Home   >   Movie Stars   >   M   >   James Mitchell
James Mitchell
  • Biography

James Mitchell

James Mitchell plays haughty, domineering Palmer Cortlandt, a tycoon who usually has a smile on his face and a scheme up his sleeve. The actor, who began his career in films and on the Broadway stage, has been honored with seven Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Mitchell, an accomplished dancer, played leading roles in a number of Broadway musicals among them Mack and Mable, Carnival, Paint Your Wagon, Brigadoon and Bloomer Girl.

He appeared with the American Ballet Theater in New York, Europe and South America, and with the Agnes DeMille Dance Theater on tour throughout the United States.

His films include That's Dancing, a retrospective of great dance numbers in movie musicals; The Turning Point, in which he played the artistic director; The Bandwagon with Fred Astaire, Oklahoma and Deep in My Heart with Cyd Charisse. He also danced with Miss Charisse in both her 1965 television special and in the Academy Awards Presentation program in 1966.

From 1969 to 1973, he played the role of Professor Hathaway on the daytime series, Where the Heart Is. Mr. Mitchell also appeared in the ABC Television Network's primetime series, Charlie's Angels. He has starred on tour in Funny Girl with Carol Lawrence, in The Threepenny Opera with Chita Rivera and in The King and I with Ann Blyth. Additionally, he served as assistant to the director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production of Annie Get Your Gun with Debbie Reynolds.

James has taught movement for actors to theater arts students, which he describes as "an exchange of the disciplines of dancing and acting." He has taught at Yale University and at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in fine arts.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2002.

James Mitchell Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayFebruary 29, 1920 (104)
SignPisces
BirthplaceSacramento, California, USA
Height5' 10" (1m78)  How tall is James Mitchell compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Not available.