Apparently, of a heart attack. I can’t say that he was in any really great films, but I enjoyed his work. RIP, Mr. Coburn.
Damn.
What? No way! No way! No way!
Just googled it cause no offence but I wanted to make sure. Sad. The guy was so good at playing funny tough guys. His skit of gong music on the muppet show was hilarious.
And does anyone else find it strange how him and Richard Harris just died in their mid 70’s while Christopher Lee seems like he’ll be around forever and is in his 80’s?
Way.
We’re losing too many of the greats, and none to replace them, sad to say.
Damn. He was one hell of an actor. I always mentally categorized movie badasses onto a scale in my head: Anthony Edwards and Richard Gere=1, James Coburn and Lee Marvin=10.
R.I.P.
Saw this on the news about half an hour ago. I wasn’t able to mourn, though, because – you know what movie the station chose to use a clip from as they were reading the item? Snow Dogs. I shit you not.
A more egregious example of “The Betsy Syndrome” I have rarely seen. I mean, how about a clip from The Magnificent Seven, you turkeys? Or Charade, or his Oscar-winning turn in Affliction, or, I dunno, one of the Flint pictures maybe. Christ, even his hilarious but underseen deadpan cameo as military stooge Manley Battle in Mastergate would have been acceptable.
Nope. Fuckin’ Snow Dogs, where he collected a paycheck for playing meaningless comedy opposite the Mantan of our age. They might as well have gone down to the funeral home and shoveled shit into his casket.
I know, I know. But the man deserved better.
Or hell, even Payback where he played a tough but funny Mob guy. That was recent and popular, why couldn’t they use that?
No, they shoulda used * Flint * clips!
I was gonna start a thread and call it “Our Man Flint is Gone…”
He was one cool dude…
I thought his best (and most subversive) film was The President’s Analyst.
Real damn shame he’s gone.
Damn.
There is a rule in Hollywood that when you die your worst work (or the work you whored for to buy a new house) will be used in your TV obit. Subsequently, when nominated for an Oscar, the scene that every one is buzzing about that got you the nod will not be shown in a clip during the awards.
James Coburn, thanks for your gruff, tough guy funniness. RIP
I used to wince when I saw how gnarled his hands had become. Looked like arthritis. Also looked painful as hell.
He did do some pretty good stuff. (Ok forget Snow Dogs,… and Duck, You Sucka,… ). Seems like an era has passed.
Oh, that sucks. I loved that guy (and his Muppet skit was funny) … but so many good films over the years.
Hell, I’ll even miss hearing his gravvely voice in commercials.
Poopola.
Aww, man.
Looking over his credits at IMDb, it strikes me how few of his movies I’ve seen, and yet I’ll miss him greatly.
Does anyone remember when he did the Schlitz Light commercials? Crappy beer, but he was way cool in the ads!
If I ever get a cell phone, I’m going to find some way to program his phone chimes as the cell phone ring tones.
It’s a sad fact that when I think of James Coburn, I think of Winning Strategies for Slot Machines or whatever it’s called. He did so much great work, and that’s the first thing that pops into my head.
I get a Troy McClure vibe from that commercial, too:
“Hi, I’m James Coburn. You may remember me from such gambling videos as Poker in the rear and Oh, Craps!. Your odds just got better!”
I can’t help it.