James Coburn started his career on stage and on television and then got his break into films with the western Magnificent Seven. He is known for his roles in western and action films and a period of 45 years. His early career on television was mainly in westerns. His first film role was in Ride Lonesome. He was then cast in the Classic western The Magnificent Seven. This was followed by the war film Hell Is For Heroes and then again with Steve Mcqueen in The Great Escape. He played the bad gut opposite Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in Charade. He continued in good supporting roles in films like The Americanization of Emily and Major Dundee. This led to a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and and a pirate role in A High Wind In Jamaica. With Our Man Flint a parody of James Bond he became a major star.
This was follwed up by the sequel In Like Flint. The comic political satire The President's Analyst wilst not popular at the box office has become more of a cult film. In A Fist Full Of Dynamite he worked with director Sergio Leone. Pat Garrett And Billy the Kid was his second film with director Sam Peckinpah in which he plays an aging gunslinger. This was one of his best performances. He played opposite Charles Bronson in Hard Times, the first film from director Walter Hill. His third film with Sam Peckinpah was the war film Cross Of Iron for which he co-wrote the script. It was popular in Europe but not in America. Rheumatoid athritis caused a pause in his career but he restarted in the 1990's. He finally won an Oscar for best supporting actor in Affliction.
