ACTOR
James Coburn
42 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (42)
- #001
Despite being one of the stars of The Magnificent Seven (1960), James Coburn had only eleven lines of dialogue in the film.
- #002
At the time of his death, James Coburn was at home listening to music and playing the flute.
- #003
James Coburn was a great admirer of Seven Samurai (1954). He was especially impressed by Seiji Miyaguchi's performance as Kyuzo, and he eventually played Britt, the counterpart of Kyuzo, in The Magnificent Seven (1960).
- #004
James Coburn and his The Magnificent Seven (1960) co-star Robert Vaughn were college classmates.
- #005
Along with his The Magnificent Seven (1960) co-star Steve McQueen, James Coburn was a pallbearer at the funeral of his friend (and martial arts instructor) Bruce Lee in Seattle, Washington, on July 31, 1973.
- #006
James Coburn was a close friend of Bruce Lee. He was even one of the pallbearers at Lee's funeral, along with Steve McQueen, Bruce's brother Robert Lee, Peter Chin, Danny Inosanto and Taky Kimura.
- #007
James Coburn did commercials for Schlitz beer for a time. After the contract ended, he admitted on a talk show that he had never liked the taste of the beer.
- #008
James Coburn was the first choice for the role of Hannibal Smith in The A-Team (1983), which later went to George Peppard.
- #009
In 1979, James Coburn began suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis, which at times left him incapacitated. In 1998 a holistic healer began giving him a nutritional supplement called methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, which brought about a major improvement in his condition.
- #010
James Coburn appeared in a 1956 Remington Rand commercial shave and was billed as Jim Coburn.
- #011
James Coburn was deeply interested in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism and collected sacred Buddhist artworks.
- #012
Before being drafted into the army, James Coburn earned an Associate of Arts from Compton Junior College in 1950. Later, after returning from his service in Germany, he studied acting at Los Angeles City College (alongside Robert Vaughn) and improvisation at Jeff Corey's Professional Actors Workshop. One of his colleagues there was James Dean. He did not study at UCLA.
- #013
On November 18, 2002, an article about how James Coburn had overcome arthritis was published in a 'Daily News' newspaper. Coburn himself died later that same day (of a heart attack).
- #014
James Coburn was originally set to star opposite Bruce Lee in Circle of Iron (1978), based on a screenplay the two of them wrote. After Lee's death he dropped out of the project. Coburn refused to watch the completed film.
- #015
Along with Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson, James Coburn appeared in two films both directed by John Sturges: The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963).
- #016
James Coburn once played the gong on The Tonight Show (1962), hosted by Johnny Carson.
- #017
James Coburn was considered for the role of Trapper John McIntyre in M*A*S*H (1970), which went to Elliott Gould.
- #018
In Japan, James Coburn's masculine looks were so appealing that he became the face of a leading cigarette brand. In later years he also made a living exporting rare cars to Japan.
- #019
James Coburn was considered for the role of Captain Christopher Pike in The Cage (1966), the Star Trek (1966) pilot episode, which went to Jeffrey Hunter.
- #020
Sam Peckinpah offered James Coburn the role of Bennie in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). He turned it down because he did not like the screenplay, and he even questioned why Peckinpah would make the film.
- #021
In the early 1960s, Coburn appeared twice on Perry Mason (1957), playing the murder victim both times as well as villainous and unscrupulous characters.
- #022
Coburn was considered for roles played by Gregory Peck in Cape Fear (1962) and The Omen (1976).
- #023
Coburn appeared in two films about William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid). He played Pat Garrett in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), and he portrayed John Simpson Chisum in Young Guns II (1990).
- #024
Coburn named his role as Pat Garrett in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) as his favorite performance.
- #025
Coburn's interest in fast cars began with his father's garage business and continued throughout his life, including exporting rare cars to Japan. He gained a reputation for introducing Steve McQueen to Ferraris, and in the early 1960s he owned a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and a Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB. His Spyder was the thirteenth of fifty-six built. In 1964, shortly after completing The Great Escape (1963), Coburn imported the secondhand car. It was restored and sold to British broadcaster Chris Evans for $10,894,400, setting a new world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction. Cal Spyder #2377 was repainted several times during Coburn's ownership; it was black, silver and possibly maroon. He kept the car at his home in the Beverly Hills area, where it was usually maintained by Max Balchowsky, who also worked on the suspension and chassis modifications of the Mustang GTs used in the filming of McQueen's Bullitt (1968). In 1987, after twenty-four years of ownership, Coburn sold the Spyder. Over time he also owned the aforementioned Lusso, a Ferrari Daytona, at least one Ferrari 308 and a 1967 Ferrari 412P sports racing car.
- #026
Coburn auditioned for the role of Zeus in Disney's Hercules (1997), which went to Rip Torn.
- #027
Sam Peckinpah wanted to cast him in The Osterman Weekend (1983), but the producers rejected the idea.
- #028
Coburn appeared in two feature films with Mel Gibson: Maverick (1994) and Payback (1999).
- #029
In 1967, Coburn was named the twelfth biggest star in Hollywood. In 1973, he was named the twenty-third most popular star in Hollywood.
- #030
Coburn turned down the role in The Cassandra Crossing (1976) that went to O. J. Simpson.
- #031
Coburn turned down the role in The Big Gundown (1967) that went to Lee Van Cleef.
- #032
Coburn was initially set to take the role in The Mercenary (1968) that went to Franco Nero, but he left over a dispute about whether he or Nero (who had been cast in a different role) would receive top billing.
- #033
Coburn was considered for the lead role in The Straight Story (1999), which went to Richard Farnsworth.
- #034
Coburn had a granddaughter named Jayn Coburn, the daughter of his son James H. Coburn IV.
- #035
On April 1, 1994, Coburn was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7051 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
- #036
Sergio Leone wanted Coburn for A Fistful of Dollars, but he was too busy.
- #037
Coburn's stepdaughter Lisa was the webmaster of genesimmons.com, the official website of Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS.
- #038
Coburn was a graduate of the Stella Adler Acting Studio.
- #039
Coburn had a relationship with Lynsey de Paul.
- #040
James Coburn was considered for the role played by Tony Curtis in the 1982 film Black Commando.
- #041
James Coburn was initially set to take on the William Holden role in Ashanti (1979), but he dropped out.
- #042
After his death, James Coburn was cremated at Westwood Village Memorial Park. His ashes were later interred in a memorial bench.
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