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American character actor whose career lasted nearly half a century. James Wilson Flavin Jr. was the son of a hotel waiter of Canadian-English extraction and a mother, Katherine, whose father was an Irish immigrant. (Thus Flavin, well-known in Hollywood as an "Irish" type, was only one-quarter Irish.) Flavin was born and raised in Portland, Maine (a fact that may have enrichened his later working relationship with director John Ford, also a Portland native). He attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, but (contrary to some sources) did not graduate. Instead he dropped out and returned to Portland where he drove a taxi. Then as now, summer stock companies flocked to Maine each year, and in 1929 he was asked to fill in for an actor. He did well with the part and the company manager offered him $150 per week to go with the troupe back to New York. Flavin accepted and by the spring of 1930 was living in a rooming house at 108 W. 87th Street in Manhattan. Flavin didn't manage to crack Broadway at this time (his Broadway debut would not occur for another thirty-nine years, in the 1971 revival of "The Front Page," in which Flavin played Murphy and briefly took over the lead role of Walter Burns from star Robert Ryan). He worked his way across the country in stock productions and tours, arriving in Los Angeles around 1932. He quickly made the transition to movies, landing the lead in his very first film, a Universal serial, The Airmail Mystery (1932). He also landed his leading lady, marrying the serial's female star Lucile Browne that same year. However, the serial marked virtually the last time that Flavin would play the lead in a film. Thereafter, he was restricted almost exclusively to supporting characters, many of them without so much as a name. He specialized in uniformed cops and hard-bitten detectives, but played chauffeurs, cabbies, and even a 16th-century palace guard with aplomb. Flavin appeared in nearly four hundred films between 1932 and 1971, and in almost a hundred television episodes before his final appearance, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower in Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident (1976). Flavin died of a heart ailment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on April 23, 1976. His widow Lucile died seventeen days later. They were survived by their son, William James Flavin, subsequently a professor at the United States Army War College. James and Lucile Brown Flavin were buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
as Second Mate Briggs (archive footage)
as President Dwight D. Eisenhower
as Capt. Toomey
as Clarence Duntz
as Lieutenant
as Lt. Flynn
as Ft. Robinson Sergeant of the Guard (uncredited)
as Patrolman (uncredited)
as Security Guard (uncredited)
as Police Capt. Michael J. Shanahan (uncredited)
as Mooney
as Wool Buyer
as Tim Riley
as Secret Service Chief
as Mr. Bradbury
as Jake Morgan
as MP at Garden Party (uncredited)
as Police Chief Martin
as Timmy
as Col. Marshall
as Attorney Michael X. Flanders
as Military Policeman
as Judd Harrison
as Col. Tarant
as Doctor
as Kelly
as Col. Allison
as Al Bragg
as First Policeman in Bank
as Coach Buck Holman
as Longinus
as Harry (uncredited)
as Texas Rangers Capt. Sturdivant
as Conductor
as Cop (segment "The Cop and the Anthem") (uncredited)
as Mike - Bartender (uncredited)
as Lieutenant-Colonel at End
as Petty Officer (uncredited)
as Russ - Homicide Captain (uncredited)
as O'Leary, Manhattan Police Chief (uncredited)
as Commander Rogers
as Henry Gibbs
as Prosecuting Attorney
as Capt. Worth
as SP Commander
as Andrews
as Police Lt. Brewster
as Lt. Phillips
as Guard
as Railroad Workman
as Gen. Brevort (uncredited)
as Secret Service Chief
as Guard Capt. Peter Butler
as Police Sergeant Briggs
as Brophy
as Schultz
as Stan Caldwell
as Insp. Wellman
as Det. Lt. Boylan
as Policeman in Park (Uncredited)
as Lt. Sam Wilson
as Sergeant Major
as Kerrigan
as Sgt. Oliphant
as Police Inspector Thorndyke
as Traffic Cop (uncredited)
as Lieutenant Mitchell
as Guard (uncredited)
as Villager (uncredited)
as Hoatley / First Carnival Owner (uncredited)
as Policeman
as Policeman Reardon (uncredited)
as Pat Johnson
as Captain Danforth
as Police Sergeant Patella
as First Policeman (uncredited)
as Det. Lt. 'Mac' Hennessey (uncredited)
as District Attorney
as Shake Thomas
as Col. Walsh
as Dan Bellamy
as Woods
as Police Detective #1
as Police Insp. Cardona
as Joe
as Turnkey (uncredited)
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Investigator (uncredited)
as Detective Sgt. McFarland (uncredited)
as Subway Conductor (Uncredited)
as Chief Bosun Mate Gurney
as Officer Johnny Tracy
as Laundry Truck Driver (uncredited)
as Flavin, Mate of the Quincy (uncredited)
as Detective (uncredited)
as H.R. Jarvis
as Radio Cop
as Captain (uncredited)
as Police Officer (uncredited)
as Guard
as Major at Kweilin Airbase (uncredited)
as Marine Sergeant (uncredited)
as Det. McEveety (uncredited)
as Bank Security Guard (uncredited)
as Sgt. Wiggins
as Man in Subway (uncredited)
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Captain of Mobile Guard
as Train Conductor
as Radio Policeman (Uncredited)
as Mr. Phillips (uncredited)
as 1st Lt. Bill Gardner
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Cmdr. Kalin
as Captain O'Brien (Uncredited)
as Federal Agent (uncredited)
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Merchant Marine School Lieutenant-Commander (uncredited)
as American Senator (uncredited)
as Maj. A.M. Bagley
as Policeman
as Cop (uncredited)
as Policeman
as George Corbett (uncredited)
as Egan (uncredited)
as Capt. Luddy
as Thomas
as Process Server
as Doorman (uncredited)
as Police Lieutenant Schaeffer
as Motorcycle Cop (voice) (uncredited)
as Keenan - Detective Grilling Eddie (uncredited)
as Girl's Father (uncredited)
as Railroad Detective #2 (uncredited)
as Joe Trosper
as Police Dispatcher
as Hotel Guest in Room 625 (uncredited)
as Moving Man
as Policeman Kelly
as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
as Detective (uncredited)
as Abilene Fight Announcer
as Immigration Guard (uncredited)
as Police Lt. Bardette
as Sergeant
as Orderly About to Give Bath (uncredited)
as Tomassetti
as Buck (uncredited)
as Officer Johnson
as Sheriff Bud Connolly (uncredited)
as Deputy Sheriff
as Ticket Inspector on Boat (uncredited)
as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Demolition Man (uncredited)
as Army Sergeant (uncredited)
as Buck Miller
as Dock Policeman
as Dowling
as Mountie
as Army Assistant Coach (uncredited)
as Detective
as Detective
as Annabella's Brother
as Cop (uncredited)
as Cafe Customer
as Truck Driver
as Policeman
as Doorman (uncredited)
as Ranch Foreman
as Third FBI Director
as Hotel Porter (uncredited)
as Parking Attendant at Fat Dutchy's (uncredited)
as Policeman
as Det. Carvin
as Grogin
as Storm Swenson
as Prison Guard In Library (uncredited)
as Roaring 90's Club Doorman (uncredited)
as McRafferty
as Guard (uncredited)
as Guard
as Patrolman Johnson
as Death Row Guard (uncredited)
as Clancy (uncredited)
as Supply Sergeant (uncredited)
as Court Attendant (uncredited)
as Sergeant
as Policeman
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Policeman Guarding Entrance (uncredited)
as Fluger
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
as Coard Guard Man on Road (uncredited)
as Officer (uncredited)
as Police Sgt. Jerry
as Sanders
as Officer Simmons (uncredited)
as Turnkey
as Paddy (uncredited)
as Guard (uncredited)
as George Mitchell
as Doorman
as Police Interrogator
as Police Announcer (uncredited)
as Doorman (uncredited)
as Cavalry Captain (uncredited)
as Plebe Hockey Coach
as 2nd Cop
as Detective Sgt. Berkovich
as Policeman in Accident Car (uncredited)
as Justice Department Agent
as Young Reporter (uncredited)
as Jack's Friend (uncredited)
as Jailer (uncredited)
as George - Witness (uncredited)
as Guard
as Jenks (uncredited)
as Army Captain (uncredited)
as Pilot (uncredited)
as Cop (uncredited)
as Gas Station Attendant
as Kidnapper
as Striker (uncredited)
as Burly Man (Uncredited)
as Detective Hayes
as State Trooper
as Marine Who Likes Painting (uncredited)
as Policeman (uncredited)
as Driver
as Dr. Spitzy Calahan (uncredited)
as Det. Bill O'Malley
as Detective
as Bill Seaver
as Detective McCormick
as State Trooper (uncredited)
as Cab Driver
as Policeman
as Policeman
as Detective (uncredited)
as Detective
as Man in Manhole (uncredited)
as Ed
as 2st Military Policeman (uncredited)
as Lieutenant (uncredited)
as Agent Arresting Julie (uncredited)
as Chauffeur (uncredited)
as Mac - Policeman (uncredited)
as Informant on Telephone
as Policeman at Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
as Detective
as Flavin - Federal Agent (uncredited)
as Agent with Jean (uncredited)
as Policeman
as Freighter Officer
as Brandhma
as Holt Larkins
as Palace Guard (uncredited)
as Flannigan
as Detective (uncredited)
as Bill Figg
as Wilcox
as Billy (Uncredited)
as Frank Busch
as Det. Mack McCue
as Fireman
as Mate Briggs
as Man with Radio Report (uncredited)
as Don Lindsay
as First Mate on Yacht (uncredited)
as Undetermined Role (uncredited)
as Corporal Randall McKenna
as Reporter (uncredited)
as Bob Lee
