James Flavin
Known for Acting · 321 credits
- Born
- 1906-05-14
- Died
- 1976-04-23
- Place of birth
- Portland, Maine, USA
- Also known as
- James William Flavin Jr. · James Flaven · Jim 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
TV Shows (44)
The Rifleman
1958
Matinee Theater
1955
Climax!
1954
as Hogan
The Twilight Zone
1959
as 1962 Policeman / Truck Driver
Four Star Playhouse
1952
as Mr. Swanson
Dr. Kildare
1961
as John Dolan
I Love Lucy
1951
as Immigration Officer
The Lucy Show
1962
as Sergeant Wilcox
Burke's Law
1963
as Officer Danny Robin
Surfside 6
1960
The Addams Family
1964
as Lt. Poston
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as Joe Felix / Tony - The Doorman / Dan
Mister Ed
1961
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
1957
as Sam Cooper
The Millionaire
1955
as Dan Mulcahy
Alcoa Theatre
1957
as Gavin Marshall
The Brady Bunch
1969
It Takes a Thief
1968
as Gen. Levin
Navy Log
1955
as Col. Flynn
Public Defender
1954
The Abbott and Costello Show
1952
as Joe Kelly
Cavalcade of America
1952
State Trooper
1956
as Police Capt. Daniel Box
December Bride
1954
Mr. Novak
1963
as Fire Chief Hawkins
Lux Video Theatre
1950
as Steve / Heineman / Detective
Cain's Hundred
1961
as Arnie Kellwin
Pete and Gladys
1960
The Roaring 20's
1960
as Robert Howard
Racket Squad
1951
Sam Benedict
1962
The New Breed
1961
as Moose
Coronado 9
1960
Letter to Loretta
1953
as MacNamara / Deputy Mason / Sgt. Danny Doofle
City Detective
1953
Man with a Camera
1958
Dangerous Assignment
1952
The Pruitts of Southampton
1966
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Captain Kimble / General Charles Lee
Death Valley Days
1952
as Perry
Johnny Midnight
1960
General Electric Theater
1953
as Callahan
The Living Christ
1951
as Longinus
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951
Movies (277)
King Kong
1933
as Mate Briggs
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963
as Patrolman (uncredited)
Laura
1944
as Det. McEveety (uncredited)
Mildred Pierce
1945
as Detective (uncredited)
The Grapes of Wrath
1940
as Guard (uncredited)
Saboteur
1942
as Motorcycle Cop (voice) (uncredited)
Mister Roberts
1955
as Military Policeman
Unconquered
1947
as Villager (uncredited)
Cheyenne Autumn
1964
as Ft. Robinson Sergeant of the Guard (uncredited)
Desert Fury
1947
as Pat Johnson
Operation Pacific
1951
as SP Commander
The Strawberry Blonde
1941
as Ticket Inspector on Boat (uncredited)
Western Union
1941
as Deputy Sheriff
Belle Starr
1941
as Sergeant
North West Mounted Police
1940
as Mountie
Special Agent
1935
as Agent Arresting Julie (uncredited)
'G' Men
1935
as Agent with Jean (uncredited)
Reap the Wild Wind
1942
as Girl's Father (uncredited)
You Can't Take It with You
1938
as Jailer (uncredited)
The Roaring Twenties
1939
as Policeman (uncredited)
Night Passage
1957
as Tim Riley
In Cold Blood
1967
as Clarence Duntz
Carrie
1952
as Mike - Bartender (uncredited)
Mighty Joe Young
1949
as Schultz
Nightmare Alley
1947
as Hoatley / First Carnival Owner (uncredited)
Union Pacific
1939
as Paddy (uncredited)
The Most Dangerous Game
1932
as First Mate on Yacht (uncredited)
Heaven Can Wait
1943
as Policeman (uncredited)
Step by Step
1946
as Woods
Sailor Beware
1952
as Petty Officer (uncredited)
Jesse James
1939
as Cavalry Captain (uncredited)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
1946
as Police Detective #1
Chinatown Squad
1935
as Detective
Shockproof
1949
as Policeman in Park (Uncredited)
Angel on My Shoulder
1946
as Dan Bellamy
Anchors Aweigh
1945
as Radio Cop
Once Upon a Time
1944
as Man in Subway (uncredited)
Buck Privates
1941
as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
Action in the North Atlantic
1943
as Merchant Marine School Lieutenant-Commander (uncredited)
My Man Godfrey
1936
as Detective (uncredited)
Ziegfeld Girl
1941
as Buck (uncredited)
Captain Hurricane
1935
as Freighter Officer
Alexander's Ragtime Band
1938
as Army Captain (uncredited)
Kathleen
1941
as Moving Man
Never Say Goodbye
1956
as Timmy
The Plunderers
1948
as Sergeant Major
Christmas Holiday
1944
as Policeman (uncredited)
Brother Orchid
1940
as Parking Attendant at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
You Only Live Once
1937
as State Trooper (uncredited)
Johnny Apollo
1940
as Prison Guard In Library (uncredited)
Test Pilot
1938
as Pilot (uncredited)
Destination Murder
1950
as Police Lt. Brewster
When Tomorrow Comes
1939
as Coard Guard Man on Road (uncredited)
Blondie
1938
as Policeman in Accident Car (uncredited)
Start Cheering
1938
as Gas Station Attendant
O. Henry's Full House
1952
as Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
Three Loves Has Nancy
1938
as Jack's Friend (uncredited)
The Fighting 69th
1940
as Supply Sergeant (uncredited)
Only Yesterday
1933
as Billy (Uncredited)
Johnny Angel
1945
as Flavin, Mate of the Quincy (uncredited)
Texas
1941
as Abilene Fight Announcer
Private Affairs
1940
as Doorman (uncredited)
Air Force
1943
as Maj. A.M. Bagley
God Is My Co-Pilot
1945
as Major at Kweilin Airbase (uncredited)
Rhubarb
1951
as O'Leary, Manhattan Police Chief (uncredited)
Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident
1976
as President Dwight D. Eisenhower
The Ghost Breakers
1940
as Hotel Porter (uncredited)
Gentleman Jim
1942
as George Corbett (uncredited)
Hollywood Canteen
1944
as Marine Sergeant (uncredited)
Rhythm on the River
1940
as Detective
The Restless Breed
1957
as Secret Service Chief
Bedtime Story
1941
as Hotel Guest in Room 625 (uncredited)
Gateway
1938
as Guard
Florian
1940
as Policeman
Man on the Flying Trapeze
1935
as Chauffeur (uncredited)
It Happened on Fifth Avenue
1947
as First Policeman (uncredited)
The Devil's Henchmen
1949
as Police Sergeant Briggs
Pot o' Gold
1941
as Sheriff Bud Connolly (uncredited)
Too Hot to Handle
1938
as Young Reporter (uncredited)
Woman Wanted
1935
as Mac - Policeman (uncredited)
Song of the Thin Man
1947
as Policeman Reardon (uncredited)
Fingers at the Window
1942
as Police Lieutenant Schaeffer
Johnny Rocco
1958
as Mooney
Manpower
1941
as Orderly About to Give Bath (uncredited)
Remember the Night
1940
as Court Attendant (uncredited)
The All-American
1932
as Don Lindsay
Dangerously Yours
1937
as Driver
The Long Voyage Home
1940
as Dock Policeman
Dishonored Lady
1947
as Police Sergeant Patella
Rendezvous
1935
as 2st Military Policeman (uncredited)
Fast and Furious
1939
as Policeman Guarding Entrance (uncredited)
Trouble Along the Way
1953
as Coach Buck Holman
There's Something About a Soldier
1943
Wild Is the Wind
1957
as Wool Buyer
Circumstantial Evidence
1945
as Guard
The Naked Street
1955
as Attorney Michael X. Flanders
Mannequin
1938
as Burly Man (Uncredited)
The Last Hurrah
1958
as Police Capt. Michael J. Shanahan (uncredited)
When Willie Comes Marching Home
1950
as Gen. Brevort (uncredited)
Sleep, My Love
1948
as Lieutenant Mitchell
Mission to Moscow
1943
as American Senator (uncredited)
The Affairs of Cellini
1934
as Palace Guard (uncredited)
The Shanghai Cobra
1945
as H.R. Jarvis
Cloak and Dagger
1946
as Col. Walsh
Back Street
1932
as Reporter (uncredited)
Irish Luck
1939
as Fluger
Bungalow 13
1948
as Lt. Sam Wilson
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
1953
as First Policeman in Bank
Knute Rockne All American
1940
as Army Assistant Coach (uncredited)
Good Times
1967
as Lieutenant
Million Dollar Mermaid
1952
as Conductor
A Stolen Life
1946
as Investigator (uncredited)
Flamingo Road
1949
Nora Prentiss
1947
as District Attorney
Boys' Ranch
1946
as Policeman (uncredited)
Midnight Taxi
1937
as Detective McCormick
Robin Hood Of Texas
1947
as Captain Danforth
Here Come the Marines
1952
as Lieutenant-Colonel at End
Secrets of Chinatown
1935
as Brandhma
Broadway Melody of 1940
1940
as Clancy (uncredited)
About James Flavin
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 sou… With 321 credits spanning from 1932 to 2005, James Flavin has appeared in 277 films and 44 TV shows.
Fans searching for James Flavin movies, James Flavin filmography, or the latest projects starring James Flavin can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular James Flavin Movies
- King Kong (1933) — as Mate Briggs
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) — as Patrolman (uncredited)
- Laura (1944) — as Det. McEveety (uncredited)
- Mildred Pierce (1945) — as Detective (uncredited)
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940) — as Guard (uncredited)
Where to Watch James Flavin Films
Most James Flavin movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring James Flavin, check our movies catalogue and browse page.