Matinee Classics - James MacArthur Biography & Filmography

James MacArthur ACTOR

PHOTOS

JAMES MACARTHUR BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

James MacArthur was born on December 8th, 1937 in Los Angeles, California with the middle name Gordon. As a young infant, he was adopted by, Charles MacArthur who was a playwright and his wife, Helen Hayes a very famous actress. MacArthur was raised in New York and received his early years education at Allen-Stevenson School in New York and Solebury School in Pennsylvania.

He was very active during high school and was involved in a number of sports as well as the Drama club and the student government. He also was very influenced by the arts from his family and his mother helped him get his first role in a live play which she was also cast in.

In 1949 he made his stage debut in Maryland in a production of, "The Corn is Green" followed by a role in, "Life With Father" (1954). Along with gaining experience as an actor he also did behind the scenes work as a set painter and lighting director. Soon he was working on television as well as film in such productions as, "Deal a Bow".

After high school he went on to study at Harvard but still remained working as an actor in such Walt Disney films as, "The Light in the Forest" (1958) and "Third Men on the Mountain". He decided not complete his college degree and left school early to pursue acting full time. He appeared in two more Disney films, "Kidnapped" and "Swiss Family Robinson".

It was not until he gained all this experience in film and stage that he then finally had his first Broadway role in 1960 in, "Invitation to a March". Remaining working as a stage actor he did a number of off-Broadway productions such as, "Under the Yum Yum Tree", "The Moon is Blue", "John Loves Mary", "Barefoot in the Park" and 'Murder at the Howard Johnson's".

As MacArthur's career continued he turned his focus back to films appearing on such features as, "The Interns", "Spencer's Mountain" (1963) starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara, which later was the inspiration for the hit TV Drama "The Waltons" starring Ralph Waite, Michael Learned, Will Geer, Ellen Corby and Richard Thomas, "The Truth About Spring" (1965), "Cry of Battle" (1963) and "The Love-Ins" (1967) and "Hang 'Em High" (1968) starring Clint Eastwood.

In addition to film he began making a number of television appearances on such series as, "Bus Stop", "Wagon Train", "The Eleventh Hour", "Bonanza", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The Virginian", "Combat!", "12 O'Clock High", "Burke's Law", "Tarzan" and his most well known role playing the character, Danny 'Danno' Williams on the television series, "Hawaii Five-O" in 1967 which he appeared on for eleven seasons while fellow actor Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett spoke to him in almost every episode the now famous words at the end of the show "Book 'em Danno"!.

After "Hawaii Five-O" came to an end he made a number of other television guest appearances on such series as, "The Love Boat", "Fantasy Island" and "Murder, She Wrote".

Along with his career in entertainment, MacArthur also dabbled in other business ventures such as owning a telephone answering service, and being a part owner of Senior World publication. He did return to his character role of Danny in, "Hawaii Five-O" in 1997 for another pilot, however it never aired.

He married three times throughout his lifetime, first to Joyce Bulifant in 1958 and they had two children, Charles and Mary, before the marriage ended in 1967. He then married Melody Patterson in 1970 but by 1975 this marriage had also come to an end. His third and final wife was Helen Beth Duntz whom he married in 1984 and they had one child together, Jamie and remained married until he passed away on October 28th, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida from natural causes. His remains are interred in Nyack, New York's Oak Hill Cemetery.