James Mitchum

'James Mitchum' (qv) is the oldest son of legendary actor 'Robert Mitchum' (qv) and the spitting image of his famous father. By inheriting his dad's sexy, sleepy eyes and taciturn good looks, it was obvious from the start that Jim would lean towards an acting career with so much going for him. The comparison helped him as well as hurt him. Jim got his first taste of film-making at the age of 8 with a tiny unbilled role in the sturdy western _Colorado Territory (1949)_ (qv) with 'Joel McCrea' (qv), 'Virginia Mayo' (qv) and 'Dorothy Malone' (qv), but made his credited debut playing his father's much younger "brother" in _Thunder Road (1958)_ (qv), which became a drive-in cult favorite. He gained experience in other films made by his father including _The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961)_ (qv). Jim's solo career would be composed of primarily westerns and war pictures, achieving a degree of stability but little distinction in the long run. Such films as _Young Guns of Texas (1962)_ (qv), _Ambush Bay (1966)_ (qv), _Trackdown (1976)_ (qv), _Blackout (1978)_ (qv) and _Hollywood Cop (1987)_ (qv) would come and go. Younger brother 'Christopher Mitchum' (qv) would follow a similarly rugged path in films. Jim was formerly married to actress 'Wende Wagner' (qv), who died in 1997 of cancer. They had one child.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net