James Mitchell
Deceased
Earlier in his career, Mr. Mitchell, an accomplished dancer, played leading roles in a number of Broadway musicals — among them
Mack and Mable,
Carnival,
Paint Your Wagon,
Brigadoon, and
Bloomer Girl.
He appeared with the American Ballet Theater in New York, Europe and South America, and with the Agnes DeMille Dance Theater on tour throughout the United States.
His films include
That's Dancing, a retrospective of great dance numbers in movie musicals;
The Turning Point, in which he played the artistic director;
The Bandwagon with Fred Astaire,
Oklahoma and
Deep in My Heart with Cyd Charisse. He also danced with Miss Charisse in both her 1965 television special and in the Academy Awards Presentation program in 1966.
From 1969 to 1973, he played the role of Professor Hathaway on the daytime series,
Where the Heart Is. Mr. Mitchell also appeared in the primetime series,
Charlie's Angels.
He starred on tour in
Funny Girl with Carol Lawrence, in
The Threepenny Opera with Chita Rivera and in
The King and I with Ann Blyth. Additionally, he served as assistant to the director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production of
Annie Get Your Gun with Debbie Reynolds.
James taught movement for actors to theater arts students, which he described as "an exchange of the disciplines of dancing and acting." He also taught at Yale University and at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, which awarded him an honorary doctorate in fine arts.
James Mitchell died on January 22, 2010 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), complicated by pneumonia. For more on the passing of James Mitchell, please
click here.
The Silence
Colonel Mack
1975
All My Children
Palmer Cortlandt
June 1, 1979 to
August 18, 2008;
January 5, 2010;
April 20, 2010
Where the Heart Is
Julian Hathaway
1969-1973
That's Dancing!
1985
What Waits Below
Lemurian
1984
Laura, les ombres de l'été
Paul Thomas Wyler
1979
The Turning Point
Michael
1977
La Femme de Jean
David
1973
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
1973
Slogan
Hugh
1969
The Peacemaker
Terrall Butler
1956
The Prodigal
Asham
1955
Oklahoma!
Dream Curly
1955
Deep in My Heart
Dance Specialty in 'The Desert Song'
1954
The Band Wagon
Paul Byrd
1953
Devil's Doorway
Red Rock
1953
The Toast of New Orleans
Pierre
1950
Stars in My Crown
Dr. Daniel Kalbert Harris, Jr.
1950
The House Across the Street
Martz Bremer
1949
Border Incident
Juan Garcia
1949
Colorado Territory
Duke Harris
1949
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Best Actor (1979)
Daytime Emmys Nomination, Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1988)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Sacramento, California
DATE OF BIRTH: February 29, 1920
DATE OF DEATH: January 22, 2010
HEIGHT: 5'10"
HAIR: Grey
EYES: Brown
Has taught movement for actors to theater arts students at Yale University
News Archive: Mitchell to return to AMC for anniversary. [Dec 7, 2009]
News Archive: James Mitchell, AMC's Palmer Cortlandt, dead at 89. [Jan 22, 2010]
News Archive: Co-stars recast to the death of James Mitchell. [Jan 25, 2010]
News Archive: Pine Valley mourns the loss of Palmer. [Apr 18, 2010]
