1. James Harrison Coburn III was born on August 31, 1928 in Laurel, Nebraska.  Coburn was raised in California. 2. James Coburn’s rise to stardom…Cliff Notes style.  While in the Army he narrated Army training films. Studied acting at Los Angeles City College.  Made stage debut in Billy Budd.  Selected for a Remington Products razor television commercial.  Starting getting television role work in 1957.  First movie role was in 1959’s Ride Lonesome.  From 1960 to 1965 appeared in supporting roles in many popular movies.  In 1966, Coburn became a genuine star following the release of Our Man Flint. In 1967, he was voted the twelfth biggest star in Hollywood. 3.  Even though James Coburn was one of The Magnificent Seven (1960)….he only had 11 lines in the entire movie.  Coburn was a big fan of Seven Samurai (1954) and his favorite role in that film was the character that he ended up playing in the Americanized version. 4.  In 1979, James Coburn started suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis, which left him debilitated at times. In 1998, a holistic healer started him on a dietary supplement, which resulted in a drastic improvement in his condition.  This is why he has so few IMDb credits in the 1980s. 5. James Coburn received 1 Oscar® and 0 Golden Globe® nominations…..but he made that 1 nomination count as he won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar® for 1997’s Affliction. 6.  James Coburn’s passions in life included martial arts, card playing and enjoying fine Cuban cigars!  Coburn and Steve McQueen were a pallbearers at the funeral of Bruce Lee. 7.  James Coburn starred in 3 Sam Peckinpah directed movies.  1965’s Major Dundee, 1973’s Pat Garret & Billy The Kid and 1977’s The Cross of Iron. 8.  James Coburn was married twice; first to Beverly Kelly from 1959 to 1979..they had two children, James Coburn IV and Lisa Coburn.  James Coburn IV is a sound mixer with over 40 IMDb credits.  His second marriage was to actress Paula O’Hara from 1993 until his death in 2002. 9.  James Coburn was offered the role in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars….but he turned it down.  That was good news for Clint Eastwood.  Later Coburn would make a Sergio Leone western…1971’s Duck You Sucker…which is also known as A Fistful of Dynamite. 10.  James Coburn’s last acting role was on the HBO series….Arli$$.  The name of the episode was The Immortal….seems like a fitting way for Coburn to end his acting career. Check out James Coburn’s movie career compared to current and classic stars on our Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time page.  Another page worth checking out is this James Coburn Movie Posters page written by Steve Lensman.  Lots of great art work on Coburn’s movies.