American character actor known for his tough-guy roles in westerns and on television
With a voice that sounded as if it were strained through gravel chipped from his craggy face, James Gammon, who has died of cancer aged 70, had a memorable presence as a character actor in crime films, rural dramas and especially westerns, from A Man Called Horse (1970) to Urban Cowboy (1980), Silverado (1985), Wyatt Earp (1994), Wild Bill (1995) and Appaloosa (2008). Ed Harris, who directed and starred in Appaloosa, said of Gammon: "If he'd been born 20 years earlier he'd have been in every other western ever made."
Gammon had a perpetual squint that could be interpreted as crazy or wise – or both. His best-known role was as the unflappable baseball manager Lou Brown in the comedy Major League (1989). On television, he played Don Johnson's father in the series Nash Bridges from 1996 to 2001. Gammon's ability to reveal an essential weakness, and the...
With a voice that sounded as if it were strained through gravel chipped from his craggy face, James Gammon, who has died of cancer aged 70, had a memorable presence as a character actor in crime films, rural dramas and especially westerns, from A Man Called Horse (1970) to Urban Cowboy (1980), Silverado (1985), Wyatt Earp (1994), Wild Bill (1995) and Appaloosa (2008). Ed Harris, who directed and starred in Appaloosa, said of Gammon: "If he'd been born 20 years earlier he'd have been in every other western ever made."
Gammon had a perpetual squint that could be interpreted as crazy or wise – or both. His best-known role was as the unflappable baseball manager Lou Brown in the comedy Major League (1989). On television, he played Don Johnson's father in the series Nash Bridges from 1996 to 2001. Gammon's ability to reveal an essential weakness, and the...
- 9/19/2010
- by Michael Carlson
- The Guardian - Film News
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