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James J. Edwards
James J. Edwards
	Edwards in the 1953 film, The Joe Louis Story
Born	James Johnson Edwards; March 6, 1918; Muncie, Indiana, U.S.
Died	January 4, 1970 (aged 51); San Diego, California, U.S.
Resting place	Evergreen Memorial Park, Hobart, Indiana, U.S.
Years active	1947–1969
Spouse	Everdinne Wilson Edwards (?-1970, his death)
Children	1

James Johnson Edwards (March 6, 1918 – January 4, 1970) was an American actor in films and television. His most famous role was as Private Peter Moss in the 1949 film Home of the Brave, in which he portrayed a Black soldier experiencing racial prejudice while serving in the South Pacific during World War II.

Career

Edwards majored in psychology at Knoxville College in Tennessee and continued his education at Northwestern University where he received a master's degree in drama. While enrolled at Northwestern, he participated in student productions and in the Federal Theatre Project.

During World War II, he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army.^[1]

After the war he appeared on the New York stage when he assumed the role of the war hero in the touring play Deep Are the Roots.

Throughout his early and mid acting career, Edwards portrayed African American soldiers, playing such characters in Home of the Brave (1949), The Steel Helmet (1951), Bright Victory (1951), Battle Hymn (1957), Men in War (1957), Blood and Steel (1959), and Pork Chop Hill (1959) as well as an uncredited Messman in The Caine Mutiny. (1954).

It was believed he was originally cast in Universal's Red Ball Express but was replaced by Sidney Poitier when he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.^[2]

Other notable roles were in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956) and John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate (1962).

Edwards was prolific on TV in the 1960s, playing character roles in various series such as Peter Gunn, The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone's "The Big Tall Wish", Burke's Law, Dr. Kildare and Mannix, before his death of a heart attack at the age of 51 in 1970.

One of his final roles was as General George S. Patton's longtime personal valet, Sergeant Major William George Meeks, in the film Patton.

Death

James Edwards died on Sunday, January 4, 1970, in San Diego, CA. He was working on a film script in his wife's family's house in San Diego when he complained of chest pains. He was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he died. The New York Times reported that his age was given as 42.^[3] Edwards was in fact 51.

Filmography

The Set-Up (1949) as Luther Hawkins
Home of the Brave (1949) as Private Peter Moss
Manhandled (1949) as Henry, Bennet's Butler (uncredited)
The Steel Helmet (1951) as Corporal Thompson
Bright Victory (1951) as Joe Morgan
The Member Of The Wedding (1952) as Honey Camden Brown
The Joe Louis Story (1953) as Jack 'Chappie' Blackburn
The Caine Mutiny (1954) as Whittaker (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) (Season 1 Episode 7: "Breakdown") as Convict
African Manhunt (1955) as Native Guide
Seven Angry Men (1955) as Ned Green
The Phenix City Story (1955) as Zeke Ward
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) (Season 1 Episode 15: "The Big Switch") as Ed
The Killing (1956) as Track Parking Attendant
Battle Hymn (1957) as Lieutenant Maples
Men in War (1957) as Sergeant Killian
Fräulein (1958) as Corporal S. Hanks
Tarzan's Fight for Life (1958) as Futa
Anna Lucasta (1958) as Eddie
Night of the Quarter Moon (1959) as Asa Tully
Pork Chop Hill (1959) as Corporal Jurgens
Blood and Steel (1959) as George
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) as Corporal Allen Melvin
Legend of Bearheart (1964) released as Legend of the Northwest in 1978^[4]
The Sandpiper (1965) as Larry Brant
The Virginian (1968, TV Series) as The Mustangers
The Young Runaways (1968) as Sergeant Joe Collyer
Coogan's Bluff (1968) as Sergeant Jackson
Patton (1970) as Sergeant Major William George Meeks
Doomsday Voyage (1972) as Coast Guard Officer
Legend of the Northwest (1978) (final film role)

Notes

^ "James Edwards (1918-1970) •". 25 December 2008.
^ p. 70 Deane, Pamala S. James Edwards: African American Hollywood Icon McFarland, 8 Dec. 2009
^ "James Edwards, Film Actor, Dead". The New York Times. 1970-01-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
^ p. 188 Pitts, Michael R.Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d edition McFarland 2012