Biography
American character actor whose career lasted nearly half a century. James Wilson Flavin Jr. was the son of a hotel waiter of Canadian-English extraction and a mother, Katherine, whose father was an Irish immigrant. (Thus Flavin, well-known in Hollywood as an "Irish" type, was only one-quarter Irish.) Flavin was born and raised in Portland, Maine (a fact that may have enrichened his later working relationship with director John Ford, also a Portland native). He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, but (contrary to some sources) did not graduate. Instead he dropped out and returned to Portland where he drove a taxi. Then as now, summer stock companies flocked to Maine each year, and in 1929 he was asked to fill in for an actor. He did well with the part and the company manager offered him $150 per week to go with the troupe back to New York. Flavin accepted and by the spring of 1930 was living in a rooming house at 108 W. 87th Street in Manhattan. Flavin didn't manage to crack Broadway at this time (his Broadway debut would not occur for another thirty-nine years, in the 1971 revival of "The Front Page," in which Flavin played Murphy and briefly took over the lead role of Walter Burns from star Robert Ryan). He worked his way across the country in stock productions and tours, arriving in Los Angeles around 1932. He quickly made the transition to movies, landing the lead in his very first film, a Universal serial, The Airmail Mystery (1932). He also landed his leading lady, marrying the serial's female star Lucile Browne that same year. However, the serial marked virtually the last time that Flavin would play the lead in a film. Thereafter, he was restricted almost exclusively to supporting characters, many of them without so much as a name. He specialized in uniformed cops and hard-bitten detectives, but played chauffeurs, cabbies, and even a 16th-century palace guard with aplomb. Flavin appeared in nearly four hundred films between 1932 and 1971, and in almost a hundred television episodes before his final appearance, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976). Flavin died of a heart ailment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on April 23, 1976. His widow Lucile died seventeen days later. They were survived by their son, William James Flavin, subsequently a professor at the United States Army War College. James and Lucile Brown Flavin were buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Filmography
all 301
Movies 257
TV Shows 44
Director 1
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence (2005)
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976)
Law and Order (1976)
The Brady Bunch (1969)
In Cold Blood (1967)
Good Times (1967)
The Pruitts of Southampton (1966)
The Further Adventures of Gallegher (1965)
Cheyenne Autumn (1964)
The Addams Family (1964)
Mr. Novak (1963)
Burke's Law (1963)
The Lucy Show (1962)
Sam Benedict (1962)
The New Breed (1961)
Dr. Kildare (1961)
Cain's Hundred (1961)
One Happy Family (1961)
Mister Ed (1961)
The Roaring 20's (1960)
Surfside 6 (1960)
Pete and Gladys (1960)
Coronado 9 (1960)
Johnny Midnight (1960)
The Twilight Zone (1959)
The Last Hurrah (1958)
Johnny Rocco (1958)
Man with a Camera (1958)
The Rifleman (1958)
Wild Is the Wind (1957)
Alcoa Theatre (1957)
Night Passage (1957)
Richard Diamond, Private Detective (1957)
The Restless Breed (1957)
Footsteps in the Night (1957)
Hold That Hypnotist (1957)
State Trooper (1956)
Francis in the Haunted House (1956)
Never Say Goodbye (1956)
Matinee Theater (1955)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955)
Navy Log (1955)
Apache Ambush (1955)
The Naked Street (1955)
Mister Roberts (1955)
The Millionaire (1955)
Climax! (1954)
December Bride (1954)
Massacre Canyon (1954)
Dragonfly Squadron (1954)
Public Defender (1954)
The Eddie Cantor Story (1953)
Hot News (1953)
Letter to Loretta (1953)
City Detective (1953)
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars (1953)
Trouble Along the Way (1953)
I Beheld His Glory (1953)
Confidentially Connie (1953)
General Electric Theater (1953)
Star of Texas (1953)
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
Cavalcade of America (1952)
Death Valley Days (1952)
Four Star Playhouse (1952)
O. Henry's Full House (1952)
Carrie (1952)
Here Come the Marines (1952)
Sailor Beware (1952)
Dangerous Assignment (1952)
Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)
I Love Lucy (1951)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (1951)
Rhubarb (1951)
Racket Squad (1951)
Fighting Coast Guard (1951)
Follow the Sun (1951)
According to Mrs. Hoyle (1951)
Oh! Susanna (1951)
Operation Pacific (1951)
The Living Christ (1951)
Lux Video Theatre (1950)
South Sea Sinner (1950)
Destination Murder (1950)
Armored Car Robbery (1950)
The Savage Horde (1950)
Rock Island Trail (1950)
Dakota Lil (1950)
Prison Warden (1949)
The Devil's Henchman (1949)
Blondie Hits the Jackpot (1949)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949)
Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Mississippi Rhythm (1949)
Flamingo Road (1949)
Homicide (1949)
Shockproof (1949)
Bungalow 13 (1948)
The Plunderers (1948)
One Touch of Venus (1948)
The Velvet Touch (1948)
Secret Service Investigator (1948)
The Noose Hangs High (1948)
Sleep, My Love (1948)
My Girl Tisa (1948)
Unconquered (1947)
Nightmare Alley (1947)
Joe Palooka in the Knockout (1947)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
Desert Fury (1947)
Robin Hood Of Texas (1947)
Dishonored Lady (1947)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947)
My Favorite Brunette (1947)
Nora Prentiss (1947)
Nobody Lives Forever (1946)
Cloak and Dagger (1946)
Angel on My Shoulder (1946)
Step by Step (1946)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
The Missing Lady (1946)
Easy to Wed (1946)
Rendezvous with Annie (1946)
Boys' Ranch (1946)
A Stolen Life (1946)
Sentimental Journey (1946)
Young Widow (1946)
Tars and Spars (1946)
The Spider (1945)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
The Shanghai Cobra (1945)
Anchors Aweigh (1945)
Over 21 (1945)
Murder, He Says (1945)
Circumstantial Evidence (1945)
God Is My Co-Pilot (1945)
Hollywood Canteen (1944)
Laura (1944)
Strange Affair (1944)
Abroad with Two Yanks (1944)
Christmas Holiday (1944)
Once Upon a Time (1944)
Uncertain Glory (1944)
Riding High (1943)
Swing Shift Maisie (1943)
Corvette K-225 (1943)
Murder on the Waterfront (1943)
So Proudly We Hail (1943)
I Dood It (1943)
Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Mission to Moscow (1943)
Air Force (1943)
It Ain't Hay (1943)
Something to Shout About (1943)
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty (1942)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
Night in New Orleans (1942)
Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942)
Thru Different Eyes (1942)
Tough as They Come (1942)
Fingers at the Window (1942)
Kid Glove Killer (1942)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942)
Treat 'Em Rough (1942)
A Yank on the Burma Road (1942)
Bedtime Story (1941)
Kathleen (1941)
The Night of January 16th (1941)
New York Town (1941)
I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
Texas (1941)
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
We Go Fast (1941)
Belle Starr (1941)
Manpower (1941)
Affectionately Yours (1941)
Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
Ride on Vaquero (1941)
Pot o' Gold (1941)
Western Union (1941)
Buck Privates (1941)
The Wild Man of Borneo (1941)
Four Mothers (1941)
Tin Pan Alley (1940)
Youth Will Be Served (1940)
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
The Devil's Pipeline (1940)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
Knute Rockne All American (1940)
The Great Profile (1940)
Rhythm on the River (1940)
When the Daltons Rode (1940)
The Golden Fleecing (1940)
South of Pago Pago (1940)
Manhattan Heartbeat (1940)
Private Affairs (1940)
The Way of All Flesh (1940)
Queen of the Mob (1940)
Lucky Cisco Kid (1940)
The Ghost Breakers (1940)
Brother Orchid (1940)
Florian (1940)
Girl in 313 (1940)
La Conga Nights (1940)
Hot Steel (1940)
Johnny Apollo (1940)
It All Came True (1940)
And One Was Beautiful (1940)
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Women Without Names (1940)
Double Alibi (1940)
Castle on the Hudson (1940)
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940)
The Fighting 69th (1940)
Remember the Night (1940)
The Cisco Kid and the Lady (1939)
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President (1939)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Fast and Furious (1939)
Irish Luck (1939)
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
They Shall Have Music (1939)
They All Come Out (1939)
Mr. Wong in Chinatown (1939)
Mickey the Kid (1939)
Tell No Tales (1939)
The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939)
Rose of Washington Square (1939)
Union Pacific (1939)
Big Town Czar (1939)
Code of the Streets (1939)
Sergeant Madden (1939)
Everybody's Baby (1939)
The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939)
Jesse James (1939)
The Duke of West Point (1938)
The Wrong Way Out (1938)
While New York Sleeps (1938)
Convicts at Large (1938)
Blondie (1938)
Lightning Carson Rides Again (1938)
Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
I Am the Law (1938)
Gateway (1938)
Wives Under Suspicion (1938)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
Test Pilot (1938)
Start Cheering (1938)
Night Spot (1938)
Born to Be Wild (1938)
Mannequin (1938)
Everybody's Doing It (1938)
Big Town Girl (1937)
Live, Love and Learn (1937)
Hot Water (1937)
Dangerously Yours (1937)
My Dear Miss Aldrich (1937)
Girls Can Play (1937)
Angel's Holiday (1937)
I Promise to Pay (1937)
Midnight Taxi (1937)
You Only Live Once (1937)
Dangerous Number (1937)
They Met in a Taxi (1936)
My Man Godfrey (1936)
Charlie Chan at the Race Track (1936)
How to Behave (1936)
One Way Ticket (1935)
Rendezvous (1935)
Shipmates Forever (1935)
Special Agent (1935)
Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935)
Woman Wanted (1935)
The Daring Young Man (1935)
The Murder Man (1935)
Public Hero Number 1 (1935)
Chinatown Squad (1935)
'G' Men (1935)
Captain Hurricane (1935)
Secrets of Chinatown (1935)
The Brand of Hate (1934)
The Affairs of Cellini (1934)
Baby Take a Bow (1934)
Wild Gold (1934)
The Big Race (1934)
Beloved (1934)
Only Yesterday (1933)
Ship of Wanted Men (1933)
Riot Squad (1933)
Hello, Sister! (1933)
King Kong (1933)
The All-American (1932)
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Okay, America! (1932)
McKenna of the Mounted (1932)
Back Street (1932)
The Airmail Mystery (1932)
The Roaring 20s
Ratings
Information
Known ForActing
GenderMale
Birthday1906-05-14
Deathday1976-04-23 (69 years old)
Birth PlacePortland, Maine, United States of America
RelationshipsLucile Browne (1932-01-01 - 1976-01-01)
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
Also Known AsJames William Flavin Jr., James Flaven, Jim Flavin
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