Biography for
James Gammon (I)

photos

board

add

contact

details

Date of Birth

Mini Biography

Rugged-looking James Gammon first broke into the entertainment industry not as an actor but as a TV cameraman. From there his weatherbeaten features, somewhat menacing attitude and a tough-as-nails voice--the kind that used to be described in detective novels as "whiskey-soaked"--reminiscent of '40s noir icon Charles McGraw got him work in front of the cameras in TV westerns (though he sounds as if he's from Texas or Oklahoma, he was actually born and raised in Illinois) and he made his film debut in 1967. Not the kind of guy you'd see in a tuxedo in a Noel Coward drawing-room comedy--unless he was one of a gang holding them up--Gammon could play lighter parts also, as evidenced by his work as the coach in the baseball comedy Major League (1989) and in his regular role as Don Johnson's rambunctious father in Johnson's "Nash Bridges" (1996) series.

Trade Mark

Plays gruff, grizzled men

Trivia

Has performed at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Illinois

Was nominated for Broadway's 1996 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for a revival of Sam Shepard's "Buried Child."

Was very close friends with Timothy Scott. In 1995, the year Scott died, Gammon appeared in "Streets of Laredo" (1995), the sequel to "Lonesome Dove" (1989), in which Scott had appeared.

Played Don Johnson's father on Johnson's "Nash Bridges" (1996) series, although he's actually less than ten years older than Johnson.

	You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
	With our Resume service you can add photos and build a complete resume to help you achieve the best possible presentation on the IMDb. Click here to add your resume and/or your photos to IMDb.

Browse biographies section by name

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z