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A fondly remembered presence from many old movies, plays and TV shows has left us. James Whitmore Jr. was what used to be called a "veteran character actor," lending his folksy drawl and craggy phiz to portrayals of great Americans from author Mark Twain to US President Harry S Truman to humorist Will Rogers. He died yesterday of lung cancer at 87 in his Malibu, CA home; Yahoo! News carries his obituary here.
He was not only a gifted thespian, but a political activist on the liberal side, stumping for the Barack Obama campaign last year and working to stop the recent erosion of the "wall of separation" between church and state in this country. Perhaps his most impactful acting job was in a film called Black Like Me, based on John Howard Griffin's 1961 book account of using medication to "pass for black" and experience racial prejudice from the business end for purposes of reportage. But Jim was not above using his prestige to earn a buck; he may be best known to the current generation for his many TV commercials for Scott's Miracle-Gro gardening products. He was also a Marine Corps veteran of World War II who served in the South Pacific theater.
He worked hard at acting and at citizenship, and both the country and its entertainment are the richer for it. Rest well, sir, and thank you for both.
He was not only a gifted thespian, but a political activist on the liberal side, stumping for the Barack Obama campaign last year and working to stop the recent erosion of the "wall of separation" between church and state in this country. Perhaps his most impactful acting job was in a film called Black Like Me, based on John Howard Griffin's 1961 book account of using medication to "pass for black" and experience racial prejudice from the business end for purposes of reportage. But Jim was not above using his prestige to earn a buck; he may be best known to the current generation for his many TV commercials for Scott's Miracle-Gro gardening products. He was also a Marine Corps veteran of World War II who served in the South Pacific theater.
He worked hard at acting and at citizenship, and both the country and its entertainment are the richer for it. Rest well, sir, and thank you for both.
