James Flavin

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

327

Gender

Male

Birthday

1906-05-14

Day of death

1976-04-23 (69 years old)

Place of Birth

Portland, Maine, USA

James Flavin

Biography

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.

Known For

  • Four Star Playhouse

    Four Star Playhouse

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • The Rifleman

    The Rifleman

  • I Love Lucy

    I Love Lucy

  • The Addams Family

    The Addams Family

  • Dr. Kildare

    Dr. Kildare

  • The Lucy Show

    The Lucy Show

  • Matinee Theater

    Matinee Theater

  • Burke's Law

    Burke's Law

  • Climax!

    Climax!

  • The Brady Bunch

    The Brady Bunch

  • Mister Ed

    Mister Ed

  • State Trooper

    State Trooper

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Surfside 6

    Surfside 6

  • Mr. Novak

    Mr. Novak

  • Murder, He Says

    Murder, He Says

  • Broadway Melody of 1940

    Broadway Melody of 1940

  • Richard Diamond, Private Detective

    Richard Diamond, Private Detective

  • The Millionaire

    The Millionaire

  • Navy Log

    Navy Log

  • Million Dollar Mermaid

    Million Dollar Mermaid

  • Sam Benedict

    Sam Benedict

  • December Bride

    December Bride

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • Lux Video Theatre

    Lux Video Theatre

  • The Roaring 20's

    The Roaring 20's

  • Mildred Pierce

    Mildred Pierce

  • Cavalcade of America

    Cavalcade of America

  • Alcoa Theatre

    Alcoa Theatre

  • Cain's Hundred

    Cain's Hundred

  • Night Passage

    Night Passage

  • Mister Roberts

    Mister Roberts

  • Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

    Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident

  • The Abbott and Costello Show

    The Abbott and Costello Show

  • Irish Luck

    Irish Luck

  • The New Breed

    The New Breed

  • Dragonfly Squadron

    Dragonfly Squadron

  • Nightmare Alley

    Nightmare Alley

  • It Happened on Fifth Avenue

    It Happened on Fifth Avenue

  • Test Pilot

    Test Pilot

  • Western Union

    Western Union

  • Public Defender

    Public Defender

  • King Kong

    King Kong

  • Gentleman Jim

    Gentleman Jim

  • Flamingo Road

    Flamingo Road

  • Sentimental Journey

    Sentimental Journey

  • The Long Voyage Home

    The Long Voyage Home

  • Carrie

    Carrie

  • Mississippi Rhythm

    Mississippi Rhythm

  • Unconquered

    Unconquered

  • Hollywood Canteen

    Hollywood Canteen

  • Rendezvous

    Rendezvous

  • Jesse James

    Jesse James

  • O. Henry's Full House

    O. Henry's Full House

  • Riot Squad

    Riot Squad

  • Pete and Gladys

    Pete and Gladys

  • Night Spot

    Night Spot

  • Four Mothers

    Four Mothers

  • Prison Warden

    Prison Warden

  • Air Force

    Air Force

  • Miracle Money

    Miracle Money

  • Operation Pacific

    Operation Pacific

  • Destination Murder

    Destination Murder

  • Over 21

    Over 21

  • Texas

    Texas

  • Shockproof

    Shockproof

  • The Plunderers

    The Plunderers

  • Riding High

    Riding High

  • Broadway

    Broadway

  • It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

    It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

  • Fighter Attack

    Fighter Attack

  • Racket Squad

    Racket Squad

  • Cheyenne Autumn

    Cheyenne Autumn

  • Good Times

    Good Times

  • Uncertain Glory

    Uncertain Glory

  • Dangerously Yours

    Dangerously Yours

  • The Grapes of Wrath

    The Grapes of Wrath

  • Christmas Holiday

    Christmas Holiday

  • 'G' Men

    'G' Men

  • Shipmates Forever

    Shipmates Forever

  • Chinatown Squad

    Chinatown Squad

  • Johnny Midnight

    Johnny Midnight

  • Manhattan Heartbeat

    Manhattan Heartbeat

  • Hot Water

    Hot Water

  • Back Street

    Back Street

  • Kathleen

    Kathleen

  • Confidentially Connie

    Confidentially Connie

  • Johnny Angel

    Johnny Angel

  • Okay, America!

    Okay, America!

  • City Detective

    City Detective

  • Coronado 9

    Coronado 9

  • Ride 'Em Cowboy

    Ride 'Em Cowboy

  • Only Yesterday

    Only Yesterday

  • Desert Fury

    Desert Fury

  • Belle Starr

    Belle Starr

  • Woman Wanted

    Woman Wanted

  • Sailor Beware

    Sailor Beware

  • Wild Gold

    Wild Gold

  • Francis in the Haunted House

    Francis in the Haunted House

  • Brother Orchid

    Brother Orchid

  • Manpower

    Manpower

  • Buck Privates

    Buck Privates

  • The Luckiest Girl in the World

    The Luckiest Girl in the World

  • Man with a Camera

    Man with a Camera

  • Florian

    Florian

  • You Can't Take It with You

    You Can't Take It with You

  • Kid Glove Killer

    Kid Glove Killer

  • Laura

    Laura

  • In Cold Blood

    In Cold Blood

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Letter to Loretta

    Letter to Loretta

  • Beloved

    Beloved

  • Dishonored Lady

    Dishonored Lady

  • Nora Prentiss

    Nora Prentiss

  • Johnny Apollo

    Johnny Apollo

  • Affectionately Yours

    Affectionately Yours

  • Captain Hurricane

    Captain Hurricane

  • Hot Steel

    Hot Steel

  • Dangerous Assignment

    Dangerous Assignment

  • Bungalow 13

    Bungalow 13

  • Hello, Sister!

    Hello, Sister!

  • Heaven Can Wait

    Heaven Can Wait

  • Mighty Joe Young

    Mighty Joe Young

  • The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

    The Strange Love of Martha Ivers

  • Double Alibi

    Double Alibi

  • Too Hot to Handle

    Too Hot to Handle

  • Mannequin

    Mannequin

  • The Noose Hangs High

    The Noose Hangs High

  • Reap the Wild Wind

    Reap the Wild Wind

  • The Murder Man

    The Murder Man

  • When Willie Comes Marching Home

    When Willie Comes Marching Home

  • Sleep, My Love

    Sleep, My Love

  • Never Say Goodbye

    Never Say Goodbye

  • Abbott and Costello Go to Mars

    Abbott and Costello Go to Mars

  • The Pruitts of Southampton

    The Pruitts of Southampton

  • The Gracie Allen Murder Case

    The Gracie Allen Murder Case

  • The Last Hurrah

    The Last Hurrah

  • Angel on My Shoulder

    Angel on My Shoulder

  • Mr. Wong in Chinatown

    Mr. Wong in Chinatown

  • Cloak and Dagger

    Cloak and Dagger

  • The Most Dangerous Game

    The Most Dangerous Game

  • I Wake Up Screaming

    I Wake Up Screaming

  • Tough as They Come

    Tough as They Come

  • Wild Is the Wind

    Wild Is the Wind

  • Ten Gentlemen from West Point

    Ten Gentlemen from West Point

  • The Ice Follies of 1939

    The Ice Follies of 1939

  • Start Cheering

    Start Cheering

  • When the Daltons Rode

    When the Daltons Rode

  • McKenna of the Mounted

    McKenna of the Mounted

  • Swing Shift Maisie

    Swing Shift Maisie

  • The Roaring Twenties

    The Roaring Twenties

  • Death Valley Days

    Death Valley Days

  • Wives Under Suspicion

    Wives Under Suspicion

  • My Dear Miss Aldrich

    My Dear Miss Aldrich

  • Armored Car Robbery

    Armored Car Robbery

  • Each Dawn I Die

    Each Dawn I Die

  • Once Upon a Time

    Once Upon a Time

  • The Ghost Breakers

    The Ghost Breakers

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • The Devil's Pipeline

    The Devil's Pipeline

  • Saboteur

    Saboteur

  • Fast and Furious

    Fast and Furious

  • Girls Can Play

    Girls Can Play

  • Trouble Along the Way

    Trouble Along the Way

  • One Way Ticket

    One Way Ticket

  • Oh! Susanna

    Oh! Susanna

  • Live, Love and Learn

    Live, Love and Learn

  • My Girl Tisa

    My Girl Tisa

  • Pot o' Gold

    Pot o' Gold

  • Pot o' Gold

    Pot o' Gold

  • The Cisco Kid and the Lady

    The Cisco Kid and the Lady

  • One Touch of Venus

    One Touch of Venus

  • Alexander's Ragtime Band

    Alexander's Ragtime Band

  • Return of the Dead

    Return of the Dead

  • Treat 'Em Rough

    Treat 'Em Rough

  • Anchors Aweigh

    Anchors Aweigh

  • The Lost Spider Pit Sequence

    The Lost Spider Pit Sequence

  • Action in the North Atlantic

    Action in the North Atlantic

  • Ziegfeld Girl

    Ziegfeld Girl

  • Law and Order

    Law and Order

  • The Restless Breed

    The Restless Breed

  • Mickey the Kid

    Mickey the Kid

  • Something to Shout About

    Something to Shout About

  • Night in New Orleans

    Night in New Orleans

  • We Go Fast

    We Go Fast

  • Step by Step

    Step by Step

  • They Shall Have Music

    They Shall Have Music

  • Women Without Names

    Women Without Names

  • Special Agent

    Special Agent

  • Follow the Sun

    Follow the Sun

  • Nobody Lives Forever

    Nobody Lives Forever

  • Rock Island Trail

    Rock Island Trail

  • My Man Godfrey

    My Man Godfrey

  • Star of Texas

    Star of Texas

  • You Only Live Once

    You Only Live Once

  • Song of the Thin Man

    Song of the Thin Man

  • Here Come the Marines

    Here Come the Marines

  • Rose of Washington Square

    Rose of Washington Square

  • I Promise to Pay

    I Promise to Pay

  • Three Loves Has Nancy

    Three Loves Has Nancy

  • Rhythm on the River

    Rhythm on the River

  • The Further Adventures of Gallegher

    The Further Adventures of Gallegher

  • Private Affairs

    Private Affairs

  • The Great Profile

    The Great Profile

  • The Eddie Cantor Story

    The Eddie Cantor Story

  • The Savage Horde

    The Savage Horde

  • Tars and Spars

    Tars and Spars

  • I Am the Law

    I Am the Law

  • Easy to Wed

    Easy to Wed

  • The Big Race

    The Big Race

  • Blondie

    Blondie

  • Hold Back the Dawn

    Hold Back the Dawn

  • So Proudly We Hail

    So Proudly We Hail

  • Youth Will Be Served

    Youth Will Be Served

  • Thru Different Eyes

    Thru Different Eyes

  • Tell No Tales

    Tell No Tales

  • Come Fill the Cup

    Come Fill the Cup

  • Everybody's Baby

    Everybody's Baby

  • The Strawberry Blonde

    The Strawberry Blonde

  • While New York Sleeps

    While New York Sleeps

  • Secrets of Chinatown

    Secrets of Chinatown

  • Rendezvous with Annie

    Rendezvous with Annie

  • Mission to Moscow

    Mission to Moscow

  • The Airmail Mystery

    The Airmail Mystery

  • Convicts at Large

    Convicts at Large

  • New York Town

    New York Town

  • Public Hero Number 1

    Public Hero Number 1

  • The Affairs of Cellini

    The Affairs of Cellini

  • Robin Hood Of Texas

    Robin Hood Of Texas

  • Code of the Streets

    Code of the Streets

  • The Wild Man of Borneo

    The Wild Man of Borneo

  • Ride on Vaquero

    Ride on Vaquero

  • It All Came True

    It All Came True

  • The Velvet Touch

    The Velvet Touch

  • The Fighting 69th

    The Fighting 69th

  • The Brand of Hate

    The Brand of Hate

  • The Naked Street

    The Naked Street

  • Hot News

    Hot News

  • Knute Rockne All American

    Knute Rockne All American

  • Union Pacific

    Union Pacific

  • The Living Christ

    The Living Christ

  • Blondie Hits the Jackpot

    Blondie Hits the Jackpot

  • The Duke of West Point

    The Duke of West Point

  • The Night of January 16th

    The Night of January 16th

  • La Conga Nights

    La Conga Nights

  • Secret Service Investigator

    Secret Service Investigator

  • Girl in 313

    Girl in 313

  • According to Mrs. Hoyle

    According to Mrs. Hoyle

  • Charlie Chan at the Race Track

    Charlie Chan at the Race Track

  • Footsteps in the Night

    Footsteps in the Night

  • Hold That Blonde!

    Hold That Blonde!

  • South Sea Sinner

    South Sea Sinner

  • Lucky Cisco Kid

    Lucky Cisco Kid

  • Critic's Choice

    Critic's Choice

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • They All Come Out

    They All Come Out

  • Queen of the Mob

    Queen of the Mob

  • Tin Pan Alley

    Tin Pan Alley

  • Lightning Carson Rides Again

    Lightning Carson Rides Again

  • Everybody's Doing It

    Everybody's Doing It

  • Remember the Night

    Remember the Night

  • Fighting Coast Guard

    Fighting Coast Guard

  • And One Was Beautiful

    And One Was Beautiful

  • God Is My Co-Pilot

    God Is My Co-Pilot

  • Man on the Flying Trapeze

    Man on the Flying Trapeze

  • They Met in a Taxi

    They Met in a Taxi

  • It Ain't Hay

    It Ain't Hay

  • Straight from the Heart

    Straight from the Heart

  • Angel's Holiday

    Angel's Holiday

  • South of Pago Pago

    South of Pago Pago

  • Hold That Hypnotist

    Hold That Hypnotist

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

    Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

  • The All-American

    The All-American

  • My Favorite Brunette

    My Favorite Brunette

  • Rhubarb

    Rhubarb

  • How to Behave

    How to Behave

  • Baby Take a Bow

    Baby Take a Bow

  • Young Widow

    Young Widow

  • The Missing Lady

    The Missing Lady

  • Abroad with Two Yanks

    Abroad with Two Yanks

  • The Shanghai Cobra

    The Shanghai Cobra

  • I Beheld His Glory

    I Beheld His Glory

  • North West Mounted Police

    North West Mounted Police

  • Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff

    Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff

  • Midnight Taxi

    Midnight Taxi

  • Corvette K-225

    Corvette K-225

  • A Stolen Life

    A Stolen Life

  • Homicide

    Homicide

  • Fingers at the Window

    Fingers at the Window

  • Ship of Wanted Men

    Ship of Wanted Men

  • The Devil's Henchmen

    The Devil's Henchmen

  • Boys' Ranch

    Boys' Ranch

  • Thank Your Lucky Stars

    Thank Your Lucky Stars

  • Big Town Girl

    Big Town Girl

  • Dangerous Number

    Dangerous Number

  • The Spider

    The Spider

  • The Golden Fleecing

    The Golden Fleecing

  • I Dood It

    I Dood It

  • Apache Ambush

    Apache Ambush

  • The Daring Young Man

    The Daring Young Man

  • Strange Affair

    Strange Affair

  • Castle on the Hudson

    Castle on the Hudson

  • Massacre Canyon

    Massacre Canyon

  • When Tomorrow Comes

    When Tomorrow Comes

  • Circumstantial Evidence

    Circumstantial Evidence

  • Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

    Life Begins at Eight-Thirty

  • Johnny Rocco

    Johnny Rocco

  • Dakota Lil

    Dakota Lil

  • Born to Be Wild

    Born to Be Wild

  • Gateway

    Gateway

  • A Yank on the Burma Road

    A Yank on the Burma Road

  • Murder on the Waterfront

    Murder on the Waterfront

  • The Way of All Flesh

    The Way of All Flesh

  • Bedtime Story

    Bedtime Story

  • Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President

    Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President

  • Sergeant Madden

    Sergeant Madden

  • Big Town Czar

    Big Town Czar

  • Joe Palooka in the Knockout

    Joe Palooka in the Knockout

  • As We Forgive

    As We Forgive