James Seay

James Seay
James Seay
	Seay in 1948
Born	James W. Seay; September 9, 1914; Pasadena, California, U.S.
Died	October 10, 1992 (aged 78); Laguna Beach, California, U.S.
Resting place	California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1939–1970
Spouse(s)	Vivian Cohn; (m. 1942; div. 19??); Mercedes Carmen Bole; (m. 19??; died 1992)

James Seay (September 9, 1914 – October 10, 1992) was an American character actor who often played minor supporting roles as government officials.

Early years

Seay demonstrated an interest in acting at an early age, as he and his mother regularly attended Saturday matinees of a stock theater company in Pasadena, California. After working for an insurance company, he became a student at the Pasadena Playhouse.^[1]

Career

After a year at the Pasadena Playhouse, Seay spent the summer as leading man in a summer stock company at the Chapel Playhouse in Guilford, Connecticut. He returned to Pasadena and performed in two plays before he received a contract from Paramount He played a doctor in an "old folks home" in the film Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

Among his many credits, Seay appeared in minor roles in a couple of episodes of Adventures of Superman television series: The Mind Machine (as a senator) and Jungle Devil (as an airplane pilot).

Seay appeared sixteen times as Judge Spicer on ABC's western series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp. He was cast six times as a sheriff on the NBC children's western series, Fury. He also guest starred in the syndicated aviation adventure series, Whirlybirds, and on the westerns The Californians, The Tall Man, and The Rebel.

He appeared three times in 1958 and 1959 on CBS' Perry Mason: murder victim Ross Hollister in "The Case of the Cautious Coquette," Dr. Michael Harris in "The Case of the Curious Bride," and murderer Ralph Hibberly in "The Case of the Spurious Sister."

He appeared on CBS's The Twilight Zone as the sheriff in the episode "In His Image" and as Agent Bowton in The Andy Griffith Show Season 4 episode, "The Haunted House" and the Season 5 episode, "Prisoner of Love". In 1960 he appeared on Bat Masterson.

Seay made training films for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.^[1]

Death

On October 10, 1992, Seay died in Laguna Beach, California.

Selected filmography

Back Door to Heaven (1939) - Juror (uncredited)
Emergency Squad (1940) - Slim, Buller's Chauffeur (uncredited)
Women Without Names (1940) - O'Grane

Opened by Mistake (1940) - Sam Peters (uncredited)
Those Were the Days! (1940) - Andrews
The Way of All Flesh (1940) - Varno
Queen of the Mob (1940) - Eddie Webster
Golden Gloves (1940) - Jimmy
Oklahoma Renegades (1940) - Carl
I Want a Divorce (1940) - Young Intern (uncredited)
North West Mounted Police (1940) - Constable Fenton
The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) - Lieutenant Stone
Flight Command (1940) - Officer on Downed Seaplane (uncredited)
Love Thy Neighbor (1940) - Boat Attendant (uncredited)
The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1940, Serial) - Bordine, a Gangster
The Face Behind the Mask (1941) - Jeff Jeffries
The Mad Doctor (1941) - Intern (uncredited)
Meet Boston Blackie (1941) - Mechanical Man
In Old Colorado (1941) - Hank Merritt
Power Dive (1941) - Army Radio Operator (uncredited)
Two in a Taxi (1941) - Cristy Reardon
Flying Blind (1941) - Dave, Flight Dispatcher
The Kid from Kansas (1941) - Lee Walker
Mr. Celebrity (1941) - Jim Kane
Keep 'Em Flying (1941) - Lieutenant (uncredited)
They Died with Their Boots On (1941) - Lieutenant Walsh (uncredited)
Dangerously They Live (1941) - Carl
Man from Cheyenne (1942) - Sheriff Jim
Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942) - Jack, Ranger Captain (uncredited)
Joe Smith, American (1942) - Roy, Aircraft Plant Worker (uncredited)
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1942) - Biggie Waldron
Home in Wyomin' (1942) - Tex Harrison
Ten Gentlemen from West Point (1942) - Courtney (uncredited)
Eagle Squadron (1942) - Medical Officer (uncredited)
Flight Lieutenant (1942) - Lieutenant Anderson (uncredited)
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen (1942) - Marine Sergeant Stevens
Timber (1942) - Joe Radway
Highways by Night (1942) - Westbrook, the Man with Trucks
Time to Kill (1942) - Leslie Murdock (uncredited)
Ridin' Down the Canyon (1942) - Burt Wooster
Flight for Freedom (1943) - Naval Lieutenant (uncredited)
Learn and Live (1943) - Joe Instructor (uncredited)
Resisting Enemy Interrogation (1944) - Captain James N. Spencer (uncredited)
B-29 Flight Engineer (1944) - Pilot (uncredited)
Home, Sweet Homicide (1946) - Frank Riley (uncredited)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) - Dr. Pierce (uncredited)
Heartaches (1947) - Lieutenant Dan Armstrong, Homicide
Secret Beyond the Door (1947) - Bob Dwight
T-Men (1947) - Hardy, Treasury Lab Technician (uncredited)
Slippy McGee (1948) - Thomas Eustis
The Cobra Strikes (1948) - Police Captain Monihan
The Checkered Coat (1948) - Captain Dunhill
An Innocent Affair (1948) - Lester Burnley
The Strange Mrs. Crane (1948) - Mark Emery
I Cheated the Law (1949) - Rodd Simpson
Red Canyon (1949) - Joel Creech
Prejudice (1949) - Minister
Life of St. Paul Series (1949) - Barnabas
Military Academy with That Tenth Avenue Gang (1950) - Major Norcross
The Asphalt Jungle (1950) - Officer Janocek (uncredited)
Union Station (1950) - Detective Eddie Shattuck
Revenue Agent (1950) - Narrator (uncredited)
The Flying Missile (1950) - Lieutenant Jackson (uncredited)
Hunt the Man Down (1950) - Prosecutor (uncredited)
Charlie's Haunt (1950) - Boss (uncredited)
Fury of the Congo (1951) - Narrator (voice, uncredited)
Up Front (1951) - Lieutenant Ferguson (uncredited)
When the Redskins Rode (1951) - George Washington
Strictly Dishonorable (1951) - Lili's Attorney (uncredited)
When Worlds Collide (1951) - Donovan (uncredited)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - Government Man (uncredited)
Close to My Heart (1951) - Everett C. Heilner / Edward C. Hewitt
Models Inc. (1952) - Detective Sergeant Mooney
Brave Warrior (1952) - Governor William Henry Harrison
Voodoo Tiger (1952) - Abel Peterson
Torpedo Alley (1952) - Skipper
Off Limits (1952) - Major Evans, MD (uncredited)
The Homesteaders (1953) - John Kroger
Problem Girls (1953) - Max Thorpe
Jack McCall, Desperado (1953) - Bat McCall
The War of the Worlds (1953) - Air Force Bomber Pilot (uncredited)
Fort Ti (1953) - Mark Chesney
Phantom from Space (1953) - Major Andrews
Son of Belle Starr (1953) - George Clark
Sea of Lost Ships (1953) - Executive Officer (uncredited)
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953) - Edward Maria Wingfield
Killers from Space (1954) - Colonel Banks
Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl (1954) - The Earl of Bellomont
Return to Treasure Island (1954) - Felix Newman
Vera Cruz (1954) - Abilene
The Steel Cage (1954) - Dr. Perry (segment "The Hostages")
Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - FBI Agent #2
The Kentuckian (1955) - Riverboat Gambler (uncredited)
I Died a Thousand Times (1955) - Man in Tropico Lobby (uncredited)
At Gunpoint (1955) - Townsman in Saloon (uncredited)
I've Lived Before (1956) - Fred Bolan (uncredited)
Gun Brothers (1956) - Blackjack Silk
Friendly Persuasion (1956) - Rebel Captain (uncredited)
Man in the Vault (1956) - Paul De Camp
The Big Land (1957) - Ben Rummert (uncredited)
Beginning of the End (1957) - Captain James Barton
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) - Casting Director (uncredited)
The Amazing Colossal Man (1957) - Colonel Hallock
Pal Joey (1957) - Livingston (uncredited)
Bombers B-52 (1957) - B-52 School Instructor (uncredited)
Flood Tide (1958) - Doctor (uncredited)
Street of Darkness (1958) - Jesse Flores
The Buccaneer (1958) - Creole Militia Officer
Official Detective (1958, TV Series, US series - Episode: "Extortion") - Cracker
The Threat (1960) - Harry Keenan
The Lawbreakers (1961) - Mayor Harold Emshaw (archive footage)
Secret of Deep Harbor (1961) - Travis
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) - Police Officer #3
Brainstorm (1965) - Judge at Scavenger Hunt (uncredited)
First to Fight (1967) - Speaker at Bond Rally (uncredited)
The Ballad of Josie (1967) - Territorial Politician (uncredited)
The Destructors (1968) - Secretary of Defense
Panic in the City (1968) - Pitt
The Green Berets (1968) - Soldier (uncredited)
There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) - Aide to Lieutenant Governor (uncredited)

Selected Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1953	Death Valley Days	Jim Butler	Season 2, Episode 4, "Which Side of the Fence?"
1955	Death Valley Days	District Attorney Lucius Peck	Episode, "The Hangman Waits"
1963	The Andy Griffith Show	Agent Bowton	Season 4 episode, "The Haunted House" and the Season 5 episode, "Prisoner of Love".
1955-1961	The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp	Judge Spicer	16 Episodes
1958	Cheyenne	Duke Tavener	Episode "Gambler".
1964	Gunsmoke	Jay	Episode "Owney Tupper Had A Daughter"
1964	Death Valley Days	Sheriff Boden	Episode "The Bigger They Are"
1964	Death Valley Days	Bert Fletcher	Episode "Big John and the Rainmaker"
1964	Death Valley Days	Jake	Episode "The Lucky Cow "
1964	Death Valley Days	Marshal	Episode "The Left Hand Is Damned" (1964) ...
1965	Death Valley Days	Herman Ehrenberg	Episode "A City Is Born"
1966	Death Valley Days	Alex McSween	Episode "The Kid from Hell's Kitchen"
1967	Death Valley Days	Teck	Episode "The Lone Grave"
1968	Death Valley Days	Jim Bergmann	Episode "The Secret of the Black Prince"
1968	Death Valley Days	Editor	Episode "The World's Greatest Swimming Horse"
1970	Death Valley Days	Joe Grimes	Episode "Clum's Constabulary"