PPIFF

James Whitmore - Biography

Winner of Ace, Emmy and Tony Awards and nominated for two Academy Awards®, for his role in Battleground and for his virtuoso performance as Harry S. Truman in Give'em Hell Harry!, James Whitmore is truly a legend within the entertainment industry.

He has been regarded as the pioneer of one-man shows, a title he earned after playing the title role of the acclaimed Will Rogers, USA and a national tour as Teddy Roosevelt in Bully! Whitmore went on to produce Eleanor, a one-woman show starring Eileen Heckert.

Mr. Whitmore's, on screen bodies of work includes The Asphalt Jungle, Battle Cry, Planet of The Apes, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, Kiss Me Kate, The First Deadly Sin. Most recently he starred in The Majestic, and the acclaimed film The Shawshank Redemption.

He is also remembered for television series My Friend Tony, Temperatures Rising, The Law and Mr. Jones and received the Ace Award for the HBO feature Glory, Glory co-starring Richard Thomas.

Mr. Whitmore continues to work in theater playing such roles as Norman Thaler in On Golden Pond, Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came To Dinner and Wendall Holmes in The Magnificent Yankee.

Born in White Plains New York, and raised in Buffalo, Mr. Whitmore attended Connecticut's Choate School. WWII interrupted his pre-law studies at Yale. He received his degree while at boot camp and served as an officer in the Marine Corps. In 1947, he was one of the actors who helped found the Actors Studio.