James Mitchell
USABiography of James Mitchell
James Mitchell was an American actor and dancer who played about 50 roles in film and television and had a successful career on the theater stage. He was born on February 29, 1920, in Sacramento, California. His parents immigrated to the United States from England and settled in Northern California, where they started a fruit farm near Turlock, California. In 1923, James' mother, Edith Mitchell, left her husband and returned to England with James' brother and sister. James never had any further contact with her.
Early Life
James' father, unable to manage the farm with a young boy, entrusted him to vaudeville performers Gene and Katherine King for several years. When Edith passed away, James' father remarried and took his sons back to Turlock, leaving behind James' sister. At the age of 17, James maintained a good relationship with the Kings and moved to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in Los Angeles City College to study dramatic arts. It was there that he met renowned choreographer and dance teacher Lester Horton. After receiving his bachelor's degree, James joined Horton's dance company and remained with them for about four years. He also became close friends with dancer Bella Lewitzky and later became the president of her Dance Foundation in the 1970s.
Career in Dance
In 1944, Horton brought James to New York to join a new company, but the venture was not successful. However, this failure became a turning point in James' career. While trying to survive in New York by seeking any acting or dancing job, he successfully auditioned for Agnes de Mille, who was casting for the first time since the acclaimed musical "Oklahoma!". Although James had only started studying ballet after the age of 20, he was offered the position of lead dancer and assistant choreographer. This partnership lasted from 1944 to 1969 and resulted in numerous works in theater, film, television, and concert halls. James also worked with other choreographers and directors such as Gower Champion, Jerome Robbins, and Eugene Loring. He danced in musicals such as "Brigadoon," "Paint Your Wagon," "Carousel," "First Impressions," "Oklahoma!" and "Omnibus," and performed with the American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Television and Later Years
James Mitchell made his debut in film as a dancer in the romantic comedy "Moonlight in Havana" in 1942. However, his breakthrough came in television rather than the film industry. Since the 1950s, James Mitchell became a familiar face on television screens, although in the last thirty years, he only appeared as Palmer Cortlandt in the soap opera "All My Children," which has been on the air for 40 years. James Mitchell never married as he was gay. He had a long-time partner, costume designer Albert Wolsky, a two-time Academy Award winner.
Death
James Mitchell passed away on January 22, 2010, in Los Angeles, just a few weeks before his 90th birthday. He died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated by pneumonia.
