Supporting Role Convict The Sheriff The New Daughter Roger Wayne (final film role)
Television + James Gammon television credits Year Title Role Episodes Notes1966 The Wild Wild West Egan The Night of the Freebooters Episodic character The Monroes Stennis Night of the Wolf 1966-1967 The Road West Deputy Virgil Bramley / Pete Fowler The Agreement (1967) / The Gunfighter (1966) 1966-1973 Gunsmoke Arnie Jeffords / Dudley My Father, My Son (1966) / Susan Was Evil (1973)1967 Captain Nice — Whatever Lola Wants Bonanza Harry Jeffers The Man Without Land The Invaders Hal The Spores Batman Osiris The Unkindest Tut of All Felony Squad Mickey Ordeal by Terror The Virginian Cal Mason A Small Taste of Justice 1968-1969 Lancer Clint Meek / Wes Blind Man's Bluff (1969) / Chase a Wild Horse (1968) 1970 The High Chaparral Lafe Only the Bad Come to Sonora (1970) 1971-1974 The F.B.I. Cauldwell / Ben McCarty Diamond Run (1974) / Turnabout (1971) 1971-1976 Cannon Sheriff Ryder / Keely The Quasar Kill (1976) / Country Blues (1971) 1973 Dusty's Trail Roy Horse of Another Color (1973) 1973-1975 The Waltons Zack Rosswell 8 Episodes (1973–1975) Recurring Character 1974 Kung Fu Jake The Nature of Evil (1974) Episodic character 1975 Barnaby Jones Andy Lucker The Final Burial (1974)1976 Petrocelli Harry Blood Money (1976) Most Wanted — The Torch (1976) 1977-1978 Charlie's Angels Gates / Billy Angels in the Stretch (1978) / Angels on Ice (1977) 1979 Lou Grant — Samaritan (1979)1984 The Master — A Place to Call Home (1984) Cagney & Lacey Brian Holgate Old Debts (1984) 1985 Murder, She Wrote Billy Don Baker Armed Response (1985) 1986 The Equalizer Michael Cub Episode: "Out of the Past"1987 Crime Story Jack Claymore The Pinnacle; The Survivor (1987) American Playhouse Clate Connaloe Stacking (1987) 1988 Lincoln General Ulysses S. Grant 2 episodes television film1989 Midnight Caller Pete Hanrahan Tarnished Shield (1989) Episodic character In the Heat of the Night Sheriff Ketch Monroe A Trip Upstate (1986) Episodic character 1990-1991 Bagdad Cafe Rudy 15 Episodes (1990–1991) Recurring Character 1991 The Young Riders Elias Mills The Blood of Others (1991) Episodic Character 1992 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles Teddy Roosevelt British East Africa, September 1909 (1992) 1992-1993 Homefront Coach Zelnick 8 Episodes (1992–1993) Recurring Character 1993-1994 L.A. Law Reverend Joseph Halliday / Thomas Quinn God is My Co-Counsel (1994) / F.O.B. (1993) Episodic Character 1996-2001 Nash Bridges Nick Bridges 49 Episodes (1996–2001) Recurring Character 1999 Tracey Takes On... Uncle Shep "Hype" (1999) Episodic Character 2003 Fillmore! "Doc" Hemlock Two Wheels, Full Throtle, No Brakes (2003) Voice2004 LAX Bill Barkley The Longest Morning (2004) Episodic Character Crossing Jordan Olin Price Justice Delayed (2004)2007 Monk Oates Mr. Monk Visits a Farm (2007) Grey's Anatomy Mr. Scofield Scars and Souvenirs (2007)
Stage + Year Title Role Notes 1978 Curse of the Starving Class Weston The Public Theater, Off-Broadway 1985 A Lie of the Mind Baylor Promenade Theater, Off-Broadway 1996 Buried Child Dodge Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway 2000 The Late Henry Moss Moss Sr. Magic Theater
References
External links
James Gammon (Aveleyman)