James Gammon Biography
Born: April 20, 1940
Date of Birth: April 20, 1940
Born in Newman, Illinois, James Gammon has made quite a name for himself as a character actor. His first movie role was an uncredited one, as "Sleepy" in the classic film, Cool Hand Luke (1967). The next year, he received a credit playing Tellis Yeager opposite Harrison Ford and James Caan in the western picture, Journey to Shiloh (1968). Since then he has racked up roles in more than 80 features and TV movies, including opposite Woody Harrelson in The Hi-Lo Country, One Man's Hero (starring Tom Berenger), Robert Duvall's Oscar-nominated The Apostle, the futuristic Gattaca, Traveler (opposite Bill Paxton) and the Jeff Bridges/Ellen Barkin-starrer Wild Bill. The actor has also had roles in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Leaving Normal, Bad to the Bone, Crisscross, I Love You to Death, Major League (I and II) and Ironweed (opposite Jack Nicholson).
Gammon received a Tony nomination for his work in Sam Shepard's Buried Child and starred in the original cast of Shepard's Lie of the Mind; he recently returned from New York, where he starred in the 25th Anniversary production of Jason Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, That Championship Season.
His television credits include appearing as a series regular (as Don Johnson's father) on Nash Bridges and starring roles in the telefeatures For the Love of Tyler, Truman, Streets of Laredo, Grey's Anatomy and You Know My Name (for TNT).