Cast
James Flavin
Acting
Cast
James Flavin
Known for
Acting
Born
1906-05-14
From
Portland, Maine, USA
Died
1976-04-23
Also known as James William Flavin Jr., James Flaven, Jim Flavin
Biography
American character actor whose career lasted nearly half a century. James Wilson Flavin Jr. was the son of a hotel waiter of Canadian-English extraction and a mother, Katherine, whose father was an Irish immigrant. (Thus Flavin, well-known in Hollywood as an "Irish" type, was only one-quarter Irish.) Flavin was born and raised in Portland, Maine (a fact that may have enrichened his later working relationship with director John Ford, also a Portland native). He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, but (contrary to some sources) did not graduate. Instead he dropped out and returned to Portland where he drove a taxi. Then as now, summer stock companies flocked to Maine each year, and in 1929 he was asked to fill in for an actor. He did well with the part and the company manager offered him $150 per week to go with the troupe back to New York. Flavin accepted and by the spring of 1930 was living in a rooming house at 108 W. 87th Street in Manhattan. Flavin didn't manage to crack Broadway at this time (his Broadway debut would not occur for another thirty-nine years, in the 1971 revival of "The Front Page," in which Flavin played Murphy and briefly took over the lead role of Walter Burns from star Robert Ryan). He worked his way across the country in stock productions and tours, arriving in Los Angeles around 1932. He quickly made the transition to movies, landing the lead in his very first film, a Universal serial, The Airmail Mystery (1932). He also landed his leading lady, marrying the serial's female star Lucile Browne that same year. However, the serial marked virtually the last time that Flavin would play the lead in a film. Thereafter, he was restricted almost exclusively to supporting characters, many of them without so much as a name. He specialized in uniformed cops and hard-bitten detectives, but played chauffeurs, cabbies, and even a 16th-century palace guard with aplomb. Flavin appeared in nearly four hundred films between 1932 and 1971, and in almost a hundred television episodes before his final appearance, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976). Flavin died of a heart ailment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on April 23, 1976. His widow Lucile died seventeen days later. They were survived by their son, William James Flavin, subsequently a professor at the United States Army War College. James and Lucile Brown Flavin were buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
King Kong
as Mate Briggs
Laura
as Det. McEveety (uncredited)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
as Patrolman (uncredited)
Mildred Pierce
as Detective (uncredited)
The Strawberry Blonde
as Ticket Inspector on Boat (uncredited)
Mister Roberts
as Military Policeman
The Grapes of Wrath
as Guard (uncredited)
Unconquered
as Villager (uncredited)
Saboteur
as Motorcycle Cop (voice) (uncredited)
Desert Fury
as Pat Johnson
'G' Men
as Agent with Jean (uncredited)
Operation Pacific
as SP Commander
Cheyenne Autumn
as Ft. Robinson Sergeant of the Guard (uncredited)
Carrie
as Mike - Bartender (uncredited)
North West Mounted Police
as Mountie
Start Cheering
as Gas Station Attendant
The Roaring Twenties
as Policeman (uncredited)
Special Agent
as Agent Arresting Julie (uncredited)
Western Union
as Deputy Sheriff
Angel on My Shoulder
as Dan Bellamy
Chinatown Squad
as Detective
Buck Privates
as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
In Cold Blood
as Clarence Duntz
Mighty Joe Young
as Schultz
Belle Starr
as Sergeant
Johnny Rocco
as Mooney
Kathleen
as Moving Man
Jesse James
as Cavalry Captain (uncredited)
Anchors Aweigh
as Radio Cop
You Can't Take It with You
as Jailer (uncredited)
Johnny Apollo
as Prison Guard In Library (uncredited)
My Man Godfrey
as Detective (uncredited)
Nightmare Alley
as Hoatley / First Carnival Owner (uncredited)
Blondie
as Policeman in Accident Car (uncredited)
The Most Dangerous Game
as First Mate on Yacht (uncredited)
Reap the Wild Wind
as Girl's Father (uncredited)
The Plunderers
as Sergeant Major
Test Pilot
as Pilot (uncredited)
Three Loves Has Nancy
as Jack's Friend (uncredited)
Dishonored Lady
as Police Sergeant Patella
Heaven Can Wait
as Policeman (uncredited)
Christmas Holiday
as Policeman (uncredited)
Shockproof
as Policeman in Park (Uncredited)
Night Passage
as Tim Riley
Destination Murder
as Police Lt. Brewster
Ziegfeld Girl
as Buck (uncredited)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
as Police Detective #1
Johnny Angel
as Flavin, Mate of the Quincy (uncredited)
Captain Hurricane
as Freighter Officer
Woman Wanted
as Mac - Policeman (uncredited)
Once Upon a Time
as Man in Subway (uncredited)
Step by Step
as Woods
Private Affairs
as Doorman (uncredited)
Sailor Beware
as Petty Officer (uncredited)
O. Henry's Full House
as Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
The Fighting 69th
as Supply Sergeant (uncredited)
The Devil's Henchmen
as Police Sergeant Briggs
Alexander's Ragtime Band
as Army Captain (uncredited)
Rendezvous
as 2st Military Policeman (uncredited)
Hot News
as Al Bragg
Bedtime Story
as Hotel Guest in Room 625 (uncredited)
Brother Orchid
as Parking Attendant at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
Union Pacific
as Paddy (uncredited)
Action in the North Atlantic
as Merchant Marine School Lieutenant-Commander (uncredited)
Hollywood Canteen
as Marine Sergeant (uncredited)
Song of the Thin Man
as Policeman Reardon (uncredited)
God Is My Co-Pilot
as Major at Kweilin Airbase (uncredited)
Gentleman Jim
as George Corbett (uncredited)
Boys' Ranch
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Shanghai Cobra
as H.R. Jarvis
Rhythm on the River
as Detective
Cloak and Dagger
as Col. Walsh
When Tomorrow Comes
as Coard Guard Man on Road (uncredited)
Never Say Goodbye
as Timmy
A Stolen Life
as Investigator (uncredited)
Secrets of Chinatown
as Brandhma
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
as First Policeman (uncredited)
The Ghost Breakers
as Hotel Porter (uncredited)
Only Yesterday
as Billy (Uncredited)
The All-American
as Don Lindsay
Too Hot to Handle
as Young Reporter (uncredited)
Rhubarb
as O'Leary, Manhattan Police Chief (uncredited)
You Only Live Once
as State Trooper (uncredited)
Florian
as Policeman
The Restless Breed
as Secret Service Chief
Manpower
as Orderly About to Give Bath (uncredited)
Texas
as Abilene Fight Announcer
The Long Voyage Home
as Dock Policeman
Affectionately Yours
as Tomassetti
Fingers at the Window
as Police Lieutenant Schaeffer
Air Force
as Maj. A.M. Bagley
Mr. Winkle Goes to War
Fighter Attack
as Col. Allison
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
as President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Mission to Moscow
as American Senator (uncredited)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
as Insp. Wellman
Circumstantial Evidence
as Guard
Man on the Flying Trapeze
as Chauffeur (uncredited)
Gateway
as Guard
Air Mail
as Man with Radio Report (uncredited)
Dangerously Yours
as Driver
There's Something About a Soldier
Big Town Girl
as State Trooper
Back Street
as Reporter (uncredited)
I Wake Up Screaming
as Detective (uncredited)
Hot Steel
as Storm Swenson
Pot o' Gold
as Sheriff Bud Connolly (uncredited)
Pot o' Gold
as Sheriff Bud Connolly
Uncertain Glory
as Captain of Mobile Guard
Critic's Choice
as Security Guard (uncredited)
Remember the Night
as Court Attendant (uncredited)
Knute Rockne All American
as Army Assistant Coach (uncredited)
So Proudly We Hail
as Captain O'Brien (Uncredited)
Beloved
as Wilcox
Trouble Along the Way
as Coach Buck Holman
Wild Is the Wind
as Wool Buyer
Oh! Susanna
as Capt. Worth
Mannequin
as Burly Man (Uncredited)
Sergeant Madden
as Police Interrogator
Sleep, My Love
as Lieutenant Mitchell
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
as First Policeman in Bank
Here Come the Marines
as Lieutenant-Colonel at End
Flamingo Road
They Met in a Taxi
as Policeman
The Naked Street
as Attorney Michael X. Flanders
Bungalow 13
as Lt. Sam Wilson
Fast and Furious
as Policeman Guarding Entrance (uncredited)
Angel's Holiday
as Detective
I Dood It
as Federal Agent (uncredited)
Over 21
as Captain (uncredited)
Joe Palooka in the Knockout
as Policeman
Good Times
as Lieutenant
Thank Your Lucky Stars
as Policeman (uncredited)
The Last Hurrah
as Police Capt. Michael J. Shanahan (uncredited)
New York Town
as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
Irish Luck
as Fluger
When Willie Comes Marching Home
as Gen. Brevort (uncredited)
Miracle Money
as Cop (uncredited)
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
as Capt. Luddy
My Favorite Brunette
as Det. Lt. 'Mac' Hennessey (uncredited)
Each Dawn I Die
as Policeman (uncredited)
Baby Take a Bow
as Flannigan
The Missing Lady
as Police Insp. Cardona
The Murder Man
as Policeman at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Homicide
as Det. Lt. Boylan
The Velvet Touch
as Sgt. Oliphant
Tell No Tales
as Officer Simmons (uncredited)
Girl in 313
as Det. Carvin
Robin Hood Of Texas
as Captain Danforth
Dragonfly Squadron
as Doctor
Midnight Taxi
as Detective McCormick
A Yank on the Burma Road
as Police Dispatcher
Live, Love and Learn
as Marine Who Likes Painting (uncredited)
South Sea Sinner
as Andrews
Rose of Washington Square
as Guard (uncredited)
It All Came True
as Roaring 90's Club Doorman (uncredited)
Apache Ambush
as Col. Marshall
Corvette K-225
as 1st Lt. Bill Gardner
The Affairs of Cellini
as Palace Guard (uncredited)
Hold That Hypnotist
as Jake Morgan
Swing Shift Maisie
as Radio Policeman (Uncredited)
The Gracie Allen Murder Case
as Turnkey
Women Without Names
as Guard
Law and Order
as Capt. Toomey
Broadway Melody of 1940
as Clancy (uncredited)
Nora Prentiss
as District Attorney
Murder, He Says
as Police Officer (uncredited)
Queen of the Mob
as Third FBI Director
It Ain't Hay
as Cop (uncredited)
The Wild Man of Borneo
as Policeman (uncredited)
Everybody's Doing It
as Detective Hayes
Four Mothers
as Demolition Man (uncredited)
Shipmates Forever
as Lieutenant (uncredited)
Million Dollar Mermaid
as Conductor
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Railroad Detective #2 (uncredited)
Thru Different Eyes
as Thomas
Armored Car Robbery
as Lt. Phillips
The Savage Horde
as Guard
Tin Pan Alley
as Army Sergeant (uncredited)
One Touch of Venus
as Kerrigan
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty
as Policeman
The Duke of West Point
as Plebe Hockey Coach
Strange Affair
as Bank Security Guard (uncredited)
Nobody Lives Forever
as Shake Thomas
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
as Detective
Hold Back the Dawn
as Immigration Guard (uncredited)
The Golden Fleecing
as Cop (uncredited)
Riding High
as Train Conductor
Castle on the Hudson
as Death Row Guard (uncredited)
The Brand of Hate
as Holt Larkins
Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President
as Policeman
Fighting Coast Guard
as Commander Rogers
They All Come Out
as Officer (uncredited)
Night Spot
as Kidnapper
Massacre Canyon
as Col. Tarant
They Shall Have Music
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Way of All Flesh
as Policeman
Broadway
as Doorman (uncredited)
Footsteps in the Night
as Mr. Bradbury
Okay, America!
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Everybody's Baby
as Police Announcer (uncredited)
The Eddie Cantor Story
as Kelly
Francis in the Haunted House
as Police Chief Martin
The Night of January 16th
as Policeman Kelly
The Further Adventures of Gallegher
as Lt. Flynn
Easy to Wed
as Joe
When the Daltons Rode
as Annabella's Brother
Straight from the Heart
as Policeman
Rock Island Trail
as Railroad Workman
Double Alibi
as Patrolman Johnson
Young Widow
as Subway Conductor (Uncredited)
Lucky Cisco Kid
as Ranch Foreman
Come Fill the Cup
as Russ - Homicide Captain (uncredited)
The Cisco Kid and the Lady
as Sergeant
I Am the Law
as George - Witness (uncredited)
The Noose Hangs High
as Traffic Cop (uncredited)
The Daring Young Man
as Informant on Telephone
The Great Profile
as Detective
The Ice Follies of 1939
as Doorman (uncredited)
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence
as Second Mate Briggs (archive footage)
Abroad with Two Yanks
as Sgt. Wiggins
Hot Water
as Policeman (uncredited)
Hold That Blonde!
as Laundry Truck Driver (uncredited)
While New York Sleeps
as 2nd Cop
Dangerous Number
as Cab Driver
The Devil's Pipeline
as Dowling
And One Was Beautiful
as McRafferty
Star of Texas
as Texas Rangers Capt. Sturdivant
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
as Police Sgt. Jerry
Sentimental Journey
as Detective Sgt. McFarland (uncredited)
Public Hero Number 1
as Flavin - Federal Agent (uncredited)
Confidentially Connie
as Harry (uncredited)
Mississippi Rhythm
as Stan Caldwell
The Luckiest Girl in the World
as Policeman
Wives Under Suspicion
as Jenks - Chauffeur (uncredited)
Code of the Streets
as Doorman
Rendezvous with Annie
as Turnkey (uncredited)
My Girl Tisa
as Guard (uncredited)
Riot Squad
as Det. Mack McCue
Mickey the Kid
as Sanders
Born to Be Wild
as Striker (uncredited)
Something to Shout About
as Policeman
Follow the Sun
as Henry Gibbs
Dakota Lil
as Secret Service Chief
My Dear Miss Aldrich
as Dr. Spitzy Calahan (uncredited)
The Spider
as Officer Johnny Tracy
South of Pago Pago
as Cafe Customer
Night in New Orleans
as Egan (uncredited)
I Beheld His Glory
as Longinus
Kid Glove Killer
as Keenan - Detective Grilling Eddie (uncredited)
I Promise to Pay
as Bill Seaver
Manhattan Heartbeat
as Truck Driver
Hello, Sister!
as Fireman
Lightning Carson Rides Again
as Justice Department Agent
Prison Warden
as Guard Capt. Peter Butler
Blondie Hits the Jackpot
as Brophy
One Way Ticket
as Ed
Ship of Wanted Men
as Frank Busch
According to Mrs. Hoyle
as Prosecuting Attorney
Wild Gold
as Detective (uncredited)
Youth Will Be Served
as Buck Miller
Tough as They Come
as Process Server
Secret Service Investigator
as Police Inspector Thorndyke
La Conga Nights
as Grogin
McKenna of the Mounted
as Corporal Randall McKenna
Treat 'Em Rough
as Joe Trosper
Murder on the Waterfront
as Cmdr. Kalin
The Big Race
as Bill Figg
Return of the Dead
as Judd Harrison
Ride on Vaquero
as Officer Johnson
We Go Fast
as Police Lt. Bardette
Tars and Spars
as Chief Bosun Mate Gurney
How to Behave
as Man in Manhole (uncredited)
Big Town Czar
as George Mitchell
Girls Can Play
as Det. Bill O'Malley
Convicts at Large
as Detective Sgt. Berkovich
The Airmail Mystery
as Bob Lee