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James Stephenson
Actor

James Stephenson

13 Apr 1889Born
29 Jul 1941Died
52Age at death
37Credits

Biography

British stage actor James Stephenson made his film debut quite late in life, at the age of 49, in 1937, making four pictures that year. Warner Bros. got a glimpse of this distinguished gent and signed him to a contract where he indulged himself in urbane villainy. Proving a reliable support in such films as Boy Meets Girl (1938), You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), and the classic adventure The Sea Hawk (1940), he was entrusted by director William Wyler and mega-star Bette Davis to play the sympathetic role of the family attorney Howard Joyce in The Letter (1940).

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It was the role of a lifetime and he didn't let them down for he earned an Oscar nomination in the process. Stephenson was soon on a roll, playing the titular sleuth in Calling Philo Vance (1940) and was first-billed in the above-average "B" movie Shining Victory (1941) when he died suddenly in 1941 of a heart attack at the rather young age of 53.

Date of Death:  29 July 1941, Pacific Palisades, California  (heart attack)

Known for

Filmography

  1. 1941International SquadronFilm: Squadron Leader Charles Wyatt
  2. 1941Shining VictoryFilm: Dr. Paul Venner
  3. 1941Flight from DestinyFilm: Dr. Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
  4. 1940The LetterFilm: Howard Joyce
  5. 1940South of SuezFilm: Inspector Thornton
  6. 1940A Dispatch from ReutersFilm: Carew
  7. 1940The Sea HawkFilm: Abbott
  8. 1940River's EndFilm: McDowell
  9. 1940Murder in the AirFilm: Joe Garvey
  10. 1940Calling Philo VanceFilm: Philo Vance
  11. 1940Wolf of New YorkFilm: Hiram Rogers
  12. 1939We Are Not AloneFilm: Sir William Clintock
  13. 1939The Private Lives of Elizabeth and EssexFilm: Sir Thomas Egerton
  14. 1939The Monroe DoctrineFilm: Senor De La Torre
  15. 1939Espionage AgentFilm: Dr. Anton Rader
  16. 1939The Old MaidFilm: Jim Ralston
  17. 1939Beau GesteFilm: Major Henri de Beaujolais
  18. 1939Sons of LibertyFilm: Colonel Tillman
  19. 1939Confessions of a Nazi SpyFilm: British Military Intelligence Agent
  20. 1939Wanted by Scotland YardFilm: Fingers
  21. 1939On TrialFilm: Gerald Trask
  22. 1939The Adventures of Jane ArdenFilm: Dr. George Vanders
  23. 1939Secret Service of the AirFilm: Jim Cameron
  24. 1939Torchy Blane in ChinatownFilm: Dr. Mansfield
  25. 1939King of the UnderworldFilm: Bill Stevens
  26. 1939Devil's IslandFilm: Col. Armand Lucien
  27. 1938Heart of the NorthFilm: Stephen Gore
  28. 1938Nancy Drew… DetectiveFilm: Challon
  29. 1938Boy Meets GirlFilm: Major Thompson
  30. 1938Cowboy from BrooklynFilm: Prof. Landis
  31. 1938White BannersFilm: Thomas Bradford
  32. 1938When Were You BornFilm: Phillip Corey
  33. 1938Mr. SatanFilm: Tim Garnett
  34. 1938The Dark StairwayFilm: Inspector Clarke
  35. 1937The Man Who Made DiamondsFilm: Ben
  36. 1937You Live and LearnFilm: Sam Brooks
  37. 1937Transatlantic TroubleFilm: Lewis

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.