James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor and the eldest son of actor Robert Mitchum. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he was the uncle of actor Bentley Mitchum.
He had his first role, which was small and unbilled, at the age of eight in the Western Colorado Territory (1949) with Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, and Dorothy Malone. His credited debut was in Thunder Road (1958), in which he played his father's much younger brother, a role written for Elvis Presley, who was eager to do it until his manager demanded too much money. This film became a drive-in cult favorite, revived in the 1970s and ’80s. Curiously, he was again credited as being "introduced" in the Have Gun Will Travel pilot episode "Genesis" (1962).
He has appeared in more than 30 films including The Beat Generation in 1959; The Victors in 1963; as a surfer named Eskimo in Ride the Wild Surf in 1964; In Harm's Way (1965) with John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Henry Fonda; Ambush Bay (1966); The Invincible Six (1970); Two-Lane Blacktop (1971); and The Last Movie (1971).
In 1975 he starred in the movie Moonrunners, where he played the character Grady Hagg in the influence for the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was also in Zebra Force and Trackdown co-starring Karen Lamm and Erik Estrada in 1976; Ransom (a k a Assault on Paradise) (1977); Blackout (1978); Monstroid (1980); Crazy Jungle Adventure (1982); Code Name Zebra (1987); Hollywood Cop (1987); Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989); and Fatal Mission (1990).
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