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John Mitchum

John Mitchum

Actor · 1919 – 2001 · Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir. When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" (1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall. It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful, interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big "Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat", or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for the people of the United States.

Movies24

  • Movie7.5

    Dirty Harry

    1971 · 2.8K votes

  • Movie7.5

    The Outlaw Josey Wales

    1976 · 1.3K votes

  • Movie7.3

    High Plains Drifter

    1973 · 1.4K votes

  • Movie7.5

    My Fair Lady

    1964 · 1.5K votes

  • Movie6.7

    The Enforcer

    1976 · 1K votes

  • Movie7.1

    Magnum Force

    1973 · 1.3K votes

  • Movie7.4

    El Dorado

    1966 · 607 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Chisum

    1970 · 212 votes

  • Movie7.6

    In a Lonely Place

    1950 · 682 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Bandolero!

    1968 · 135 votes

  • Movie6.1

    The Way West

    1967 · 112 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Breakheart Pass

    1975 · 239 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Paint Your Wagon

    1969 · 288 votes

  • Movie6.6

    Telefon

    1977 · 136 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Knock on Any Door

    1949 · 75 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Born to Be Bad

    1950 · 42 votes

  • Movie5.3
  • Movie6.7

    The Lusty Men

    1952 · 98 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Cattle King

    1963 · 14 votes

  • Movie6.6

    5 Steps to Danger

    1956 · 16 votes

  • Movie5.8

    Submarine Command

    1951 · 17 votes

  • Movie6.7
  • Movie5.4

    One More Train to Rob

    1971 · 19 votes

  • Movie6.7

    Operation Mad Ball

    1957 · 25 votes

Series24

  • TV7.7

    Perry Mason

    1957 · 139 votes

  • TV7.5

    Bonanza

    1959 · 500 votes

  • TV8.0
  • TV6.8

    Ironside

    1967 · 71 votes

  • TV7.0

    Maverick

    1957 · 43 votes

  • TV7.1

    Adam-12

    1968 · 48 votes

  • TV7.5

    Quincy, M.E.

    1976 · 123 votes

  • TV7.8

    Bewitched

    1964 · 764 votes

  • TV7.1

    The Waltons

    1972 · 106 votes

  • TV7.3

    Have Gun, Will Travel

    1957 · 44 votes

  • TV7.3

    Batman

    1966 · 617 votes

  • TV8.5

    The Twilight Zone

    1959 · 1.1K votes

  • TV6.5

    The Virginian

    1962 · 35 votes

  • TV6.5

    Dragnet

    1951 · 36 votes

  • TV6.8
  • TV8.0

    The Untouchables

    1959 · 139 votes

  • TV7.2

    Rawhide

    1959 · 49 votes

  • TV6.7

    Gunsmoke

    1955 · 119 votes

  • TV6.7

    Thriller

    1960 · 20 votes

  • TV7.9

    The Munsters

    1964 · 485 votes

  • TV5.4

    M Squad

    1957 · 7 votes

  • TV7.7
  • TV6.0

    Bronco

    1958 · 8 votes

  • TV6.9

    Trackdown

    1957 · 8 votes