James Ellison

Biography

James Ellison, originally named James Ellison Smith, was born on May 4, 1910, in Guthrie Center, Iowa. He was the son of Edward James Smith and Ona Mary Ellis. Over the course of his career, Ellison appeared in nearly seventy films from 1932 to 1962.

His journey into acting began while working in a film laboratory, where he was offered a screen test. After developing the footage himself, he deemed it unsatisfactory but still decided to show it to the director, leading to a contract offer. Standing tall at 6 feet 3 inches with rugged good looks, Ellison, however, faced challenges in achieving leading-man status due to a limited acting range and a somewhat stiff screen presence.

Much of his filmography consists of Westerns, particularly during the mid-1930s when he served as Hopalong Cassidy's sidekick in a popular series. In 1938, he played opposite Lucille Ball in "Next Time I Marry," marking her first leading role. One of his most notable performances came in 1936 when he portrayed Buffalo Bill in Cecil B. DeMille's "The Plainsman," alongside stars like Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur.

Throughout his career, Ellison oscillated between Westerns and B-movies, including roles in "Charley's Aunt" (1941) and "The Gang's All Here" (1943). He made a brief return to acting in 1962 with "When the Girls Take Over" after transitioning to a career in real estate in the early 1950s. Ellison passed away at the age of 83 in Monterey, California, following a fall that resulted in a broken neck.