James Gammon

A sturdy character actor prolific on stage, screen and television in both small and prominent supporting roles, James Gammon excelled most typically as weathered, rustic types ranging from lawmen to bartenders; from cowhands to military men. Gammon began in the entertainment field at age 19 when he landed a job operating a camera at a TV station in Orlando, FL. Community theater work led him to relocate to Los Angeles in the early 1960s to try his hand professionally, and soon thereafter he made his TV debut in a small guest role on the long-running Western drama series, "Gunsmoke" (CBS, 1955-1975).