Veteran character actor James Whitmore died today, only three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer.
I've mentioned before that I've always felt something of a void in my life due to a lack of grandparental influence. I only knew one of my grandmothers, and she died when I was three. I didn't know either of my grandfathers, which might explain my affection for "sweet, little old men."
Burgess Meredith was always my #1 pick for an adopted grandpa, as you can see in my sidebar. Sadly, he passed away back in 1997. Still, I was lucky to have James Whitmore on deck as my #2 guy. But now he's gone, leaving me grandpa-less once again.
Although James had a long, successful career, I will always remember him for my two favorite performances:
I've mentioned before that I've always felt something of a void in my life due to a lack of grandparental influence. I only knew one of my grandmothers, and she died when I was three. I didn't know either of my grandfathers, which might explain my affection for "sweet, little old men."
Burgess Meredith was always my #1 pick for an adopted grandpa, as you can see in my sidebar. Sadly, he passed away back in 1997. Still, I was lucky to have James Whitmore on deck as my #2 guy. But now he's gone, leaving me grandpa-less once again.
Although James had a long, successful career, I will always remember him for my two favorite performances:
- Captain Benteen in the Twilight Zone episode, "On Thursday We Leave For Home." As the head of a group of pioneers trying to settle a distant planet, Whitmore perfectly makes the transformation from level-headed leader to irrational control freak when a rescue squad arrives to take everyone back to Earth. Much like the Burgess Meredith episode, "Time Enough at Last," it's one that suffers in my ranking because I feel the ending "comeuppance" is unnecessarily harsh.
- Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption. I won't elaborate, especially on this occasion, lest I end up curled in a ball and sobbing under my computer desk. All I'll say is that if you've seen this movie but were unmoved by Whitmore's performance, you are not human.
Comments
I didn't know about James Whitmore dying. I liked him too.
Lung cancer is brutal.