James Drury
Actor
- Born
- April 18, 1934 · New York City, New York, USA
- Died
- April 6, 2020 (age 85)
James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series The Virginian, which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 to 1971.
Drury was born in New York City, the son of James Child Drury and Beatrice Crawford Drury. His father was a New York University professor of marketing. He grew up between New York City and Salem, Oregon, where his mother owned a farm. Drury contracted polio at the age of 10.
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He studied drama at New York University and took additional classes at UCLA to complete his degree after he began acting in films at MGM.
On February 7, 1957, Drury married Cristall Othones, and fathered two sons, Timothy and James III. The couple divorced on November 23, 1964 and on April 27, 1968, he married Phyllis Jacqueline Mitchell; the marriage ended in divorce on January 30, 1979. His third marriage was to Carl Ann Head on July 30, 1979; it lasted until her death on August 25, 2019. Drury had three stepchildren from his previous marriages, a stepdaughter, Rhonda Brown, and two stepsons, Frederick Drury and Gary Schero. Drury died from natural causes on April 6, 2020.
Known for
Acting32
- 2015The Cartoon Cowboys: Spirit of the Alamo as Buffalo Bill Cody (voice)/"The Mysterious Traveler" (voice)
- 2005Hell to Pay as JT Coffee
- 2000The Virginian as Rider
- 1994Maverick as Riverboat Poker Player (uncredited)
- 1993Walker, Texas Ranger: One Riot, One Ranger as Captain Tom Price
- 1991The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw as Jim
- 1981Return to the Titanic as Self - Host
- 1979When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion as Self
- 1978The Meanest Men in the West as The Range Boss (The Virginian)
