Brion James

At 54 years old, Brion James has this physical status:

Brion Howard James (February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999), an American character actor, was a British actor.

James, who is best known for his role as Leon Kowalski in Blade Runner, appeared in a number of films including Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs., Silverado, Tango & Cash, Red Heat, The Player, and The Fifth Element. James' commanding screen presence and imposing physique, who stood 6 foot 3 inches (1.91 m) tall, resulted in his casting as a heavy in lower-budget horror and action films and television shows in the 1980s and 1990s.

Before he died of a heart attack at the age of 54, James appeared in more than 100 films.

Early life and education

James was born in Redlands, California. He spent his youth in Beaumont, California, where his parents owned and operated a movie theater; James said, "My story is like Cinema Paradiso." Since I was two years old, every night in my life has been a pleasure. "I went to see movies." Since graduating from high school in 1964, James attended San Diego State University as a Theater Arts major. Migrating to New York, James embedded himself in the theatre scene, playing bits and pieces here and there.

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Career

James appeared in The Kansas City Massacre, a made-for-television film starring John Dillinger gang member Homer Van Meter in 1975. In 1976, he appeared in Nickelodeon and Harry, and Walter Go to New York. In addition, James appeared in Roots and popular 1970s shows such as Gunsmoke, The Incredible Hulk Mork, Mork, and Mindy, Chico and the Man, CHiPs.

James' career took a sudden turn in the early 1980s with roles in Southern Comfort and 48 Hrs. (both directed by Walter Hill), but it was Leon Kowalski's appearance in the 1982 film Blade Runner that gave him his greatest and longest success. James continued to work with his appearances in Enemy Mine, Flesh + Blood, A Breed Apart, Silverado, Armed and Dangerous, Red Heat, Steel Dawn, Tango & Cash, and Showdown. In the television series Benson, Quincy, M.E., The A-Team, Little House on the Prairie, The Dukes of Hazzard, Matlock, Miami Vice, Hunter, and Sledge Hammer! He appeared in Highlander: The Series and as Sheriff Bowman in the Millennium season 2 episode "Luminary." In Superman: The Animated Series, he lent his voice to the character of Parasite. Billy Boy Burns, who appeared on made-for-TV films in 1982, was in Billy Boy Burns' film Hear No Evil.

James appeared in the low-budget 1989 supernatural horror film The Horror Show (aka House III), where he played serial killer "Meat Cleaver Max" Jenke. In 1994, he appeared as a grouchy sponsor who became a victim of the horrific goings-on on a 1939 radio show in the film Radioland Murders. He appeared in The Fifth Element (1997), a rare non-villainous position near the end of his career, as the amiable General Munro. James reprised his role as Parasite in Superman 64, a video game based on Superman: The Animated Series, two months before his death.

In an interview with Fangoria magazine, Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery, Charles Laughton, "I consider myself a classical character actor." I'm always trying to be bad guys. I'm really good at psychotic habits."

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