James Warren (actor)

James Warren
James Warren in Wanderer of the Wasteland 1945
Born(1913-02-24)February 24, 1913
DiedMarch 28, 2001(2001-03-28) (aged 88)
OccupationActor

James Warren (February 24, 1913 – March 28, 2001) was an American film actor and artist.

Early life

Born James Pringle Wittlig in Marietta, Ohio, he was the son of Walter Wittlig, a watchmaker, and Florence Ione Pringle. He had two brothers, the oldest Laurence Pringle Wittlig and a younger brother, David Pringle Wittlig. The Wittligs had emigrated from Langenthal, Switzerland in the 1860s.[citation needed]

However, James did not follow in the family watchmaking tradition. His first love was art, which took him to the Pratt Art Institute of New York where he became a watercolorist and an illustrator for various magazines.

Film career

Warren was sighted by an MGM talent scout, who offered him a contract. Changing his name to James Warren, he, his wife, Felice, and their six-week-old son moved to Hollywood, where over the course of several years he appeared in more than 30 movies. When his MGM contract expired, he moved to RKO.

His first picture at RKO, filmed in the spring of 1945, was Ding Dong Williams, a low-budget musical comedy with a Hollywood theme. He played a slow-witted movie cowboy alongside a palomino horse, Star Dust. RKO had been making Zane Grey westerns with Robert Mitchum in the leading roles, and with Mitchum now advancing to dramatic features, RKO producer Herman Schlom (who had made Ding Dong Williams) remembered how well James Warren photographed in western gear. James Warren (and Star Dust) took over RKO's Zane Grey series, starring in such films as Sunset Pass. His co-stars were Nan Leslie and Jane Greer. The previous Sunset Pass was made in 1933.

Warren's tenure as RKO's cowboy star was brief; the studio's resident star Tim Holt returned from military service and resumed his starring series. Warren returned to character roles. In 1952, he co-starred with Gloria Swanson in the comedy film Three for Bedroom "C".

During all his time in Hollywood, James had never lost his passion for painting. He produced several one-man shows throughout the US and found a patron in Vincent Price. At one of these shows, Katharine Hepburn purchased seven of Warren's large watercolor paintings which she kept in her private collection.[citation needed]

In 1968 an art commission from Ford Motor Company took him to Hawaii. where he quickly settled into island life and became a highly respected member of the art community. He maintained an art gallery in Honolulu, as well as Maui. Warren specialized in whimsical interpretations of the Hawaiian Tutus (Grandmothers) and Kikis (Grandchildren) as well as many local images.[citation needed]

He was a well-respected member of the Lahaina Art Society and always was a very willing and gracious participant in all art shows. He continued his one-man shows throughout his later life until his 70s when he chose to remain near his beloved Hawaii.

He died, aged 88, in Kihei, Hawaii leaving four children and several grandchildren.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1942 Ship Ahoy Ship's Officer Uncredited
1942 Pacific Rendezvous FBI Agent Uncredited
1942 Seven Sweethearts Theodore Vaney, Albert's Beau
1942 Tennessee Johnson James Patterson Uncredited
1943 The Human Comedy Soldier Uncredited
1943 Slightly Dangerous Young Dancer Uncredited
1943 Three Hearts for Julia Program Vendor Uncredited
1943 Swing Shift Maisie Young Pilot Uncredited
1943 Thousands Cheer Soldier at Train Station Uncredited
1943 Cry 'Havoc' Wounded Soldier Beside Truck Uncredited
1943 Girl Crazy Radio Man Uncredited
1943 A Guy Named Joe Irish Guard Uncredited
1943 Whistling in Brooklyn Sound Man Uncredited
1944 See Here, Private Hargrove Executive Officer Uncredited
1944 Meet the People Marine Uncredited
1944 Maisie Goes to Reno Dr. Hanley Fleeson Uncredited
1944 Marriage Is a Private Affair Officer Uncredited
1945 This Man's Navy Bomber Pilot Uncredited
1945 Main Street After Dark Serviceman in Police Station Uncredited
1945 Wanderer of the Wasteland Adam Laney
1945 Ding Dong Williams Steve Moore
1946 Badman's Territory John Rowley
1946 Sunset Pass Rocky
1947 Code of the West Bob Wade
1948 The Judge Steps Out John Struthers III
1951 Fourteen Hours Thomas Edward Fuller Uncredited
1952 Diplomatic Courier Cafe Customer Uncredited
1952 Three for Bedroom C Professor Ollie J. Thruman
1953 Port Sinister Tony Ferris

References