I was sorry to hear that James Coburn had died the other day. His knife-thrower, Britt, in The Magnificent Seven, was iconic, and his deep, gravelly voice and lanky frame graced many other enjoyable flicks.
I was surprised I’d not heard about it when Jonathan Harris (also) died, earlier in the month. Though forever stamped into the mold of Dr. Zachary Smith in Lost in Space (“Oh, the pain …”), Harris rolled with the punch, and was willing to live with it, including a number of voice-over roles in recent years — Freakazoid and A Bug’s Life come to mind. Nobody would likely guess he grew up with a thick Bronx accent. For that matter, few folks would guess he left behind a wife of 64 years and a son.
I try not to be disappointed when actors turn out to have feet of clay. They are, after all, humans, too. When it turns out to be a favorite of mine, though, and the feet are more like slime, I get really irked — and have to remind myself that indictment doesn’t necessarily equate to guilt.