James Wheaton
James Wheaton (b. January 11 1924, Meridian, Mississippi - d. June 9 2002, Los Angeles, California), was an American motion picture and television actor.
He may be best known as the voice actor "OMM" in George Lucas's THX 1138, a role for which he was chosen over Orson Welles. Wheaton also appeared in Trouble Comes to Town and Sanford and Son.
Biography
James Wheaton was the eldest son of the Reverend James D. Wheaton, a Methodist minister and Jessie O. Holmes, the daughter of a Methodist minister. He was born in Meridian, Mississippi, but moved Hattiesburg while only a few months old.
In 1936, the family moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he attended Yazoo City High School #2. After graduating from high school in 1943, he began his college education at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. At Wiley, he served as senior class president. Upon his graduation in 1945, James was drafted into the U.S. Army at the tail end of World War Two. Stationed in the Philippines, he served as chaplain's assistant for most of his time in the military. It was at this time he began to take a serious interest in acting. However, he turned down the opportunity to become involved in the Philippines's developing film industry, anxious to return back to the United States.
Upon his return to the United States, James Wheaton was accepted into a Master's Degree Program at Columbia University, where he majored in speech communication and acting. Upon his graduation, he taught at the secondary school level and eventually at Wiley College, where he met his future bride, Helen Alford, who was a student at the time.
Shortly thereafter, they relocated to the Los Angeles area, where two children were born to this union. It was also during this time where Mr. Wheaton began to work professionally as an actor. First working in radio, his big break came when he auditioned and was cast as a member of the Bishop's Company, a repertory theatre group that toured churches throughout the Mid-West and the South. His first year with the Bishop's Company was documented in his memoir, "Masks Before the Altar," which was published in 1999 by Xlibris Press.
In addition to his work with the Bishop's Company, he performed regularly in various stages throughout the Los Angeles area, most notably the Ebony Showcase Theatre, founded by actor Nick Stewart. His roles at the theatre included the father in the long-running hit, Norman, Is That You?, a role later played by Redd Foxx in a feature film version. Wheaton also directed a touring production of the play starring Pat Paulsen. The late veteran actor Joel Fluellen once commented that Wheaton "brought class to the Ebony Showcase."
Making quite a name for himself in theatre, it was only a logical step that we began working in television. One of his first appearances was a television adaptation of the play, Carnival Island, which he had performed at the Ebony Showcase.
He was the person originally cast as Bill Cosby's father on The Bill Cosby Show, but lost the part to Fred Pinkard due to a mix-up with his message service. This however did not prevent him from appearing on the program. His first major film credit was as the voice of "OMM" in THX 1138, directed by George Lucas.
During the late 1960s and 1970s, Wheaton appeared on some of the most popular television programs of the day including Room 222, Kojak, Good Times, and the final episode of Ironside. He had a recurring role as Nelson B. Davis, "The Friendly Undertaker", on Sanford and Son. Other feature film credits included Black Belt Jones and lastly, Gun Crazy with Drew Barrymore. He also reteamed with Bill Cosby in A Piece of the Action, which also starred and was directed by Sidney Poitier.
In his later years, more time was devoted to his simultaneous career of teaching. However, he also expanded his resume into music videos and was developing a one man show on the life and work of Langston Hughes at the time of this death.
He died of a heart attack on June 9 2002, in Los Angeles.
He is survived by two children (including Frank K. Wheaton, a personal manager and sports agent), four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
External links
James Wheaton also worked as a teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District where he taught drama to students at Figueroa Elementary School in the late 1960s.