James N Harrell

Vocation

American actor known as "little Jimmy Harrell from Waco, Texas" who appeared in over 75 film productions, feature films and television shows. He studied acting at the original Baylor Theater with Paul Baker in the 1930s and in 1940 was invited to join Michael Chekhov's Acting Studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He toured the East Coast with that company and was playing Twelfth Night when the attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, and most plays closed. Harrell served in the US Army for four years in a tank company, including service in Occupied Japan. Harrell taught acting at the Dallas Theater Center and had leading roles in numerous stage productions, including 'Anse Bundren' in Journey to Jefferson, which toured Paris, Belgium and Germany. He also taught stage and film acting at Southwest Texas State University for 24 years, retiring in 1994 as an Associate Professor. He had roles in such films as JFK, Varsity Blues, Michael, Hope Floats, Leap of Faith, Paper Moon, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Flesh and Bone, and Noon Wine. He worked often with Sam Shepard, Tommy Lee Jones, Jeff Bridges, and Gary Busey. Harrell died on 1 February 2001 from a heart attack. Link to Wikipedia biography