LOS ANGELES — James Whitmore, the many-faceted character actor who delivered strong performances in movies, television and especially the theater with his popular one-man shows about Harry Truman, Will Rogers and Theodore Roosevelt, died Friday, his son said. He was 87.
The Emmy- and Tony-winning actor was diagnosed with lung cancer the week before Thanksgiving and died Friday afternoon at his Malibu home, Steve Whitmore said.
“My father believed that family came before everything, that work was just a vehicle in which to provide for your family,” said Whitmore, who works as spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. “At the end, and in the last two and a half months of his life, he was surrounded by his family.”
His long-running “Give ’em Hell, Harry,” tracing the life of the 33rd president, was released as a theatrical movie in 1975. Whitmore was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor, marking the only time in Oscar history that an actor has been nominated for a film in which he was the only cast member.
He later became the TV pitchman for Miracle-Gro plant food and used the product in his large vegetable garden.
Although not known for his politics, Whitmore was an early supporter of President Barack Obama and stumped for him. Whitmore also appeared in TV commercials in 2008 for the “First Freedom First” campaign, which advocates religious liberty and preserving the separation of church and state.
Whitmore started both his Broadway and Hollywood careers with acclaimed performances, both as tough-talking sergeants. In 1947, discharged a year from Marine duty, he made his Broadway debut in a taut Air Force drama, “Command Decision.” He was awarded a Tony for outstanding performance by a newcomer.
Two years later, Whitmore was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe as supporting actor in the war movie “Battleground.”
He followed with memorable performances in scores of films, refusing to be typecast. Besides war movies, he appeared in Westerns, musicals (“Kiss Me Kate”), science fiction (“Planet of the Apes”), dramas (“The Shawshank Redemption”) and comedies.
Whitmore often appeared on television. He received an Emmy in 1999 as guest actor in a series for “The Practice.”
