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James Mitchum

James Mitchum

Actor · Died September 20, 2025, aged 84 · Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, US

James Mitchum (born May 8, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) was an American actor and the eldest son of actor Robert Mitchum. His brother is actor Christopher Mitchum, and he was the uncle of actor Bentley Mitchum. He had his first role, which was small and unbilled, at the age of eight in the Western Colorado Territory (1949) with Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, and Dorothy Malone. His credited debut was in Thunder Road (1958), in which he played his father's much younger brother, a role written for Elvis Presley, who was eager to do it until his manager demanded too much money. This film became a drive-in cult favorite, revived in the 1970s and ’80s. Curiously, he was again credited as being "introduced" in the Have Gun Will Travel pilot episode "Genesis" (1962). He has appeared in more than 30 films including The Beat Generation in 1959; The Victors in 1963; as a surfer named Eskimo in Ride the Wild Surf in 1964; In Harm's Way (1965) with John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, and Henry Fonda; Ambush Bay (1966); The Invincible Six (1970); Two-Lane Blacktop (1971); and The Last Movie (1971). In 1975 he starred in the movie Moonrunners, where he played the character Grady Hagg in the influence for the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He was also in Zebra Force and Trackdown co-starring Karen Lamm and Erik Estrada in 1976; Ransom (a k a Assault on Paradise) (1977); Blackout (1978); Monstroid (1980); Crazy Jungle Adventure (1982); Code Name Zebra (1987); Hollywood Cop (1987); Jake Spanner, Private Eye (1989); and Fatal Mission (1990). Description above from the Wikipedia article James Mitchum, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 8, 1941
Died
September 20, 2025 (aged 84)
From
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, US
Works as
Actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 7% in 30 days

What are James Mitchum's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 20th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
28%
Bonds
22%
Power
22%
Survival
17%
Self
7%
Society
4%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 2 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 6 · Intense 5

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 9 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

11 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 5 of 11 analyzed roles.

Hero
5 of 11
Ally
4 of 11
Shadow
2 of 11
Show the 11 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Thrilling
5
Melancholic
6
Warm
3
Dread
3
Other
3

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Mitchum's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Mitchum's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

32 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Stickfighter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    as Mule (uncredited)

  • Beyond Kilimanjaro, Across the River of Blood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as James Mitchum

  • Fatal Mission (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Maj. Bauer

  • Jake Spanner, Private Eye(1989)

    as Lieutenant Kevin Spanner

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Leathernecks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Actor

  • Marked for Murder(1990)

    as Rainier

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Raiders of the Magic Ivory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Sugar

  • Mercenary Fighters(1988)

    as Wilson Jeffords

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Code Name: Zebra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Frank Barnes (as Jim Mitchum)

  • Hollywood Cop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    as Feliciano

  • Crazy Jungle Adventure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    as Butch Donovan

  • Monstroid(1980)

    as Travis

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Blackout(1978)

    as Dan Evans

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Ransom(1977)

    as Tracker

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Trackdown(1976)

    as Jim Calhoun

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Moonrunners(1975)

    as Grady Hagg

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Last Movie(1971)

    as Art

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Two-Lane Blacktop(1971)

    as Man #2 at Race Track

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Invincible Six (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Nazar

  • Ambush Bay(1966)

    as Pvt. James Grenier

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Tramplers(1965)

    as Hoby Cordeen

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Money Trap(1965)

    as Detective Wolski

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • In Harm's Way(1965)

    as Ensign Griggs

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Ride the Wild Surf(1964)

    as Eskimo

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Massacre at Grand Canyon(1964)

    as Wes Evans

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • The Victors(1963)

    as Grogan

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Young Guns of Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    as Morgan Coe

  • The Last Time I Saw Archie(1961)

    as Corporal

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Girls Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Charley Boy

  • The Beat Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    as Art Jester

  • Thunder Road(1958)

    as Robin Doolin

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Colorado Territory(1949)

    as Child (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 84th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 32 titles from 1949 to 1994; peak year 1990.

Highest rated

Thunder Road (1958)

Midcredits 64th

Most popular right now

The Ransom (1977)

Film career

19491994

Peak 1990 · at the high point of their film career. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

  • 1949Screen debut· Colorado Territory
  • 1990Career best· Fatal Mission

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting32 of 32: 32 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score41st

By decade

1940s1 · acting1950s3 · acting1960s9 · acting1970s7 · acting1980s9 · acting1990s3 · acting

Billing

usually 14th · top billed in 0% of 8 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do James Mitchum's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 20; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 34th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

The Ransom (1977)

77th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Colorado Territory (1949)

Midcredits 88th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the acting 55/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does James Mitchum work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Mitchum's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Albert Band shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Producers