James Gammon

• Born — 20 April 1940 • Birthplace — Newman, Illinois, U.S. • Died — 16 July 2010 • Place of death — Costa Mesa, California, U.S. • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1966–2009 • Children — 2

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.

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.

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.

James Gammon television credits • Year — Title — Role — Episodes — Notes • 1966 — 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 film • 1989 — 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) — Voice • 2004 — 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)

• 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

James Gammon is recorded as actor and theatre director.