James Hampton (actor)

For other people with the same name, see James Hampton (disambiguation).

James Hampton
Hampton in 1968.
Born	James Wade Hampton (1936-07-09) July 9, 1936 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Other names	Jimmy Hampton Jim Hampton
Occupation(s)	Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active	1963–present
Spouse	Mary Deese (2002–present)

James Wade Hampton (born July 9, 1936) is an American actor, television director, and screenwriter.

Biography

Early life

Hampton was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and raised in Dallas, Texas, where his father operated a cleaning business. He majored in theatre arts at the University of North Texas in Denton. While attending UNT, he was a member of the Gamma Lambda chapter of Kappa Alpha Order. After a series of failed jobs including bodyguard, bartender, and photojournalist, he was inducted into the United States Army. He was stationed in Germany and performed with the USO, for which he won awards.

Following his service, he performed in summer stock in Texas and then moved to New York City, where he was given his first film role - the Academy Award-nominated short subject The Cliffdwellers. Hampton's next role came as the lead character in a May 1963 Gunsmoke episode entitled "Jeb", featuring his friend and series regular Burt Reynolds.

Career

Hampton is known for his roles in CBS's The Doris Day Show (as Leroy, the handyman); ABC's F Troop (as Hannibal Dobbs the incompetent bugler); Robert Aldrich's The Longest Yard (1974); Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan (1975); Teen Wolf (1985); the Teen Wolf television series (1986 to 1989); Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988); and Sling Blade (1996). Hampton guest starred as Jim Rockford's cousin Aaron Ironwood in a 1975 episode of NBC's The Rockford Files. He received a HALO Award for Hawmps!, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for "Most Promising Newcomer" for the part of "Caretaker" in The Longest Yard. He was also the spokesman for the American Egg Board.

In 1964, Hampton was cast as publisher William Randolph Hearst in the episode "The Paper Dynasty" of the syndicated western television series, Death Valley Days, hosted by Stanley Andrews. In the story line, Hearst struggles to turn a profit despite increased circulation of The San Francisco Examiner. James Lanphier (1920-1969) plays Ambrose Bierce; Robert O. Cornthwaite was cast as Sam Chamberlain.

In 1980, he starred alongside Gary Collins in the low-budget movie Hangar 18. Filmed primarily in Big Spring, Texas, the two played NASA astronauts trying to expose a UFO coverup.

In 2012, Hampton appeared in an advertisement on MeTV touting some of the shows in which he had guest starred, including Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and The Rockford Files.

Personal life

Hampton married his wife actress Mary Deese in 2002. They reside in Texas.

Selected filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
1970	Soldier Blue	Private Menzies
1972	Justin Morgan Had a Horse	Aaron
1973	The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing	Jimmy	Uncredited
1974	The Longest Yard	Caretaker
1975	W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings	Junior
	Mackintosh and T.J.	Cotton
	Hustle	Bus Driver
1976	Hawmps!	Howard Clemmons
1978	The Cat from Outer Space	Captain Anderson
1979	The China Syndrome	Bill Gibson
1980	Hangar 18	Lew Price	Alternative tile: Invasion Force
1981	Condorman	Harry Oslo
1985	Teen Wolf	Harold Howard
1987	Teen Wolf Too	Uncle Harold Howard
1988	Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach	Mayor of Miami
1990	Pump Up the Volume	Arthur Watts
1991	The Giant of Thunder Mountain	Jesse
1996	Sling Blade	Jerry Woolridge
2000	Danny and Max	Sheriff
	Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel	Pediatrician
2008	Fire from Below	Griffith
2011	Jacob	Mayor Jack Flynn
	The Last Ride	Judge Matheny
2014	Flutter	Leon
	Big Stone Gap	Reverend Manning
2015	Divine Access	Mr. Bernstein
2016	The Association	Gene Seward	Direct-to-video

Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1963–1965	Gunsmoke	Jeb Willis / Eliab Haggen	3 episodes, credited as Jim Hampton
1964	Death Valley Days	William Randolph Hearst	1 episode
1965	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	Branch Eversole	1 episode, credited as Jim Hampton
	Rawhide	Charlie Peck, The Blackmailer	Episode: "Mrs. Harmon"
1965–1967	F Troop	Private Hannibal Shirley Dobbs	65 episodes
1967	Cimarron Strip	Sam	1 episode
1968–1969	The Doris Day Show	Leroy B. Simpson	14 episodes
1970	Bracken's World	J.F. Nash	1 episode
1972	The Wonderful World of Disney	Aaron	2 episodes
	The F.B.I.	Claybourne	1 episode
1973	Hawkins	Earl Coleman	1 episode
1974	The Manhunter	Lon Tyrell	1 episode
1975	Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan	Harry Dudley	Television movie
	Mannix	Billy Lee	1 episode
	The Rockford Files	Aaron Ironwood	1 episode
1977	The Red Hand Gang	Tosca (Kidnapper)	5 episodes
	The Amazing Howard Hughes	Wilbur Peterson	Television movie
1978	Mary	Skit Characters	3 episodes
1979	Centennial	Defense Attorney Prescott	Miniseries
1980	B.A.D. Cats	Link	Unknown episodes
	The Dukes of Hazzard	Sheriff Buster Moon	Episode: "Return of the Ridge Raiders"
1981	Stand By Your Man	Billy Sherrill	Television movie
1981–1982	Maggie	Len Weston	8 episodes
1982	World War III	Richard Hickman	Miniseries
1983	The Greatest American Hero	Sheriff	1 episode
	Boone	Mr. Slater	Episode: "The Graduation"
	Tales of the Gold Monkey	Alan Shoemate	Episode: "Cooked Goose"
1984	The Burning Bed	Police Witness	Television movie
	Matt Houston	Mr. Stevens	2 episodes
1984–1985	Who's the Boss?	Herb / Officer	2 episodes
1984–1986	Murder, She Wrote	Veterinarian / Jerry Blevins	2 episodes
1985	Otherworld	Fred Roach	1 episode
	Simon & Simon	Odell Mitchell	1 episode
1986–1989	Punky Brewster	Alvin / Jimmy John	2 episodes
1986–1987	Teen Wolf	Harold Howard (Voice)	21 episodes
1987	Houston Knights	Scully	3 episodes
1988	Superboy	Coach	Episode: The Fixer
1989	Mama's Family	Keith Wheeler	Episode: "The Mama of Invention"
	Days of Our Lives	Saul Taylor	49 episodes
1989–1990	Full House	Mr. Malatesta	3 episodes
1990	Perfect Strangers	Mac McIntyre	Episode: "Nightmare Vacation"
	Newhart	Father Ken	1 episode
	Get a Life	Fletcher	1 episode
1991	The Hogan Family	Raymond	1 episode
1992–1993	Evening Shade	-	Director, 7 episodes
1993	Hearts Afire	-	Director, 1 episode
1994	Melrose Place	Harry Alan	Episode: "It's a Bad World After All"
1995	Hope and Gloria	Bob	1 episode
1997	Fired Up	Ben Franklin	1 episode
1997–1998	Grace Under Fire	-	Director, 4 episodes
	Smart Guy	-	Director, 3 episodes
	Sister, Sister	-	Director, 5 episodes
1998–1999	Linc's	-	Director, 3 episodes
2000	Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane	-	Director, 3 episodes

Award nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1975	Golden Globe Award	Nominated	Most Promising Newcomer - Male	The Longest Yard

External links

• James Hampton at IMDb
• James Hampton at the TCM Movie Database