Remembering James Philbrook

James Frederick Philbrook was born on October 22, 1924 in Davenport, Iowa. His first screen role was at the age of thirty-two on CBS's Alfred Hitchcock Presents as a town clerk in the 1957 episode ‘The West Warlock Time Capsule’, with Henry Jones in the starring role. A few months later, Philbrook appeared in ‘The Les Rand Story’ of NBC's western series, ‘Wagon Train’, with Eduard Franz in the episode lead role. He also appeared in the 1957 syndicated western series ‘Man Without a Gun’, starring Rex Reason. In 1958, Philbrook guest starred in two ABC and Warner Brothers western series, ‘Maverick’, and ‘Sugarfoot’ and in 1958 made on ‘Broken Arrow’.

 

He then was cast in leading roles on three short lived TV series: ‘The Islanders’ on ABC and ‘The Investigators’ and ‘The New Loretta Young Show’, both on CBS. He also appeared in several major films, as Bruce King in “I Want to Live!” (1958) and Henri in “Woman Obsessed”, both with Susan Hayward, and as Colonel Tall in the 1964 police picture, “The Thin Red Line”, with Jack Warden.

 

When his career began to slow down in the mid-1960s he relocated to Europe where he enjoyed considerable success as a spaghetti western star appearing in seven Euro-westerns from “Ballad of a Bounty Hunter” in 1965 to “If You Shoot… You Live” in 1974.

 

He the retired and moved back to the United States where he died on October 22, 1984 at the age of 60.

 

Today we remember James Philbrook on what would have been his 90^th birthday.