James Whitmore

Whitmore married four times in his life. His first marriage was to Nancy Mygatt, in 1947, whom he met while he was at the American Theatre Wing and the Actors Studio. The couple had three sons and they divorced in 1971.

In 1972, Whitmore married actress Audra Lindley. They remained a couple until 1979.

In 1979, he remarried his first wife Nancy Mygatt. However, his second marriage innings with Mygatt lasted for merely two years as they separated in 1981.

James Allen Whitmore was born on October 1, 1921 to Florence Belle and James Allen Whitmore, Sr in White Plains, New York. His father was a park commission official.

Young Whitmore attained his early education from Amherst Central High School before being transferred to Choate School on a football scholarship.

Completing his preliminary education, Whitmore gained admission at the Yale University on a football scholarship. However, severe injuries to his knees caused him to stop playing football. Academically, he was training for a degree in law and was a Government major.

With football taking backseat due to injuries, Whitmore turned his attention to acting. He joined the Yale Dramatic Society and learned some acting skills. He became a member of Skull and Bones and was one of the founding members of Yale radio station.

During World War II, Whitmore enlisted himself in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. Meanwhile, he did not give up on his studies and graduated from Yale University in 1944. Following his graduation, he served in the United States Marine Corps in the South Pacific, emerging from the Marines as a Lieutenant.

Immediately following World War II, James Whitmore tried his luck in acting. He appeared in Broadway, capping the role of a sergeant, Harold Evans, in ‘Command Decision’. For his performance in the play ‘Command Decision’, he won the Tony award for Best Performance by Debut Actor.

Whitmore’s breakthrough in films came in 1949 with a documentary-styled crime thriller, ‘The Undercover Man’, starring Glenn Ford and Nina Foch. Same year, his second film and the first with MGM titled ‘Battleground’ released. The film was a big success and won him rave reviews.

Though Whitmore did not have the killing looks nor did he possess the oozing charm, yet his acting skills were such that he gained widespread acclaim as an actor. A range of roles kept coming to him, which he did full justice to. From playing the religious, moral minded person in ‘The Next Voice You Hear Above’ to the crispy boy in ‘Mrs O’Malley and Mr. Malone’, the pathetic crook in ‘The Asphalt Jungle’ to a stoic security chief in ‘Above and Beyond’, he was praised and applauded.

Following his successful film career, Whitmore starred in a couple of films including, ‘Angels in the Outfield’, ‘Kiss Me Kate’, ‘Them!’, ‘Oklahoma!’, ‘Black Like Me’, ‘Guns of the Magnificent Seven’,and ‘Tora! Tora! Tora!’

‘Give 'em Hell, Harry!’ a one-man show released in 1975 had Whitmore play the titular role of former USA President Harry S Truman. His brilliant portrayal of Truman earned him Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Actor.

Whitmore’s shot to fame came early in his career. In his debut year in films, he starred in the war movie, ‘Battleground’ as Platoon Sgt. Kinnie. His performance in the film won him an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.

The year of 1975 saw the release of ‘Give 'em Hell, Harry!’ A one-man show, the film version of the biographical play had Whitmore play the title role of former U.S President Harry S. Truman. The film was a big hit and Whitmore won Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nomination in the category of Best Actor. He won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.