James Stephenson

Birthday: 1889-04-14
Deathday: 1941-04-02
Birthplace: Selby, Yorkshire, England, UK
Gender: Male
Drafted: 0
Drafted By: Unowned
Owned By: Unowned
Owned Wins: 0
Owned Noms: 0
Win Bonus: 0
Nom Bonus: 0
Total Points: 0

British stage actor James Stephenson made his film debut quite late in life, at the age of 49, in 1937, making four pictures that year. Warner Bros. got a glimpse of this distinguished gent and signed him to a contract where he indulged himself in urbane villainy. Proving a reliable support in such films as Boy Meets Girl (1938), You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), and the classic adventure The Sea Hawk (1940), he was entrusted by director William Wyler and mega-star Bette Davis to play the sympathetic role of the family attorney Howard Joyce in The Letter (1940). It was the role of a lifetime and he didn't let them down for he earned an Oscar nomination in the process. Stephenson was soon on a roll, playing the titular sleuth in Calling Philo Vance (1940) and was first-billed in the above-average "B" movie Shining Victory (1941) when he died suddenly in 1941 of a heart attack at the rather young age of 53.

Date of Death:  29 July 1941, Pacific Palisades, California  (heart attack)

Career Statisics

Season Age Movie Role Result Points
1941 52 The Letter (1940) Supporting Actor Nom 0
Career 0

Transaction History

Date Location Team Receives Team Receives Team Receives

Credits

Year Title Character
1941-08-13 International Squadron Squadron Leader Charles Wyatt
1941-05-30 Shining Victory Dr. Paul Venner
1941-02-08 Flight from Destiny Dr. Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
1940-11-21 The Letter Howard Joyce
1940-11-16 South of Suez Inspector Thornton
1940-10-19 A Dispatch from Reuters Carew
1940-08-10 The Sea Hawk Abbott
1940-08-10 River's End McDowell
1940-06-01 Murder in the Air Joe Garvey
1940-02-03 Calling Philo Vance Philo Vance
1940-01-23 Wolf of New York Hiram Rogers
1939-11-25 We Are Not Alone Sir William Clintock
1939-11-11 The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Sir Thomas Egerton
1939-10-14 The Monroe Doctrine Senor De La Torre
1939-09-30 Espionage Agent Dr. Anton Rader
1939-08-16 The Old Maid Jim Ralston
1939-07-24 Beau Geste Major Henri de Beaujolais
1939-05-20 Sons of Liberty Colonel Tillman
1939-05-06 Confessions of a Nazi Spy British Military Intelligence Agent
1939-04-19 Wanted by Scotland Yard Fingers
1939-04-01 On Trial Gerald Trask
1939-03-18 The Adventures of Jane Arden Dr. George Vanders
1939-03-04 Secret Service of the Air Jim Cameron
1939-02-02 Torchy Blane in Chinatown Dr. Mansfield
1939-01-14 King of the Underworld Bill Stevens
1939-01-07 Devil's Island Col. Armand Lucien
1938-12-10 Heart of the North Stephen Gore
1938-11-19 Nancy Drew… Detective Challon
1938-08-27 Boy Meets Girl Major Thompson
1938-07-09 Cowboy from Brooklyn Prof. Landis
1938-06-23 White Banners Thomas Bradford
1938-06-18 When Were You Born Phillip Corey
1938-02-01 Mr. Satan Tim Garnett
1938-01-01 The Dark Stairway Inspector Clarke
1937-12-06 The Man Who Made Diamonds Ben
1937-09-01 You Live and Learn Sam Brooks
1937-01-01 Transatlantic Trouble Lewis