James Parnell (actor)

James Parnell
Parnell in Bonanza, 1960
Born
James Daniel Parnell[1]

(1923-10-09)October 9, 1923
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1961(1961-12-27) (aged 38)
North Hollywood, California, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1950–1961
SpouseVelma Lee Parnell[1]
Children1[1]
ParentEmory Parnell (father)

James Daniel Parnell (October 9, 1923 – December 27, 1961)[2][3] was an American film and television actor.[4]

Biography

Parnell was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the son of Effie and Emory Parnell,[1][5] a vaudeville performer. He had a brother, Charles Parnell.[1] Parnell began his acting career in 1950 with an uncredited role in the film California Passage. He then appeared in the films Apache Drums and G.I. Jane. Parnell was also a cast member of the New York production of the musical Oklahoma! for five years.[1] Parnell appeared in over 100 films and television programs, including an appearance as Marv Tremain in the 1956 film Star in the Dust.[6] He also performed on stage plays.[5]

Parnell appeared in numerous films, such as, Yukon Gold (1952); War Paint (1953); The Yellow Mountain (1954); Crime Against Joe (1956); The Delicate Delinquent (1957); Hell's Five Hours (1958); The Walking Target (1960) and Gun Fight (1961).[4][5] His last film credit was for the 1962 film Incident in an Alley.[5][7] He also appeared in the television programs, Bonanza, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, 77 Sunset Strip, Tombstone Territory, Mr. Lucky, The Real McCoys, Leave It to Beaver, Have Gun, Will Travel and Bat Masterson.[8]

Parnell died in December 1961 in North Hollywood, California, at the age of 38.[1]

Selected Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1960 Wanted Dead or Alive (TV series) Sheriff Season 3 episode 10 (The Medicine man)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Services Set Monday For Actor Parnell". Valley Times. North Hollywood, California. December 30, 1961. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Doyle, Billy; Slide, Anthony (1999). The Ultimate Directory of Silent and Sound Era Performers: A Necrology of Actors and Actresses. Scarecrow Press. p. 426. ISBN 9780810835474 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Benjamin, Ruth; Rosenblatt, Arthur (2006). Who Sang what on Broadway, 1866-1996: The singers (L-Z). McFarland. p. 594. ISBN 9780786421893 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b Lentz, Harris (1996). Western and Frontier Film and Television Credits 1903-1995: Section I. Actors and actresses. Section II. Directors, producers, and writers. McFarland. p. 619. ISBN 9780786402175 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ a b c d Mack Truitt, Evelyn (1974), Who was who on Screen, R. R. Bowker Company, p. 261, ISBN 9780835207195
  6. ^ Lowe, Barry (April 28, 2016). Atomic Blonde: The Films of Mamie Van Doren. McFarland. p. 96. ISBN 9780786482733 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Bertrand Dimmitt, Richard (1967), An Actor Guide to the Talkies: A Comprehensive Listing of 8,000 Feature-length Films from January, 1949, Until December, 1964 · Volume 1, Scarecrow Press, p. 479
  8. ^ Rainey, Buck (November 17, 2015). Western Gunslingers in Fact and on Film: Hollywood's Famous Lawmen and Outlaws. McFarland. p. 253. ISBN 9781476603285 – via Google Books.