James Drury
Known For
Acting
Birthday
April 18, 1934
Day of Death
April 6, 2020 (85 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
James Drury
Biography
James Child Drury Jr. (April 18, 1934 – April 6, 2020) was an American actor. He is best known for having played the title role in the 90-minute weekly Western television series The Virginian, which was broadcast on NBC from 1962 to 1971. Drury was born in New York City, the son of James Child Drury and Beatrice Crawford Drury. His father was a New York University professor of marketing. He grew up between New York City and Salem, Oregon, where his mother owned a farm. Drury contracted polio at the age of 10. He studied drama at New York University and took additional classes at UCLA to complete his degree after he began acting in films at MGM. On February 7, 1957, Drury married Cristall Othones, and fathered two sons, Timothy and James III. The couple divorced on November 23, 1964 and on April 27, 1968, he married Phyllis Jacqueline Mitchell; the marriage ended in divorce on January 30, 1979. His third marriage was to Carl Ann Head on July 30, 1979; it lasted until her death on August 25, 2019. Drury had three stepchildren from his previous marriages, a stepdaughter, Rhonda Brown, and two stepsons, Frederick Drury and Gary Schero. Drury died from natural causes on April 6, 2020.
Known For

Maverick
1994

Forbidden Planet
1956

Walker, Texas Ranger
1993

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955

Ride the High Country
1962

Pollyanna
1960

Blackboard Jungle
1955

Perry Mason
1957

Gunsmoke
1955

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
1993

Love Me Tender
1956

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962

The Last Wagon
1956

Ironside
1967

Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
1993

