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person_profile-James Ellison

James Ellison Died at age: 83

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

James Ellison

Date of Birth:

May 04, 1910

Country of birth:

USA

Died:

Dec 23, 1993

Biography of

James Ellison

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

    James Ellison (May 4, 1910 - December 23, 1993) was an American actor, born James Ellison Smith in Guthrie Center, Iowa, son of Edward James Smith and Ona Mary Ellis.

    Ellison appeared in nearly seventy films between 1932 and 1962.

    Ellison worked for a time in a film laboratory and while there was offered a screen test. He developed it himself and when he saw it, decided it was not satisfactory so he would not show it to the director. But he saw it anyway and Ellison got a contract.

    Despite his rugged good looks and height of 6 feet 3 inches, Ellison's limited range and somewhat wooden screen presence kept him from the first (or even second) ranks of stardom. He spent much of his career in Westerns, including a stint in the mid-thirties as the sidekick of Hopalong Cassidy in Paramount's successful series. In 1938, he played a charming, romantic character opposite 26 year old Lucille Ball in the comedy, "Next Time I Marry", a film where Ball had her first top billing on screen credits. Before that, in 1936, he played his highest-profile role, as Buffalo Bill in Cecil B. DeMille's The Plainsman, which also starred Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur.

    Despite that film's success, Ellison spent most of the remainder of his career shuttling between cowboy pictures and more varied roles, primarily in B movies with titles like Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case and The Undying Monster. He had a supporting role in 1941's Charley's Aunt (which starred Jack Benny) and played the romantic lead in 1943's The Gang's All Here, a Twentieth Century Fox musical in which he seemed somewhat lost among the vivid antics of Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood, and Edward Everett Horton (and was the only principal not to sing a note). He also co-starred with Tom Conway and Frances Dee in Val Lewton's production of I Walked with a Zombie, directed by Jacques Tourneur.

    Ellison landed another romantic lead role as 'Jerry Gibson' in the musical film Lady, Let's Dance (1944) which starred ice skating sensation 'Belita'.

    In the early 1950s, Ellison moved from acting to real estate. Joining fellow veteran Jackie Coogan, Ellison returned to the screen only once to play Axel 'Longhorn' Gates in a picture called When the Girls Take Over (1962).

    James Ellison died at age 83 in Monterey, California after suffering a broken neck as the result of a fall.

    Description above from the Wikipedia article James Ellison (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Photos of

James Ellison

Photos ( 3 Photos

Filmography of

James Ellison

Found 65 Movies in total

When the Girls Take Over

Alex 'Longhorn' Gates (as Jimmy Ellison) ( Actor )

... 1962

Dead Man's Trail

Dan Winslow ( Actor )

... 1952

Man from the Black Hills

Jim Fallon ( Actor )

... 1952

Texas City

Jim Kirby (as Jimmy Ellison) ( Actor )

... 1952

Texas Lawmen

Sheriff Tod Merrick ( Actor )

... 1951

Whistling Hills

Sheriff Dave Holland ( Actor )

... 1951

Oklahoma Justice

Clancy ( Actor )

... 1951

Kentucky Jubilee

Jeff Benson ( Actor )

... 1951

The Texan Meets Calamity Jane

Gordon Hastings ( Actor )

... 1950

I Killed Geronimo

Capt. Jeff Packard ( Actor )

... 1950

Fast on the Draw

Shamrock Ellison ( Actor )

... 1950

Crooked River

Shamrock Ellison ( Actor )

... 1950

West of the Brazos

Shamrock Ellison ( Actor )

... 1950

Colorado Ranger

Shamrock Kid ( Actor )

... 1950

Marshal of Heldorado

Shamrock Ellison ( Actor )

... 1950

Everybody's Dancin'

Jimmy Ellison ( Actor )

... 1950

Hostile Country

Shamrock Ellison ( Actor )

... 1950

Last of the Wild Horses

Duke Barnum ( Actor )

... 1948

The Ghost Goes Wild

Monte Crandall ( Actor )

... 1947

Calendar Girl

Steve Adams ( Actor )

... 1947

G.I. War Brides

Steve Giles ( Actor )

... 1946

Hollywood and Vine

Larry Winters ( Actor )

... 1945

... 1944

Lady, Let's Dance

Jerry Gibson ( Actor )

... 1944

The Gang's All Here

Andy Mason ( Actor )

... 1943

Best Foot Forward

Cadet ( Actor )

... 1943

I Walked with a Zombie

Wesley Rand ( Actor )

... 1943

Dixie Dugan

Roger Hudson ( Actor )

... 1943

Army Surgeon

Capt. James Mason ( Actor )

... 1942

The Undying Monster

Robert Curtis ( Actor )

... 1942

That Other Woman

Henry Summers ( Actor )

... 1942

Careful, Soft Shoulders

Thomas Aldrich ( Actor )

... 1942

Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case

P. Cadwallader Jones ( Actor )

... 1941

Ice-Capades

Bob Clemens ( Actor )

... 1941

Charley's Aunt

Jack Chesney ( Actor )

... 1941

They Met in Argentina

Tim Kelly ( Actor )

... 1941

Play Girl

Thomas Elwood Dice ( Actor )

... 1941

Anne of Windy Poplars

Tony Pringle ( Actor )

... 1940

You Can't Fool Your Wife

Andrew Hinklin ( Actor )

... 1940

5th Ave Girl

Mike ( Actor )

... 1939

Hotel for Women

Jeff Buchanan ( Actor )

... 1939

Sorority House

Bill Loomis ( Actor )

... 1939

Zenobia

Jeff Carter ( Actor )

... 1939

Almost a Gentleman

Dan Preston ( Actor )

... 1939

Next Time I Marry

Anthony J. Anthony ( Actor )

... 1938

Mother Carey's Chickens

Ralph Thurston ( Actor )

... 1938

Vivacious Lady

Keith Morgan ( Actor )

... 1938

The Barrier

Lt. Burrell ( Actor )

... 1937

Annapolis Salute

William J. "Bill" Martin ( Actor )

... 1937

23 1/2 Hours Leave

Sgt. Robert Gray ( Actor )

... 1937

Borderland

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1937

Trail Dust

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1936

The Plainsman

William "Buffalo Bill" Cody ( Actor )

... 1936

Three on the Trail

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1936

Call of the Prairie

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1936

Heart of the West

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1936

The Leathernecks Have Landed

Mac MacDonald ( Actor )

... 1936

Hitch Hike Lady

Jimmy Peyton ( Actor )

... 1935

Bar 20 Rides Again

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1935

The Eagle's Brood

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1935

Hop-a-long Cassidy

Johnny Nelson ( Actor )

... 1935

Reckless

Dale Every ( Actor )

... 1935

The Winning Ticket

Jimmy ( Actor )

... 1935

The Famous Ferguson Case

Reporter Lane (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1932

Play Girl

Elmer ( Actor )

... 1932