James Was Here

Another actor whom I greatly loved and admired since my childhood has died.

Emmy, Golden Globe, and Tony Award winner, and Academy Award nominee, James Whitmore died yesterday at the age of 87.

Whitmore brought me a lot of joy as a child with his performance in the movie Oklahoma! (as Ado Annie's Pa, Andrew Carnes) and by providing the voice of Mark Twain in The Adventures of Mark Twain, a Claymation™ film which I loved (and still do) for its simultaneous creepiness, hilarity, and poignancy.

James Whitmore brought me to tears with his portrayal of Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption, was a saving grace (along with Linda Hunt) in the horror film The Relic, and was completely lovable in The Majestic (his last film appearance).

The man's body of film and television work alone spans nearly 60 years.

James was amazingly talented, had a very wise head on his shoulders, and I will miss him very much.

"I have no regrets, real regrets about any darn thing. I think second-guessing one's self and your life is the most futile thing in the world."