James N. Harrell
Acting
Biography
James Nelson Harrell was an American actor with a career spanning several decades. He graduated from Baylor University and held a Master's Degree in Drama from Trinity University. Harrell studied acting at the original Baylor Theater with Paul Baker in the 1930s and, in 1940, was invited to join Michael Chekhov's Acting Studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He appeared in films such as Michael (1996) and The Green Mile (1999). Harrell's extensive work in theater and film left a lasting impact on the acting community.
Born: September 3, 1918
Place of Birth: Waco, Texas, USA
Known For
Paper Moon
During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
JFK
Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.
The Dollmaker
During World War II, hard-luck farmer Colvis Nevels leaves his rural Kentucky home to take a factory job in bustling Detroit. Reluctantly accompanying Colvis is his long-suffering wife, Gertie, a talented woodcarver set in her traditional ways. When the perils of city life and Colvis' reckless squandering of money send the Nevels into precarious financial straits, Gertie starts a business making hand-carved dolls in order to provide for her family.
Rolling Thunder
A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. He has a hard time adjusting, and things go badly. A movie about the walking dead, before that meant just flesh-eating zombies.
The Good Old Boys
An aging cowboy must choose between his desire to remain free and the responsibilities of maintaining a family.
The Sugarland Express
Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.
Resurrection
The story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people. She becomes an unwitting celebrity, the hope of those in desperate need of healing, and a lightning rod for religious beliefs and skeptics.
The Great Waldo Pepper
A biplane pilot and WWI veteran takes up barnstorming and later a movie career in his quest for the glory days he misses.
A Family Thing
Earl Pilcher Jr. runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus, he has a half brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.
Country
Jewell and Gil are farmers. They seem to be working against the odds, producing no financial surplus. Gil has lost hope of ever becoming prosperous, but Jewell decides to fight for her family.
Filmography
as Doctor
as Murray
as Harry Calvert
as Old Geezer #1
as Earl Pilcher Sr.
as Pierson Phelps
as Woody
as Ramsey
as Sam Holland
as Hoyle Barker
as Elderly Man (as James Harrell)
as Odessa Oil Man
as Charlie
as Shelby
as McBride (as Jim Harrell)
as Deacon
as Cut-Rite Manager
as Tom Allbright
as Bank Officer, Jim
as Old John Miller
as Ticket Taker
as Doc Lurkin
as Minister at Gravesite
as Rhonda Lynn's Father
as Grandpa
as Cop Chauffeur
as Gun Shop Owner
as Farmer
as Dr. Crawther
as Mark Fenno
as Newsman
as The Minister
as Brother Taylor
as Sam Floyd