James Coburn

He was considered for the role of Dr. Frank Poole in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), which went to Gary Lockwood.

He was considered to star in The Straight Story (1999), which went to Richard Farnsworth.

No one was probably more surprised than Coburn himself when he was both nominated for, and then won, the Best Supporting Actor Award in 1997 for playing Nick Nolte's abusive and alcoholic father in Affliction (1997).

Had appeared in two feature films with Mel Gibson: Maverick (1994) and Payback (1999).

By the 1990s he was once again appearing regularly in both film and TV productions.

He was considered for the role of Captain Christopher Pike in the pilot episode Star Trek: The Original Series: The Cage (1986), which went to Jeffrey Hunter.

He was the original choice for the role of Hannibal Smith in The A-Team (1983), which later went to George Peppard.

He was considered for Tony Curtis' role in Black Commando (1982).

Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, yet continued working until his death in 2002. This disease had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. "You start to turn to stone," he told ABCNEWS in an April 1999 interview. "See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." For 20 years he tried a host of conventional and unconventional treatments, but nothing worked. "There was so much pain that ... every time I stood up, I would break into a sweat," he recalled. Then, at age 68, Coburn tried something called MSM, methylsulfonylmethane, a sulfur compound available at most health food stores. The result, he said, was nothing short of miraculous. "You take this stuff and it starts right away," said Coburn. "Everyone I've given it to has had a positive response." MSM did not cure Coburn's arthritis, but it did relieve his pain, allowing him to move more freely and resume his career.

In 1979, Coburn started suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis, which left him debilitated at times. In 1998, a holistic healer started him on a dietary supplement, Methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, that resulted in a drastic improvement in his condition.

He was originally going to star in Circle of Iron (1978) opposite Bruce Lee based on a script they co-wrote themselves. He dropped out following Lee's death. Coburn refused to watch the completed film.

He turned down O.J. Simpson's role in The Cassandra Crossing (1976).

Sam Peckinpah offered him the role of Bennie in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). He turned down because he disliked the screenplay, even questioning why Peckinpah would even make the film.

Along with his The Magnificent Seven (1960) co-star, Steve McQueen, Coburn was a pallbearer at the funeral of his friend (and his martial arts instructor), Bruce Lee, on July 31, 1973 in Seattle, Washington.

The 1970s saw Coburn appearing again in several strong roles, starting off in Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), alongside Charles Bronson in the Depression-era Hard Times (1975) and as a disenchanted German soldier on the Russian front in Peckinpah's superb Cross of Iron (1977). Towards the end of the decade, however, Coburn was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which severely hampered his health and work output for many years. After conventional treatments failed, Coburn turned to a holistic therapist, and through a restructured diet program, made a definite improvement.

He was originally cast Franco Nero's role in The Mercenary (1968), but dropped out due to disagreements as to whether he or Nero (who was cast in a different role) would be top-billed.

Coburn followed up in 1967 with a Flint sequel, In Like Flint (1967), and the much underrated political satire The President's Analyst (1967).

The next two years were a key period for Coburn, with his performances in the wonderful 007 spy spoof Our Man Flint (1966) and the eerie Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966).

Regular work now came thick and fast for Coburn, including appearing in Major Dundee (1965), the first of several films he appeared in directed by Hollywood enfant terrible Sam Peckinpah. Coburn was then cast, and gave an especially fine performance as Lt. Commander Paul Cummings in Arthur Hiller's The Americanization of Emily, where he demonstrated a flair for writer Paddy Chayefsky's subtle, ironic comedy that would define his performances for the rest of his career.

Sergio Leone attempted to cast him in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) in the parts that went to Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson, but both times he asked for too much money. Leone eventually cast him in Duck You Sucker (1971).

Sturges remembered Coburn's talents when he cast his next major film project, The Great Escape (1963), where Coburn played the Australian POW Sedgwick.

He once played the gong on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).

Became a father for the first time at age 32 when his first wife Beverly Kelly gave birth to their son James H. Coburn IV on May 22, 1961.

Lanky, charismatic and versatile actor with an amazing grin that put everyone at ease, James Coburn studied acting at UCLA, and then moved to New York to study under noted acting coach Stella Adler. After being noticed in several stage productions, Coburn appeared in a handful of minor westerns before being cast as the knife-throwing, quick-shooting Britt in the John Sturges mega-hit The Magnificent Seven (1960).

The remainder of the 1960s was rather uneventful for Coburn. However, he became associated with martial arts legend Bruce Lee and the two trained together, traveled extensively and even visited India scouting locations for a proposed film project, but Lee's untimely death (Coburn, along with Steve McQueen, was a pallbearer at Lee's funeral) put an end to that.

James Coburn appears in a 1956 Remington Rand commercial shaving and is introduced as Jim Coburn.

Was a huge fan of Seven Samurai (1954). He greatly admired Seiji Miyaguchi's performance as Kyuzo, and would eventually play Britt, Kyuzo's counterpart in The Magnificent Seven (1960).

Gained an Associate of Arts from Compton Junior College in 1950, before being drafted into the Army. Then on his return from service in Germany, he studied acting at Los Angeles City College, (along with Robert Vaughn) and improvisation at Jeff Corey's Professional Actors Workshop. One of his colleagues there was James Dean. He did not study at UCLA.