James Seay

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James Seay
Born
James W. Seay

(1914-09-09)September 9, 1914
Pasadena, California, U.S.
DiedOctober 10, 1992(1992-10-10) (aged 78)
Laguna Beach, California, U.S.
Resting placeCalifornia
OccupationActor
Years active1939–1970
Spouse(s)Vivian Cohn
(m. 1942; div. 19??)
Mercedes Carmen Bole
(m. 19??; died 1992)

James Seay (September 9, 1914 – October 10, 1992) was an American character actor who often played minor supporting roles as government officials.

Early years[]

Seay demonstrated an interest in acting at an early age, as he and his mother regularly attended Saturday matinees of a stock theater company in Pasadena, California. After working for an insurance company, he became a student at the Pasadena Playhouse.[1]

Career[]

After a year at the Pasadena Playhouse, Seay spent the summer as leading man in a summer stock company at the Chapel Playhouse in Guilford, Connecticut. He returned to Pasadena and performed in two plays before he received a contract from Paramount Pictures.[1]

Although it was a minor part not credited on-screen, his role in the film Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is one of his most visible because the film is a staple of Christmas repeats on television.

Among his many credits, Seay appeared in minor roles in a couple of episodes of Adventures of Superman television series: The Mind Machine (as a senator) and Jungle Devil (as an airplane pilot).

In the syndicated 1954-1955 television series , Seay portrayed the Wyoming storekeeper James "Jim" Averill, companion of Cattle Kate Watson, both of whom were hanged in a dispute with cattlemen at the start of the Johnson County Range War.

Seay played corrupt district attorney Lucius Peck in the 1955 episode, "The Hangman Waits" on the western anthology series, Death Valley Days.

Seay appeared sixteen times as Judge Spicer on ABC's western series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He was cast six times as a sheriff on the NBC children's western series, Fury. He also guest starred in the syndicated aviation adventure series, Whirlybirds, and on the westerns The Californians, The Tall Man, and The Rebel.

He appeared three times in 1958 and 1959 on CBS' Perry Mason: murder victim Ross Hollister in "The Case of the Cautious Coquette," Dr. Michael Harris in "The Case of the Curious Bride," and murderer Ralph Hibberly in "The Case of the Spurious Sister."

Seay was cast as Duke Tavener, an unscrupulous businessman who tries to force a woman to turn over her saloon/casino to him, in the 1958 episode "Gambler" of the ABC/Warner Brothers western series, Cheyenne.

He appeared on CBS's The Twilight Zone as the sheriff in the episode "In His Image" and as Agent Bowton in The Andy Griffith Show Season 4 episode, "The Haunted House" and the Season 5 episode, "Prisoner of Love". In 1960 he appeared on Bat Masterson.

Seay made training films for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.[1]

Death[]

On October 10, 1992, Seay died in Laguna Beach, California.

Selected filmography[]

Selected Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1953 Death Valley Days Jim Butler Season 2, Episode 4, "Which Side of the Fence?"
1955 Death Valley Days District Attorney Lucius Peck Episode, "The Hangman Waits"
1963 The Andy Griffith Show Agent Bowton Season 4 episode, "The Haunted House" and the Season 5 episode, "Prisoner of Love".
1955-1961 The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp Judge Spicer 16 Episodes
1958 Cheyenne Duke Tavener Episode "Gambler".
1964 Death Valley Days Sheriff Boden Episode "The Bigger They Are"
1964 Death Valley Days Bert Fletcher Episode "Big John and the Rainmaker"
1964 Death Valley Days Jake Episode "The Lucky Cow "
1964 Death Valley Days Marshal Episode "The Left Hand Is Damned" (1964) ...
1965 Death Valley Days Herman Ehrenberg Episode "A City Is Born"
1966 Death Valley Days Alex McSween Episode "The Kid from Hell's Kitchen"
1967 Death Valley Days Teck Episode "The Lone Grave"
1968 Death Valley Days Jim Bergmann Episode "The Secret of the Black Prince"
1968 Death Valley Days Editor Episode "The World's Greatest Swimming Horse"
1970 Death Valley Days Joe Grimes Episode "Clum's Constabulary"

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Goldrup, Tom and Jim (August 2012). The Encyclopedia of Feature Players of Hollywood, Volume 3. BearManor Media. Retrieved 23 January 2019.

External links[]

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