Cause of death heart attack Role Actor Name James Edwards | Relatives 1 child Years active 1949-1969 | |
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Full Name James Johnson Edwards Spouse Everdinne Edwards (m. ?–1970) Books Riot 1932, Waiting for the Revolution, AWOL: The True Story of a Reluctant New Zealand Soldier Resting place Evergreen Memorial Park, Hobart Movies Similar People Lionel White, Franklin J Schaffner, Philip Yordan, Fred Koenekamp, James B Harris | ||
James edwards short documentary
James Johnson Edwards (March 6, 1918 – January 4, 1970) was an American actor in films and television. His most famous role was as Private Peter Moss in the 1949 film Home of the Brave, in which he portrayed an African American soldier experiencing racist prejudice while serving in the South Pacific during World War II.
Contents
- James edwards short documentary
- Preview clip home of the brave 1949 starring james edwards
- Career
- Filmography
- References
Preview clip home of the brave 1949 starring james edwards
Career
Edwards majored in psychology at Knoxville College in Tennessee and continued his education at Northwestern University where he received a master's degree in drama. While enrolled at Northwestern, he participated in student productions and in the Federal Theatre Project. During World War II he was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After the war he appeared on the New York stage when he assumed the role of the war hero in the touring play Deep Are the Roots.
Throughout his early and mid acting career, Edwards portrayed African American soldiers, playing such characters in Home of the Brave (1949), The Steel Helmet (1951), Bright Victory (1951), Battle Hymn (1957), Men in War (1957), Blood and Steel (1959), and Pork Chop Hill (1959) as well as an uncredited Messman in The Caine Mutiny. (1954). It was believed he was originally cast in Universal's Red Ball Express but was replaced by Sidney Poitier when he refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.
Other notable roles were in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956) and John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Edwards was prolific on TV in the 1960s, playing character roles in various series such as Peter Gunn, The Fugitive, Burke's Law, Dr. Kildare and Mannix, before his death of a heart attack at the age of 51. One of his final roles was as General George S. Patton's driver Sgt William George Meeks in Patton.
