James Drury
Known For
Acting
Born
1934-04-18 in New York City, New York, USA
Died
2020-04-06
Biography
James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series The Virginian, which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 to 1971. Drury was born in New York City, the son of James Child Drury and Beatrice Crawford Drury. His father was a New York University professor of marketing. He grew up between New York City and Salem, Oregon, where his mother owned a farm. Drury contracted polio at the age of 10. He studied drama at New York University and took additional classes at UCLA to complete his degree after he began acting in films at MGM. On February 7, 1957, Drury married Cristall Othones, and fathered two sons, Timothy and James III. The couple divorced on November 23, 1964 and on April 27, 1968, he married Phyllis Jacqueline Mitchell; the marriage ended in divorce on January 30, 1979. His third marriage was to Carl Ann Head on July 30, 1979; it lasted until her death on August 25, 2019. Drury had three stepchildren from his previous marriages, a stepdaughter, Rhonda Brown, and two stepsons, Frederick Drury and Gary Schero. Drury died from natural causes on April 6, 2020.
Most Known For
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
The Mike Douglas Show
as Self
Perry Mason
as Eddy King
Ironside
as Al
The Red Skelton Show
as Self - Auctioneer
Walker, Texas Ranger
as Captain Tom Price
The Rifleman
as Lloyd Carpenter
The Rifleman
as Spicer
Have Gun, Will Travel
as Tony DeVries
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Jess McHugh
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
as Roy Richards
The Merv Griffin Show
as Self
Wagon Train
as Justin Claiborne
Wagon Train
as Cole Crawford
The Virginian
as The "Virginian"
Cheyenne
as Bill Magruder
Rawhide
as Kenley
Rawhide
as Johnny Adler
Rawhide
as Rance
Gunsmoke
as Booth Rider