7.6
7.6
Laura
1944
as Det. McEveety (uncredited)
James Flavin
Acting
Born:May 14, 1906
Died:April 23, 1976(aged 69)
Birthplace:Portland, Maine, USA
N/A
CommunityBiography
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.
Filmography (165 movies)
7.6
7.6
King Kong
1933
as Mate Briggs
7.5
7.5
How to Behave
1936
as Man in Manhole (uncredited)
7.5
7.5
In Cold Blood
1967
as Clarence Duntz
7.5
7.5
La Conga Nights
1940
as Grogin
7.1
7.1
You Only Live Once
1937
as State Trooper (uncredited)
7.1
7.1
Charlie Chan at the Race Track
1936
as Detective
7.1
7.1
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946
as Police Detective #1
7.0
7.0
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
1947
as First Policeman (uncredited)
7.0
7.0
Come Fill the Cup
1951
as Russ - Homicide Captain (uncredited)
7.0
7.0
Code of the Streets
1939
as Doorman
6.9
6.9
The Most Dangerous Game
1932
as First Mate on Yacht (uncredited)
6.8
6.8
Anchors Aweigh
1945
as Radio Cop
6.8
6.8
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence
2005
as Second Mate Briggs (archive footage)
6.8
6.8
The Noose Hangs High
1948
as Traffic Cop (uncredited)
6.7
6.7
Broadway Melody of 1940
1940
as Clancy (uncredited)
6.7
6.7
Uncertain Glory
1944
as Captain of Mobile Guard
6.6
6.6
I Am the Law
1938
as George - Witness (uncredited)
6.6
6.6
Murder, He Says
1945
as Police Officer (uncredited)
6.6
6.6
The Long Voyage Home
1940
as Dock Policeman
6.6
6.6
Wild Is the Wind
1957
as Wool Buyer
6.5
6.5
One Touch of Venus
1948
as Kerrigan
6.5
6.5
Armored Car Robbery
1950
as Lt. Phillips
6.5
6.5
Air Force
1943
as Maj. A.M. Bagley
6.5
6.5
Blondie Hits the Jackpot
1949
as Brophy
6.5
6.5
Boys' Ranch
1946
as Policeman (uncredited)
6.5
6.5
The Ghost Breakers
1940
as Hotel Porter (uncredited)
6.5
6.5
Fighting Coast Guard
1951
as Commander Rogers
6.5
6.5
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
1949
as Insp. Wellman
6.5
6.5
Never Say Goodbye
1956
as Timmy
6.5
6.5
Life Begins at Eight-Thirty
1942
as Policeman
6.5
6.5
The Wild Man of Borneo
1941
as Policeman
6.5
6.5
Test Pilot
1938
as Pilot (uncredited)
6.5
6.5
Cloak and Dagger
1946
as Col. Walsh
6.4
6.4
Angel on My Shoulder
1946
as Bellamy
6.4
6.4
Shockproof
1949
as Policeman in Park (Uncredited)
6.4
6.4
Night Passage
1957
as Tim Riley
6.4
6.4
Million Dollar Mermaid
1952
as Conductor
6.4
6.4
Sentimental Journey
1946
as Detective Sgt. McFarland (uncredited)
6.4
6.4
Christmas Holiday
1944
as Policeman
6.4
6.4
Mighty Joe Young
1949
as Schultz
6.3
6.3
A Stolen Life
1946
as Investigator (uncredited)
6.3
6.3
Sleep, My Love
1948
as Lieutenant Mitchell
6.3
6.3
The Great Profile
1940
as Detective
6.2
6.2
We Go Fast
1941
as Police Lt. Bardette
6.2
6.2
Follow the Sun
1951
as Henry Gibbs
6.2
6.2
Nobody Lives Forever
1946
as Shake Thomas
6.2
6.2
Public Hero Number 1
1935
as Flavin - Federal Agent (uncredited)
6.2
6.2
Step by Step
1946
as Woods
6.2
6.2
The Velvet Touch
1948
as Sgt. Oliphant
6.2
6.2
Kid Glove Killer
1942
as Keenan - Detective Grilling Eddie (uncredited)
6.2
6.2
Four Mothers
1941
as Demolition Man (uncredited)
6.2
6.2
Easy to Wed
1946
as Joe
6.1
6.1
Corvette K-225
1943
as 1st Lt. Bill Gardner
6.1
6.1
Nora Prentiss
1947
as District Attorney
6.1
6.1
The Naked Street
1955
as Attorney Michael X. Flanders
6.0
6.0
Here Come the Marines
1952
as Lieutenant-Colonel at End
6.0
6.0
Secret Service Investigator
1948
as Police Inspector Thorndyke
6.0
6.0
Dragonfly Squadron
1954
as Doctor
6.0
6.0
Apache Ambush
1955
as Col. Marshall
6.0
6.0
Joe Palooka in the Knockout
1947
as Policeman
6.0
6.0
Abroad with Two Yanks
1944
as Sgt. Wiggins
6.0
6.0
The Devil's Henchmen
1949
as Police Sergeant Briggs
6.0
6.0
Operation Pacific
1951
as SP Commander
6.0
6.0
Big Town Girl
1937
as State Trooper
6.0
6.0
Treat 'Em Rough
1942
as Joe Trosper
6.0
6.0
Rendezvous with Annie
1946
as Turnkey (uncredited)
6.0
6.0
Desert Fury
1947
as Pat Johnson
6.0
6.0
Man on the Flying Trapeze
1935
as Chauffeur (uncredited)
6.0
6.0
The Devil's Pipeline
1940
as Dowling
5.9
5.9
Trouble Along the Way
1953
as Coach Buck Holman
5.9
5.9
Mannequin
1938
as Burly Man (Uncredited)
5.8
5.8
Irish Luck
1939
as Fluger
5.8
5.8
Ten Gentlemen from West Point
1942
as Capt. Luddy
5.8
5.8
It All Came True
1940
as Roaring 90's Club Doorman (uncredited)
5.8
5.8
The Savage Horde
1950
as Guard
5.8
5.8
Once Upon a Time
1944
as Man in Subway (uncredited)
5.8
5.8
Hello, Sister!
1933
as Fireman
5.8
5.8
The Shanghai Cobra
1945
as H.R. Jarvis
5.6
5.6
The Plunderers
1948
as Sergeant Major
5.6
5.6
Baby Take a Bow
1934
as Flannigan
5.6
5.6
Lucky Cisco Kid
1940
as Ranch Foreman
5.6
5.6
The Ice Follies of 1939
1939
as Doorman (uncredited)
5.6
5.6
Miracle Money
1938
as Cop (uncredited)
5.6
5.6
They All Come Out
1939
as Officer (uncredited)
5.6
5.6
Belle Starr
1941
as Sergeant
5.5
5.5
They Met in a Taxi
1936
as Policeman
5.5
5.5
Pot o' Gold
1941
as Sheriff Bud Connolly
5.5
5.5
Bedtime Story
1941
as Hotel Guest in Room 625 (uncredited)
5.5
5.5
Fingers at the Window
1942
as Police Lieutenant Schaeffer
5.5
5.5
I Promise to Pay
1937
as Bill Seaver
5.4
5.4
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
1953
as First Policeman in Bank
5.3
5.3
Confidentially Connie
1953
as Harry (uncredited)
5.3
5.3
Footsteps in the Night
1957
as Mr. Bradbury
5.3
5.3
Homicide
1949
as Det. Lt. Boylan
5.3
5.3
Mr. Wong in Chinatown
1939
as Police Sgt. Jerry
5.3
5.3
The Spider
1945
as Officer Johnny Tracy
5.2
5.2
Johnny Rocco
1958
as Mooney
5.2
5.2
Over 21
1945
as Captain (uncredited)
5.2
5.2
The Restless Breed
1957
as Secret Service Chief
5.1
5.1
Good Times
1967
as Lieutenant
5.1
5.1
Hold That Hypnotist
1957
as Jake Morgan
5.1
5.1
Destination Murder
1950
as Police Lt. Brewster
5.1
5.1
Francis in the Haunted House
1956
as Police Chief Martin
5.0
5.0
Wives Under Suspicion
1938
as Jenks - Chauffeur (uncredited)
5.0
5.0
Wild Gold
1934
as Detective (uncredited)
5.0
5.0
South Sea Sinner
1950
as Andrews
5.0
5.0
Massacre Canyon
1954
as Col. Tarant
5.0
5.0
The Eddie Cantor Story
1953
as Kelly
5.0
5.0
Everybody's Doing It
1938
as Detective Hayes
5.0
5.0
Oh! Susanna
1951
as Capt. Worth
5.0
5.0
Hot News
1953
as Al Bragg
5.0
5.0
The Night of January 16th
1941
as Policeman Kelly
5.0
5.0
Kathleen
1941
as Moving Man
5.0
5.0
Murder on the Waterfront
1943
as Cmdr. Kalin
5.0
5.0
Dakota Lil
1950
as Secret Service Chief
5.0
5.0
Midnight Taxi
1937
as Detective McCormick
5.0
5.0
According to Mrs. Hoyle
1951
as Prosecuting Attorney
5.0
5.0
Mississippi Rhythm
1949
as Stan Caldwell
5.0
5.0
One Way Ticket
1935
as Ed
5.0
5.0
Return of the Dead
1954
as Judd Harrison
4.9
4.9
The Affairs of Cellini
1934
as Palace Guard (uncredited)
4.9
4.9
The Cisco Kid and the Lady
1939
as Sergeant
4.8
4.8
Lightning Carson Rides Again
1938
as Justice Department Agent
4.8
4.8
South of Pago Pago
1940
as Cafe Customer
4.7
4.7
Tars and Spars
1946
as Chief Bosun Mate Gurney
4.6
4.6
The Missing Lady
1946
as Police Insp. Cardona
4.5
4.5
The Brand of Hate
1934
as Holt Larkins
4.5
4.5
Captain Hurricane
1935
as Freighter Officer
4.5
4.5
Riding High
1943
as Train Conductor
4.5
4.5
Fighter Attack
1953
as Col. Allison
4.5
4.5
Secrets of Chinatown
1935
as Brandhma
4.3
4.3
Dangerous Number
1937
as Cab Driver
4.2
4.2
Ride on Vaquero
1941
as Officer Johnson
4.0
4.0
Girls Can Play
1937
as Det. Bill O'Malley
4.0
4.0
The Duke of West Point
1938
as Plebe Hockey Coach
4.0
4.0
A Yank on the Burma Road
1942
as Police Dispatcher
4.0
4.0
Double Alibi
1940
as Patrolman Johnson
4.0
4.0
Affectionately Yours
1941
as Tomassetti
3.8
3.8
Night Spot
1938
as Kidnapper
3.5
3.5
Dangerously Yours
1937
as Driver
3.5
3.5
I Dood It
1943
as Federal Agent (uncredited)
3.3
3.3
Riot Squad
1933
as Det. Mack McCue
3.3
3.3
Night in New Orleans
1942
as Egan (Uncredited)
1.7
1.7
Ship of Wanted Men
1933
as Frank Busch
1.0
1.0
Youth Will Be Served
1940
as Buck Miller
1.0
1.0
Prison Warden
1949
as Guard Capt. Peter Butler
1.0
1.0
Bungalow 13
1948
as Lt. Sam Wilson
Robin Hood Of Texas
1947
as Captain Danforth
Thru Different Eyes
1942
as Thomas
The Airmail Mystery
1932
as Bob Lee
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
1976
as President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Manhattan Heartbeat
1940
as Truck Driver
Hot Steel
1940
as Storm Swenson
Tough as They Come
1942
as Process Server
Star of Texas
1953
as Texas Rangers Capt. Sturdivant
The Big Race
1934
as Bill Figg
Big Town Czar
1939
as George Mitchell
The Further Adventures of Gallegher
1965
as Lt. Flynn
Mickey the Kid
1939
as Sanders
Convicts at Large
1938
as Detective Sgt. Berkovich
I Beheld His Glory
1953
as Longinus
As We Forgive
1952
McKenna of the Mounted
1932
as Corporal Randall McKenna
Law and Order
1976
as Capt. Toomey
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