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Biography

John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir. When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" (1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall. It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful, interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big "Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat", or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for the people of the United States.

The Enforcer ( 1976) | IMDb: 6.7

Action , Crime

Dirty Harry Callahan returns again, this time saddled with a rookie female partner. Together, they must stop a terrorist group consisting of angry Vietnam veterans.

Starring:

Clint Eastwood , Tyne Daly , Harry Guardino , Bradford Dillman , John Mitchum , DeVeren Bookwalter

Directed by:

Joe Florence , James Fargo , Billy Ray Smith

Produced by:

Robert Daley , Mary Goldberg

The Outlaw Josey Wales ( 1976) | IMDb: 7.8

Western

After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is pursued by a pack of soldiers. He prefers to travel alone, but ragtag outcasts are drawn to him - and Wales can't bring himself to leave them unprotected.

Starring:

Clint Eastwood , Chief Dan George , Sondra Locke , Bill McKinney , John Vernon , Paula Trueman

Directed by:

Alan Brimfeld , Win Phelps , Clint Eastwood

Produced by:

James Fargo , John G. Wilson , Jack Kosslyn

Breakheart Pass ( 1975) | IMDb: 6.7

Mystery , Thriller , Western

At the height of the frontier era, a train races through the Rocky Mountains on a classified mission to a remote army post. But one by one the passengers are being murdered, and their only hope is the mysterious John Deakin, who's being transported to face trial for murder.

Starring:

Charles Bronson , Ben Johnson , Richard Crenna , Jill Ireland , Charles Durning , Ed Lauter

Directed by:

Tom Gries , Michael Preece

Produced by:

Alleen N. Nollmann , Don Guest , Louis DiGiaimo

High Plains Drifter ( 1973) | IMDb: 7.4

Drama , Mystery , Western

A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.

Starring:

Clint Eastwood , Verna Bloom , Marianna Hill , Mitchell Ryan , Jack Ging , Stefan Gierasch

Directed by:

Clint Eastwood , James Fargo

Produced by:

Ernest B. Wehmeyer , Robert Daley , Jennings Lang

Dirty Harry ( 1971) | IMDb: 7.7

Action , Crime , Thriller

When a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down the psychopath.

Starring:

Clint Eastwood , Harry Guardino , Reni Santoni , John Vernon , Andrew Robinson , John Larch

Directed by:

Robert Rubin , Don Siegel , Barry Stern

Produced by:

Jim Henderling , Carl Pingitore , Clint Eastwood

Chisum ( 1970) | IMDb: 6.8

Western

Cattle baron John Chisum joins forces with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to fight the Lincoln County Land War in the New Mexico Territory of 1878.

Starring:

John Wayne , Forrest Tucker , Christopher George , Ben Johnson , Glenn Corbett , Andrew Prine

Directed by:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Produced by:

Andrew J. Fenady , Michael Wayne

Paint Your Wagon ( 1969) | IMDb: 6.6

Comedy , Music , Western

A Michigan farmer and a prospector form a partnership in the California gold country. Their adventures include buying and sharing a wife, hijacking a stage, kidnapping six prostitutes, and turning their mining camp into a boom town. Along the way there is plenty of drinking, gambling, and singing. They even find time to do some creative gold mining.

Starring:

Lee Marvin , Clint Eastwood , Jean Seberg , Ray Walston , Harve Presnell , Tom Ligon

Directed by:

Fred Lemoine , Marshall J. Wolins , Joshua Logan

Produced by:

Carl Beringer , Tom Shaw , Gene Levy

Bandolero! ( 1968) | IMDb: 6.5

Western

Posing as a hangman, Mace Bishop arrives in town with the intention of freeing a gang of outlaws, including his brother, from the gallows. Mace urges his younger brother to give up crime. The sheriff chases the brothers to Mexico. They join forces, however, against a group of Mexican bandits.

Starring:

James Stewart , Dean Martin , George Kennedy , Raquel Welch , Andrew Prine , Will Geer

Directed by:

Andrew V. McLaglen , Terry Morse Jr.

Produced by:

Robert L. Jacks , Jack Stubbs

El Dorado ( 1966) | IMDb: 7.5

Western

Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Harrah. Together with a fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their water.

Starring:

John Wayne , Robert Mitchum , James Caan , Charlene Holt , Paul Fix , Arthur Hunnicutt

Directed by:

Andrew J. Durkus , Howard Hawks , Charlsie Bryant

Produced by:

John R. Coonan , Howard Hawks , Paul Helmick

My Fair Lady ( 1964) | IMDb: 7.8

Comedy , Music , Romance

A snobbish phonetics professor agrees to a wager that he can take a flower girl and make her presentable in high society.

Starring:

Audrey Hepburn , Rex Harrison , Stanley Holloway , Wilfrid Hyde-White , Gladys Cooper , Jeremy Brett

Directed by:

George Cukor , David S. Hall

Produced by:

James C. Katz , Jack L. Warner , Sergei Petschnikoff

John Mitchum Movies: Top 10 Performances by a Successful Actor

Biography