James Brown (actor)

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James Brown
Brown (left) with Rin Tin Tin in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, 1955
Born
James Edward Brown[1]

(1920-03-22)March 22, 1920
Desdemona, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 11, 1992(1992-04-11) (aged 72)
Alma materBaylor University
Occupation(s)Film and television actor
Years active1941–1992
SpouseBetty Brown[2]
Children2[2]

James Edward Brown (March 22, 1920 – April 11, 1992) was an American film and television actor[3] who played Lt. Ripley Masters in the American western television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.[1]

Life and career[edit]

Brown was born in Desdemona, Texas.[2] He attended Baylor University,[4] representing the university at Tennis.[2] Brown began his acting career in 1941 with an uncredited role as a medic in the film Ride, Kelly, Ride. His first credited role was in the 1942 film The Forest Rangers.[4] Brown starred, co-starred and appeared on films including The Good Fellows, Objective, Burma!, Gun Street, The Big Fix, When the Clock Strikes, Air Force, Irma la Douce, The Fabulous Texan, Young and Willing, The Gallant Legion, The Younger Brothers, Corvette K-225, Sands of Iwo Jima, Yes Sir, That's My Baby, Our Hearts Were Young Gay (and its sequel Our Hearts Were Growing Up), Chain Lightning, Missing Women, Inside the Mafia, The Groom Wore Spurs, Space Probe Taurus, and Going My Way.[2][4]

Brown (center) with Lee Aaker, Rin Tin Tin and Rand Brooks in The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, 1956

In 1954, Brown joined the cast of the new ABC western television series The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, in which he played Lt. Ripley Masters.[4][5] After the series ended in 1959 Brown guest-starred in television programs including Gunsmoke, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Lassie (3 episodes), The Virginian, Laramie, Route 66, Barbary Coast, Daniel Boone, Bronco, Honey West and Murder, She Wrote.[2][4] From 1979 to 1986 Brown played the recurring role of "Detective Harry McSween" in 39 episodes of the soap opera television series Dallas.[5]

For about a decade from the mid-1960s Brown left acting to found a company making weight belts, eventually selling the company to Faberge.[4] He returned to acting in television in the 1970s.[4]

Brown (left) with Dorothy McGuire in Reward Unlimited, 1944

Death[edit]

Brown died in April 1992 of lung cancer at his home in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 72.[2][4] He was cremated.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "James Brown, Rin Tin Tin Back Protecting the Fort". The Daily Times-News. Burlington, North Carolina. May 8, 1976. p. 31. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Associated Press (April 14, 1992). "James Brown Is Dead; 'Rin Tin Tin' Actor, 72". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  3. ^ Tucker, David (May 27, 2018). Gale Storm: A Biography and Career Record. McFarland. p. 140. ISBN 9781476632469 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Folkart, Burt (April 13, 1992). "James Brown; Actor Played Lt. Masters on 'Rin Tin Tin'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Brode, Douglas (January 1, 2010). Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors, 1946–Present. University of Texas Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 9780292783317 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 93. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.

External links[edit]