James Dickey (1923 - 1997)

James Dickey was born to lawyer Eugene Dickey and Maibelle Swift in Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended North Fulton High School in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. In 1942 he enrolled at Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina and played on the football team as a tailback. After one semester, he left school to enlist in the […]

James Dobson (1920 - 1987)

Actor. As a child, he won a trip to Hollywood and decided to become an actor. He went on to Broadway appearing in the play “Life With Father” and on radio as the voice of Archie Andrews. His films include “The West Point Story” (1950), “Flying Leathernecks” (1951), “The Tanks Are Coming” (1951), “For Men […]

James Donald (1917 - 1993)

James Donald (18 May 1917 – 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he specialised in playing authority figures.  Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire’s Fylde coast. During World War II he had minor roles […]

James Doohan (1920 - 2005)

Actor. He is best known for his role of ‘Montgomery “Scotty” Scott’, the Chief Engineer of the starship “Enterprise” in the seminal and immensely popular 1960’s science fiction television series “Star Trek” and it’s subsequent movies. Born in British Columbia, Canada, he served in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II, and lost the […]

James Doty (1799 - 1865)

Following his career as a judge, James Duane Doty served as a member of the Michigan Territorial Council from 1834 to 1835, representing the western part of the territory. In this capacity Doty argued for the creation of a new territorial government for Wisconsin, sending petitions to Congress in favor of splitting Michigan Territory into […]

James Douglas (1929 - 2016)

Actor. Best known for playing ‘Steven Cord’ in the popular TV serial “Peyton Place” (1965 to 1969). Born in Los Angeles (some sources state year of birth as 1933). Raised within the shadows of the entertainment industry, he took advantage of the opportunities for a young actor and marked his motion picture debut with an […]

James Douglas Reid (1819 - 1901)

Business magnate. Although not the inventor, he was known as the “Father of the Telegraph,” being the first superintendent of the process in the U.S. and Europe, and publishing the first journals and history of the telegraph. He also built and ran several early telegraph lines, before the consolidation into Western Union by Hiram Sibley […]

James Dunn (1901 - 1967)

Born in New York City, James Dunn was the son of a Wall Street stockbroker. He joined his father in his business for three years. Dunn started his entertainment career in vaudeville before progressing to films at Paramount’s Astoria studios in the late 1920s starting as an extra. After a gap where he appeared in […]

James E. Gaines (1927 - 2006)

Actor. Sonny Jim Gaines was a character actor who worked on TV 1970’s through the early 2000’s. television series “Sanford and Son”, where he appeared as “Big Money” Grip Madlock, an old buddy of Fred Sanford from St. Louis, “Good Times” and “Baretta” Gaines also had roles in several films which included the 1973 blaxploitation […]

James Earl Ray (1928 - 1998)

James Earl Ray was born to a poor family on March 10, 1928, in Alton, Illinois, the son of Lucille (Maher) and George Ellis Ray. He had Welsh, Scots, and Irish ancestry, and was raised Catholic. In February 1935, Ray’s father, known by the nickname Speedy, passed a bad check in Alton, Illinois, then moved […]

James Earle Fraser (1876 - 1953)

Sculptor, Medalist. One of the most prominent American sculptors of the first half of the 20th century, he is best remembered for his work “End of the Trail” and for designing the US Indian Head (or Buffalo) nickel that was issued from 1913 until 1938. His work is also integral to many of Washington DC’s […]

James Edgar Engle (1970 - 1897)

Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient. Served in the Civil War as a Sergeant in Company I, 97th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was awarded the CMOH for his bravery at Bermuda Hundred, Virginia on May 18, 1864. His citation reads “Responded to a call for volunteers to carry ammunition to the regiment on the […]

James Edward Kelly (1855 - 1933)

Artist, Illustrator.  Best known for the portrait statue of General John Buford on the Gettysburg Battlefield, James Edward Kelly’s work reflected his passion for historic accuracy.  His exceptional talents in the visual arts became evident at an early age, and the American Civil War, the defining event of his childhood, was to be a lifelong […]

James Edwards (1918 - 1970)

Actor. He was a noted character performer in films and television, most remembered for his role as Private Peter Moss in the World War II movie, “Home of the Brave” (1949). A veteran of over fifty films, his credits include “The Joe Louis Story” (1953), “Seven Angry Men” (1955), “Pork Chop Hill” (1959), “The Manchurian […]

James Farentino (1938 - 2012)

James Farentino Born in Brooklyn, New York, Farentino attended local schools followed later by studying drama and acting in Catholic school.  In the 1950s/60s, he went on to stage and a few TV roles. Among his many television appearances, he guest-starred in 1964 with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., in the episode “Super-Star” of the CBS drama […]

James Fawcett (1906 - 1942)

American vaudeville and film actor of the 1930s and 40s. Died in an auto accident.

James Fenimore Cooper (1789 - 1851)

Author. He was the first major American novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories as well as historical romances known as the “Leatherstock Tales,” a series of frontier adventure novels featuring  fictional character ‘Natty Pumppo’ who lives free, close to nature while the settlers bring civilization that destroys the wilderness,  “The Last of the Mohicans” an adventure […]

James Finlayson (1887 - 1953)

Born in Larbert, Stirlingshire, Scotland to Alexander and Isabella (nêe Henderson) Finlayson, James Finlayson worked as a tinsmith before pursuing an acting career. After the death of both his parents, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1911 at the age of 24 with his brother Robert. He married Emily Cora Gilbert, an American citizen from Iowa, […]

James Foster Neal (1929 - 2010)

American Trial Lawyer. He was considered one of the nation’s most outstanding prosecuting and defense attorneys. He attended the University of Wyoming on a football scholarship before joining the United States Marine Corps in the early 1950s. Following military service, he attended Vanderbilt and Georgetown Universities, earning advanced degrees in law. He served as a […]

James Francis Abbott (1872 - 1954)

Actor. He appeared in the theatre and in motion pictures during the “Silent Screen Era”.  Family links:  Spouse:  Ollivan C. Abbott (1885 – 1961)* *Calculated relationship Inscription:OUR BELOVED BUNNY

James Francis Byrnes (1882 - 1972)

James Francis “Jimmy” Byrnes was born at 538 King St. in Charleston, South Carolina and reared in Charleston, South Carolina. Byrnes’s father died shortly after Byrnes was born. His mother, Elizabeth McSweeney Byrnes, was an Irish-American dressmaker. At the age of fourteen, he left St. Patrick’s Catholic School to work in a law office, and […]

James Franciscus (1934 - 1991)

Franciscus was born in Clayton, Missouri, to Lorraine (née Grover) and John Allen Franciscus, who was killed in action during World War II. In 1957, Franciscus received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and theatre arts from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, from which he graduated magna cum laude. He was a classmate […]

James Frank “Pete” Rogers (1922 - 1978)

Rogers commanded the Texas Rangers who confronted Fred Carrasco, Ignacio Cuevas and Rudolfo Dominguez at Huntsville, TX, on August 4, 1974, and killed Carrasco and Dominguez to end an 11-day escape attempt at the prison. Two women hostages were killed by the convicts. During WWII, he was a fighter pilot in Europe, winning 3 Distinguished […]

James Frank Dobie (1888 - 1964)

Writer, Educator. Born in Live Oak County, Texas, his ranching heritage became an early influence on his character and personality. His book “Vaguero of the Brush County” (1929), established him as a spokesman of Texas and southwestern culture. His many other writings included “Colorado’s Children” (1931), “Tales of the Mustang” (1936), “The Flavor of Texas” […]

James Fraser (1875 - 1943)

Actor in motion pictures of the 1940s.

James Gammon (1940 - 2010)

Actor. Born James Gammon, he was a well known character performer, best recognized for his rugged features and gravelly voice. He is best remembered for his role as Cleveland Indians manager Lou Brown in the motion pictures “Major League” (1989), “Major League II” (1994), and for his recurring role in the television series “Nash Bridges” […]

James Gandolfini (1961 - 2013)

James Gandolfini Gandolfini was born in Westwood, New Jersey. His mother, Santa (née Penna), a high school lunch lady of Italian ancestry, was born in the United States and raised in Naples, Italy. His father, James Joseph Gandolfini, Sr., a native of Borgo Val di Taro, Italy, was a bricklayer and cement mason and later […]

James Garfield (0183 - 1881)

James Garfield American Civil War Major General, US Congressman, and US President. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 20th US President for only 200 days, from March until September 1881. He was the 3rd US President to die in office and the 2nd one who was assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln. Born […]

James Garner (1928 - 2014)

James Garner Garner, who had a long and storied career that spanned almost 60 years, first found success playing Bret Maverick in the ABC western ‘Maverick’ from 1957 to 1960. Born James Scott Bumgarner, he moved to Los Angeles as a teenager with his family, and joined the Merchant Marines, later joining the National Guard. […]

James Gibbs (1682 - 1754)

Architect. Born in Scotland, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England. His most important works are St Martin-in-the-Fields, in London, and the cylindrical, domed Radcliffe Camera at Oxford University. Through the influence of Edward Harley, Earl of Oxford, James was made one of the surveyors to the commissioners for building […]