James Coburn dies at 74

[Gorgon Heap]

James Coburn, who guest starred on TMS early in Season Five and had a cameo in The Muppet Movie, died yesterday.


James Coburn: 1928-2002

James Coburn, the tough-guy actor known for his roles in The Magnificent Seven and Our Man Flint, died Monday at age 74 of a heart attack. Coburn was at his Beverly Hills home with his wife Paula when he suffered a massive coronary at 4:30 p.m. PST; he was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The tall, imposing actor with the wicked grin won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 1998 for Paul Schrader's Affliction, in which he played the abusive, alcoholic father of Nick Nolte, capping an illustrious career that began with the 1959 Western Ride Lonesome. Another Western a year later, The Magnificent Seven, made Coburn a name actor and catapulted him into roles in major Hollywood features, including **** Is For Heroes, Charade, The Great Escape, and The Americanization of Emily. He achieved his greatest success as suave secret agent Derek Flint in Our Man Flint (1966) and In Like Flint (1967), which were considered the best James Bond spoofs ever made, and an inspiration for the Austin Powers films. Character roles followed in the 70s, including The Last of Shelia, Bite the Bullet, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and Cross of Iron.

Coburn also achieved a comeback in the 90s, after he overcame a 15-year battle with rheumatoid arthritis that threatened his career in the 80s, during which he scaled back his film appearances dramatically. In the past ten years, he appeared in films as varied as Young Guns II, The Nutty Professor, Maverick, and lent his voice to last year's hit film Monsters Inc.; in all, he made over 100 movies. Coburn is survived by his wife, two children, Lisa and James Jr., and two grandchildren.


He will be missed.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole

 

[LadyHyde]

Sad news indeed. I'll always remember the MTV Movie Awards Clip where he's mad about losing the award to Kermit.

 

[Gorgon Heap]

Coburn also appeared in the recent BBC special "I Love the Muppets".

His cameo in The Muppet Movie was as this: Kermit, as he walks up to the El Sleazo Cafe, hears a commotion inside. A man (Coburn) is thrown out of the cafe into a row of garbage cans.

Kermit (to the man): "Uh, rough place."
Man: "That's the toughest, meanest, filthiest pesthole on the face of the earth!"
Kermit: "Well, why not complain to the owner?"
Man: "I am the owner."

Incidentally, Coburn's was the 100th episode of The Muppet Show that was taped.

It seems they acknowledged this in their own way, because the first two acts on the show were songs that they did in the first two episodes:

"Temptation" was performed by the drumming, kazoo-playing octopi to open the James Coburn episode, but was performed by Piggy and the Muppet Glee Club as the closing number on episode #1 Juliet Prowse.

"Close to You", sung by a blue-haired baritone to his purple-haired girlfriend on the James Coburn episode, was performed by Connie Stevens, Kermit, and Fozzie in episode #2.

Whether it was a conscious decision or not I don't know, but I thought that might interest some of you.

David "Gorgon Heap" Ebersole