James N. Harrell

Acting

James N. Harrell

Born 1918-09-03 · Waco, Texas, USA

James Nelson Harrell was an American actor with a career spanning several decades. He graduated from Baylor University and held a Master's Degree in Drama from Trinity University. Harrell studied acting at the original Baylor Theater with Paul Baker in the 1930s and, in 1940, was invited to join Michael Chekhov's Acting Studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut. He appeared in films such as Michael (1996) and The Green Mile (1999). Harrell's extensive work in theater and film left a lasting impact on the acting community.

Acting credits

The Hot Spot poster
6.3

Upon arriving to a small town, a drifter quickly gets into trouble with the local authorities — and the local women — after he robs a bank.

The Hot Spot

1990

JFK poster
7.6

Follows the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy led by New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison.

JFK

1991

Paper Moon poster
7.9

During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.

Paper Moon

1973

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 poster
5.7

A radio host is victimised by the notorious cannibal family while a former Texas Marshal hunts them.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

1986

Hope Floats poster
6.4

Birdee Pruitt has been humiliated on live television by her best friend, Connie, who's been sleeping with Birdee's husband, Bill. Birdee tries starting over with her daughter, Bernice, by returning to her small Texas hometown, but she's faced with petty old acquaintances who are thrilled to see Birdee unhappy -- except for her friend Justin. As he helps Birdee get back on her feet, love begins to blossom.

Hope Floats

1998

Michael poster
5.7

Tabloid reporters are sent by their editor to investigate after the paper recieves a letter from a woman claiming an angel is living with her.

Michael

1996

A Family Thing poster
6.6

Earl Pilcher Jr. runs an equipment rental outfit in Arkansas, lives with his wife and kids and parents, and rarely takes off his gimme cap. His mother dies, leaving a letter explaining he's not her natural son, but the son of a Black woman who died in childbirth; plus, he has a half brother Ray, in Chicago, she wants him to visit. Earl makes the trip, initially receiving a cold welcome from Ray and Ray's son, Virgil. His birth mother's sister, Aunt T., an aged and blind matriarch, takes Earl in tow and insists that the family open up to him.

A Family Thing

1996

Flesh and Bone poster
6.0

Haunted by memories of his father murdering a family, Arlis Sweeney prefers to keep to himself, focusing his energy on his work. One day, the traumatic past that eats away at him returns when he meets Kay Davies, a woman connected to the bloody event. Against all odds, Arlis and Kay fall in love; however, when his father, Roy, reappears in his life -- with the coldhearted Ginnie in tow -- Arlis must deal with his past demons.

Flesh and Bone

1993

Varsity Blues poster
6.1

In small-town Texas, high school football is a religion, 17-year-old schoolboys carry the hopes of an entire community onto the gridiron every Friday night. When star quarterback Lance Harbor suffers an injury, the Coyotes are forced to regroup under the questionable leadership of John Moxon, a second-string quarterback with a slightly irreverent approach to the game.

Varsity Blues

1999

Urban Cowboy poster
6.5

After moving to Pasadena, Texas, country boy Bud Davis starts hanging around a bar called Gilley's, where he falls in love with Sissy, a cowgirl who believes the sexes are equal. They eventually marry, but their relationship is turbulent due to Bud's traditional view of gender roles. Jealousy over his rival leads to their separation, but Bud attempts to win Sissy back by triumphing at Gilley's mechanical bull-riding competition.

Urban Cowboy

1980

The Sugarland Express poster
6.6

Married small-time crooks Lou-Jean and Clovis Poplin lose their baby to the state of Texas and resolve to do whatever it takes to get him back. Lou-Jean gets Clovis out of jail, and the two steal their son from his foster home, in addition to taking a highway patrolman hostage. As a massive dragnet starts to pursue them across Texas, the couple become unlikely folk heroes and even start to bond with the captive policeman.

The Sugarland Express

1974

Leap of Faith poster
5.8

Jonas Nightengale is a fraudulent Christian faith healer who makes a living travelling around America holding revival meetings and conducting 'miracles' with the help of his friend and manager, Jane, and their entourage.

Leap of Faith

1992

Rolling Thunder poster
6.8

A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. He has a hard time adjusting, and things go badly. A movie about the walking dead, before that meant just flesh-eating zombies.

Rolling Thunder

1977

The Great Waldo Pepper poster
6.5

A biplane pilot and WWI veteran takes up barnstorming and later a movie career in his quest for the glory days he misses.

The Great Waldo Pepper

1975

Resurrection poster
6.5

The story of a woman who survives the car accident which kills her husband, but discovers that she has the power to heal other people. She becomes an unwitting celebrity, the hope of those in desperate need of healing, and a lightning rod for religious beliefs and skeptics.

Resurrection

1980

Race with the Devil poster
6.4

Two couples vacationing together in an R.V. from Texas to Colorado are terrorized after they witness a murder during a Satanic ritual.

Race with the Devil

1975

Nadine poster
5.4

Hairdresser Nadine Hightower wants to retrieve the risqué photos she once posed for, but when she visits the photographer at his office, he's murdered by an intruder. Nadine talks her estranged husband, Vernon, into going along when she returns to the office, where they stumble across plans for a less than legal construction project. But when Vernon tries to turn the documents into a cash windfall, he and Nadine are pursued by goons with guns.

Nadine

1987

The Dollmaker poster
7.7

During World War II, hard-luck farmer Colvis Nevels leaves his rural Kentucky home to take a factory job in bustling Detroit. Reluctantly accompanying Colvis is his long-suffering wife, Gertie, a talented woodcarver set in her traditional ways. When the perils of city life and Colvis' reckless squandering of money send the Nevels into precarious financial straits, Gertie starts a business making hand-carved dolls in order to provide for her family.

The Dollmaker

1984

Country poster
6.5

Jewell and Gil are farmers. They seem to be working against the odds, producing no financial surplus. Gil has lost hope of ever becoming prosperous, but Jewell decides to fight for her family.

Country

1984

Lost Angels poster
6.4

Rich L.A. party brat Tim spins into a cycle of despair after his parents divorce, and trying to fill the void with drugs and trouble only buys him a ticket to an asylum. But with the help of a psychiatrist who has taken an interest in him, will Tim try to pull himself out of the muck of teenage rebellion and ennui?

Lost Angels

1989

Raggedy Man poster
5.7

A divorced mother of two boys is stuck working as a telephone operator in a small Texas town during World War II. Her friendship with a Navy sailor on shore leave causes gossip in town.

Raggedy Man

1981

Texasville poster
6.0

Summer, 1984: 30 years after Duane captained the high school football team and Jacy was homecoming queen, this Texas town near Wichita Falls prepares for its centennial. Oil prices are down, banks are failing, and Duane's $12 million in debt. His wife Karla drinks too much, his children are always in trouble, and he tom-cats around with the wives of friends. Jacy's back in town, after a mildly successful acting career, life in Italy, and the death of her son. Folks assume Duane and Jacy will resume their high school romance. And Sonny is "tired in his mind," causing worries for his safety. Can these friends find equilibrium in middle age?

Texasville

1990

A Slipping Down Life poster
4.4

A young woman becomes obsessed with a small-time North Carolina rock singer.

A Slipping Down Life

1999

Wild Texas Wind poster
6.0

Soon after a country singer moves in with her band's new manager, he's found slain and she's a suspect.

Wild Texas Wind

1991