James Westerfield

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia James A Westerfield 22 March 1913 20 September 1971 was an American actor of stage film and television Born in Nashville Tennessee to candymaker Brasher Omier Westerfield and his wife Dora Elizabeth Bailey he was raised in Detroit Michigan A news story in the June 12 1949 issue of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle calls the information in the preceding sentence into question It describes Westerfield as the son of a famous producerdirector and says that he was a youngster in Denver Col He became interested in theatre as a young man and in the 1930s joined Gilmor Browns famed Pasadena Community Playhouse appearing in dozens of plays He played in numerous films following his debut in 1940 then went to New York City and appeared on Broadway winning two New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for his supporting roles in The Madwoman of Chaillot and Detective Story He then returned to Hollywood and made more than 40 more films Westerfield maintained an interest in the theatre He directed more than 50 musicals in a summermusical tent he owned in Danbury Connecticut and was the original stage director and producer for the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles He directed three seasons of Theatre Under the Stars in Vancouver British Columbia and appeared in musical roles with the Detroit Civic Light Opera the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera and the San Francisco Civic Light Opera On film Westerfield had roles in The Magnificent Ambersons 1942 On The Waterfront 1954 Lucy Gallant 1955 the 1957 Budd Boetticherdirected Western Decision at Sundown starring Randolph Scott Cowboy 1958 a repeating role in The AbsentMinded Professor 1961 and its sequel Son of Flubber 1963 Birdman of Alcatraz 1962 Mans Favorite Sport 1964 The Sons of Katie Elder 1965 Hang Em High 1968 and True Grit 1969 Westerfield had many roles on television including seven episodes as John Murrel from 1963 to 1964 on ABCs The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters starring child actor Kurt Russell in the title role He made two guest appearances on Perry Mason including the role of Sheriff Bert Elmore in the 1957 episode The Case of the Angry Mourner He also appeared in an episode of The Lone Ranger in 1954 entitled Texas Draw Westerfields other appearances were on such series as The Rifleman The Californians Richard Diamond Private Detective The Alaskans The Rebel Straightaway Going My Way The Asphalt Jungle Hazel The Andy Griffith Show Daniel Boone The Beverly Hillbillies and Gunsmoke He played the circus leader Dr Marvello in an episode of Lost in Space Space Circus 1966 Westerfield as a young man was a roommate of fellow Pasadena Playhouse actor George Reeves The two remained close friends until Reevess death in 1959 Westerfield was married to Alice G Fay an actress under the name Fay Tracey who along with his mother survived him Westerfield died from a heart attack in Woodlands Hills California at the age of fiftyeight