James Ainslie Pryor (February 21, 1921 – May 27, 1958) was an American actor.

Early years

Pryor was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of William E. Prior. He graduated from Christian Brothers College and attended Southwestern and VPI. During World War II, he served with the Merchant Marine.

Career

Radio

Pryor's early entertainment activities came in radio when he worked as an announcer at stations in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York City. He also was program director at WJPR radio in Greenville, Mississippi.

Stage

Before Pryor acted in films, he performed on stage. He organized a school and community theater while he worked in Greenville. He also managed and directed a little theater group in Raleigh, North Carolina. For three years he acted in ''

The Lost Colony The establishment of the Roanoke Colony ( ) was an attempt by Sir Walter Raleigh to found the first permanent English settlement in North America. The English, led by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, had briefly claimed St. John's, Newfoundland, in 1 ...

'' in Manteo, North Carolina. His performances there, observed by actor Charles Laughton and producer Paul Gregory, led to his Broadway debut as the prosecuting attorney in ''

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial ''The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial'' is a two-act play, of the courtroom drama type, that was dramatized for the stage by Herman Wouk, which he adapted from his own 1951 novel, '' The Caine Mutiny''. Wouk's novel covered a long stretch of time ...

''.

Film and television

He appeared in the films ''

The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing ''The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing'' is a 1955 American film directed by Richard Fleischer from a screenplay by Walter Reisch and Charles Brackett, and starring Joan Collins, Ray Milland, and Farley Granger. The CinemaScope film was released ...

'', '' Ransom!'', ''

Walk the Proud Land ''Walk the Proud Land'' is a 1956 CinemaScope Technicolor Western film directed by Jesse Hibbs and starring Audie Murphy and future Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft. Filmed at Old Tucson Studios, it recounts the first successful introduc ...

'', ''

Four Girls in Town ''Four Girls in Town'' is a 1957 American CinemaScope Technicolor drama film, directed by Jack Sher, about four girls trying to be movie stars. Plot When the leading lady drops out of a new film to be shot in New Orleans, studio head James Manni ...

'', ''

The Shadow on the Window ''The Shadow on the Window'' is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by William Asher and starring Philip Carey, Betty Garrett and John Drew Barrymore.. The screenplay involves a boy (Jerry Mathers) who is traumatized after seeing his m ...

'', ''

The Guns of Fort Petticoat ''The Guns of Fort Petticoat'' is a 1957 American Western film produced by Harry Joe Brown and Audie Murphy for Brown-Murphy Pictures. It was based on the 1955 short story "Petticoat Brigade" by Chester William Harrison (1913–1994) that he ex ...

'', ''

The Left Handed Gun ''The Left Handed Gun'' is a 1958 American Western film and the film directorial debut of Arthur Penn, starring Paul Newman as Billy the Kid and John Dehner as Pat Garrett. The screenplay was written by Leslie Stevens from a teleplay by Gore V ...

'', ''

Kathy O' ''Kathy O is a 1958 American CinemaScope comedy-drama film directed by Jack Sher and starring Dan Duryea, Jan Sterling, Patty McCormack and Mary Fickett. Plot Kathy O'Rourke is a child actress who portrays girls such as Shirley Temple on the sc ...

'' and ''

Onionhead ''Onionhead'' is a 1958 comedy-drama film set on a U.S. Coast Guard ship during World War II, starring Andy Griffith and featuring Felicia Farr, Walter Matthau, Erin O'Brien, James Gregory, Joey Bishop, and Claude Akins. It was directed by ...

''. On television, Pryor portrayed Dr. William Beaumont in the "Who Search for Truth" episode of ''

Medic A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder. Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgra ...

'' (1956). He also appeared in the series' '' Ford Star Jubilee'', ''

Steve Donovan, Western Marshal ''Steve Donovan, Western Marshal'' (also known as ''Western Marshal'') is an American Western series that aired in syndication from September 24, 1955 to June 6, 1956. Cast and characters * Douglas Kennedy as United States Marshal Steve Donovan. ...

'', ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vid ...

'', '' Front Row Center'', '' You Are There'', ''

'', ''

Wire Service A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and radio and television broadcasters. A news agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire, ...

'', ''

Sheriff of Cochise ''The Sheriff of Cochise'' is an American police crime drama television series of 79 black-and-white episodes broadcast from 1956 to 1958. The show has two seasons of 39 episodes, and there is an additional standalone episode. Each episode runs ...

'', ''

Meet McGraw Meet may refer to: People with the name * Janek Meet (born 1974), Estonian footballer * Meet Mukhi (born 2005), Indian child actor Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Meet'' (TV series), an early Australian television series which aired on ABC du ...

'', ''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and ''Bronco'' (second season); and ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' (In 1957 as “Cole Yankton”, an outlaw who had been Kitty’s first love in S3E4’s Kitty’s Outlaw”), ''

Suspicion Suspicion is a feeling of mistrust. Suspicion(s), The Suspicion, or Suspicious may also refer to: Film and television Film * ''Suspicion'' (1918 film), an American silent film directed by John M. Stahl * ''Suspicion'' (1941 film), an American ...

'', ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

'', '' Studio One'', ''

General Electric Theater ''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations. Radio After an audition show ...

'', ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' was an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of th ...

'' and ''

The Adventures of Hiram Holliday ''The Adventures of Hiram Holliday'' is an American adventure sitcom that aired on NBC from October 3, 1956 to February 27, 1957. Starring Wally Cox in the title role, the series is based on the 1939 novel of the same name by Paul Gallico. Plot ...

''.

Personal life and death

Pryor was married to Susanne Wellman, and they had three children. Both of them were artists whose work was displayed in North Carolina's State Art Gallery for several years. He died of cancer on May 27, 1958, in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

at age 37.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pryor, Ainslie 1921 births 1958 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Broadway theatre people Male actors from Memphis, Tennessee