James Wheaton Chambers (October 13, 1887 – January 31, 1958) was an American actor during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He appeared in more than 200 films and television series during his career.

Early years

Chambers was born on October 13, 1887, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to a

Philadelphia Main Line The Philadelphia Main Line, known simply as the Main Line, is an informally delineated historical and social region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lying along the former Pennsylvania Railroad's once prestigious Main Line, it runs no ...

family. He graduated from Princeton University in 1909. with a bachelor of arts degree. While there, he was captain of a championship swimming team. In 1909, he went to China to work with marines and soldiers of the Legation Guards as part of Princeton's YMCA work in Peking. After he had to leave because of the Chinese Revolution, he worked for the Associated Press.

Career

Chambers gained early acting experience with the Henry Duffy Players. He made his film debut in the small role of a servant in the 1935 film ''

The Florentine Dagger ''The Florentine Dagger '' is a 1935 American film noir mystery film directed by Robert Florey. The film numbers among the first Hollywood movies in which psychoanalysis is a significant factor in the story.Smith, Richard Harland"The Florentin ...

''. Over the next 23 years he would appear in almost 150 feature films. Some of his more notable roles include: as Dr. Allen in ''Marshal of Laredo'' (1945), one of the series of ''

Red Ryder Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

'' films; as Lewis Havener in the 1946 fantasy-horror film '' The Flying Serpent''; as Jasper Braydon in ''

Stagecoach to Denver ''Stagecoach to Denver'' is a 1946 American Western film and one of the Republic Pictures Red Ryder film series directed by R. G. Springsteen. Plot Red is working as a stagecoach driver with one of his passengers being Dickie, a recently orphan ...

'', a 1946 western directed by

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; as Doctor William R. James in the 1951

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

'' The Prowler'', starring

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; as Sam Wilkins in the 1952 western ''Wagons West'', starring Rod Cameron; and as Doc Runyon in the western '' The Peacemaker'' (1956). Other notable films in which Chambers appeared include: the 1936 biopic, ''

The Story of Louis Pasteur ''The Story of Louis Pasteur'' is a 1936 American black-and-white biographical film from Warner Bros., produced by Henry Blanke, directed by William Dieterle, that stars Josephine Hutchinson, Anita Louise and Donald Woods, and Paul Muni as the ...

'', starring

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; as a lawyer in

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's ''

Reap the Wild Wind ''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Prest ...

'' (1942), starring

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, and

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; as a reporter in the 1943 version of the classic, ''

Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...

'', starring

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, Susanna Foster, and

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; in the

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comedy, ''

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'';

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' 1945 classic, ''

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'', starring

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, and

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; in the 1945

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...

musical, ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...

'' (1945), starring

Jeanne Crain Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her title role in '' Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films ''In the Meantime, Darling'' (1944 ...

and

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...

; the 1945 romantic comedy '' Lover Come Back'', starring

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and

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; Curtiz' 1946 biopic about

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

, '' Night and Day'', starring

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

and

Alexis Smith Margaret Alexis Fitzsimmons-Smith (June 8, 1921 – June 9, 1993) was a Canadian-born American actress and singer. She appeared in several major Hollywood films in the 1940s and had a notable career on Broadway in the 1970s, winning a Tony Awar ...

; the classic film noir ''

Lady in the Lake ''Lady in the Lake'' is a 1947 American film noir starring Robert Montgomery, Audrey Totter, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully, Leon Ames and Jayne Meadows. An adaptation of the 1943 Raymond Chandler murder mystery ''The Lady in the Lake'', the picture ...

'' (1947), starring and directed by Robert Montgomery; the 1948 classic version of ''

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'', starring

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and

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; the 1949

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and

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musical ''

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''; DeMille's 1950 epic, ''

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'', starring

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and

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; the science fiction classic, ''

The Day the Earth Stood Still ''The Day the Earth Stood Still'' (a.k.a. ''Farewell to the Master'' and ''Journey to the World'') is a 1951 American science fiction film from 20th Century Fox, produced by Julian Blaustein and directed by Robert Wise. It stars Michael Renn ...

'' (1951), starring

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and

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;

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's classic '' East of Eden'', starring

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(in his first major screen role), and

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; and the 1956 classic western ''

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'', starring

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and

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. In addition to his feature film work, Chambers also appeared in several film shorts, and

film serials A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

. The serials in which he appeared include: as Dr. Humphrey in ''

Drums of Fu Manchu ''Drums of Fu Manchu'' (1940) is a 15-chapter Republic serial film based on the character created by Sax Rohmer. Though using the title of the ninth novel in the series, it actually is based on numerous elements from throughout the series to that ...

'' (1940); as Boswell in ''

Adventures of Red Ryder ''The Adventures of Red Ryder'' is a 1940 12-chapter Republic movie serial directed by William Witney and John English and starring Don "Red" Barry and Noah Beery, Sr., based on the Western comic strip '' Red Ryder''. This serial is t ...

'' (1940), as Professor Benjamin in ''

The Purple Monster Strikes ''The Purple Monster Strikes'' is a 1945 Republic Pictures, Republic Movie serial. It was also released as a Century 66 television film under the title ''D-Day on Mars'' (1966). The original production title for the serial was ''The Purple Shad ...

'' (1945); as Wilson in '' The Crimson Ghost'' (1946); and in the featured role of Caleb Baldwin in ''

Son of Zorro ''Son of Zorro'' is a 1947 American Western film serial from Republic Pictures. It was the 43rd of the 66 serials produced by that studio. The serial was directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred C. Brannon. George Turner starred as a descen ...

'' (1947). Chambers' debut on the small screen was in the featured role of Father Batista in the eighth episode of the classic television western, ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'', in 1949. Other television shows he appeared on include: two episodes of ''

The Roy Rogers Show ''The Roy Rogers Show'' is an American western television series starring Roy Rogers. 100 episodes were broadcast on NBC for six seasons between December 30, 1951 and June 9, 1957. The episodes were set in the prevailing times (1950s) in the st ...

'' in 1952, in different roles; as a member of the Kryptonian council on the first episode of '' Adventures of Superman''; on two episodes (in different roles) of ''

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was ...

'' in 1952-53; as Papa Dodger in the premiere episode of the

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

Willy Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scree ...

'' in September 1954;Television Obscurities: Willy Accessed October 30, 2020
/ref> as Mr. Kennedy in a December 1954 episode of ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

''; and a February 1957 episode of the crime drama, '' Dragnet''. Chambers' last performance was in a small role in the 1958 film, ''

Gunman's Walk ''Gunman's Walk'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Van Heflin and Tab Hunter. Plot Davy Hackett (James Darren) and his hot-tempered, arrogant older brother Ed (Tab Hunter) are about to assist the ...

'', starring

and

Tab Hunter Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. He was a Hollywood heartthrob of t ...

. Chambers had worked on the film in December 1957, and it was released in July, 1958, six months after his death.

Death

On January 31, 1958, Chambers died after a brief illness. He was 70 years old and was survived by a sister.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Wheaton 1887 births 1958 deaths American male film actors Male actors from Philadelphia American male telenovela actors 20th-century American male actors