James Richard Gammon was an American actor, known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous films and television series. Gammon was born in Newman, Illinois, the son of Doris Latimer , a farm girl, and Donald Gammon, a musician. After his parents divorced and he bounced around home to home, he made his way to Orlando, Florida. He worked at Orlando's ABC TV affiliate WLOF Channel 9 as a cameraman and director. In his 20s, he packed up and moved to Hollywood to try and find work. His early television credits include appearing twice as Deputy Virgil Bramley in the NBC western series... The Road West in the 1966–1967 season, which co-starred Barry Sullivan, Andrew Prine, and Glenn Corbett. In the 1970s, he helped found the Met Theatre in Los Angeles. While performing there, a rep from The Public Theater saw him and had him cast as Weston in Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class in 1978. The two became friends afterward. He made his sole Broadway appearance as "Dodge" in a revival of Sam Shepard's Buried Child. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance.
more
| Birthdate: | April 20, 1940 |
| Birthplace: | Newman, Illinois |
| Date of death: | July 16, 2010 |
| Also known as: | Jim Gammon |