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Tue 19 Nov, 2002 04:15 pm
Actor Coburn dies at 74
By MAKI BECKER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
11/19/02
Actor James Coburn, whose four-decade career took him from classic tough-guy roles to an Oscar-winning portrayal of an anguished father in 1998's "Affliction," died yesterday of a heart attack.
Coburn, 74, who battled rheumatoid arthritis for more than two decades, was struck by a massive coronary about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, said his manager, Hillard Elkins.At the time, Coburn was listening to music with his wife in their Beverly Hills home. "He died happy," Elkins said. Born in Laurel, Neb., Coburn began his big-screen career in 1959 with what would be a long string of Westerns: "Ride Lonesome."But moviegoers didn't take much notice of Coburn until his breakthrough role as Britt, a knife-throwing tough guy in 1960's "The Magnificent Seven." "He didn't have many lines, but his physical appearance spoke volumes," film critic Leonard Maltin wrote.
Seldom cast as the leading man, Coburn often won kudos for his performances as sidekicks and villains. In the late 1960s, he showed a more humorous side in the James Bond spoofs "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint."He was praised for his performance as Dr. Sidney Schaefer in the 1967 comedy "The President's Analyst," which he also produced. He is currently in theaters playing a terminally ill novelist in "The Man From Elysian Fields," an independent film also starring Andy Garcia and Mick Jagger.
After developing painful arthritis, Coburn all but disappeared from the screen in the '80s and '90s. He said he found a cure by taking pills made from sulfur. His knuckles remained gnarled - his left hand practically crippled - but the actor recovered enough to play a bitter, abusive father in the critically acclaimed film "Affliction" alongside Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek. The role won him his first Academy Award - for Best Supporting Actor. "Some of them you do for money, some of them you do for love," Coburn said in his acceptance speech. "This is a love child."
He is survived by his wife, Paula, two children, Lisa and James Jr., and two grandchildren.
couzz tried to post this so I'm doing it:
My favorite Coburn role was in "The President's Analyst" but he's likely remembered most for the "In Like Flynt" series.
Lightwizard<
Thanks for remembering James Coburn here.
Like you, I think he will best be remembered for the "In like Flint" movies.
It is ironic that he later suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, because my own visual memory of him is of his unwinding, catlike...really unfurling himself to move.
He was lithe and lovely in the 60´s.A shame for everyone that he´s gone.
I always liked him a lot, particularly when he was a highly sought after character acter; that is, before the "In Like Flint" movie was made. I also looked forward to the parts he played over the last several years. Thanks for giving us a remembrance thread.
James Coburn taught me how to walk tall and be cool, in a tough sort of way. Measured sophistocation and The EyE.
Yes, The James Coburn eYe.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Waternoose.
Ah, yes -- "Monsters, Inc." and who could forget that distinctive voice?
Welcome, Max!
Thanks, LW. It is folks such as yourself who make this an interesting entertaining and informative place to be.
I'm gonnna get comfortable, cuz, to quote Eddie Murphy in Trading Places,
"I believe I'll hang wit youse guys for a while!"
Aw, shucks, my head will get big enough to try out for Monsters, Inc. II -- cut that out!
Coburn's filmography is more extensive the most would believe. Here's some highlights, beginning with the earliest:
The Magnificent Seven '60
The Great Escape '63
Charade '63
Our Man Flint '66
The President's Analyst (should have been nominated for the Oscar) '67
The Last of Sheila '73
Midway '76
Looker '81
Sister Act II '93
Maverick '94
The Nutty Professor '96
Affliction '97
Monsters, Inc. '01
I saw Coburn in his last movie, THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, just a few days before he died. He was marvelous in it, just as he was marvelous in everything I ever saw him do. In AFFLICTION he was genuinely terrifying as the psychopathic father--the summation of thirty years superb work in film and richly deserving of the oscar he received. What a pity that Coburn's gone, because there are so few talents as genuine and versatile as his around today!
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