Brion James Net Worth

May 2024 · 8 minute read


Brion Howard James net worth is
$100,000

Brion Howard James Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family

Brion Howard James (February 20, 1945 – August 7, 1999) was an American character actor. Known for playing the character of Leon Kowalski in the movie Blade Runner, James portrayed a variety of colorful roles in well-known films such as 48 Hrs., Another 48 Hrs., Tango & Cash, Red Heat, The Player and The Fifth Element. James' commanding screen presence and formidable physique at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall usually resulted in his casting as a heavy, appearing more frequently in lower budget horror and action films throughout the 1980s and 1990s. James appeared in more than 100 films before he died of a heart attack aged 54. 
Full NameBrion Howard James
Net Worth$100,000
Date Of BirthFebruary 20, 1945
Died1999-08-07
Place Of BirthRedlands, California, USA
Height6' 3" (1.91 m)
OccupationActor
ProfessionActor, Producer
SpouseMaxine James
NicknamesBrion James, James, Brion
Star SignPisces
#Trademark
1Tall frame
2Played secondary characters, often villians and heavies, with a menacing streak.
#Quote
1[on studying acting with Stella Adler] I consider her probably the best acting teacher in the world. She gives you a technique that combines with your talent, and they grow together and eventually become the same thing. I never tire of the work. There's always a further place to go with it.
2I consider myself a classical character actor, like Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery, Charles Laughton. I always like to play bad guys. I'm real good at psychotic behavior.
3[about Southern Comfort (1981)] It was the hardest movie I ever made as far as being physical. It was cold and freezing in that swamp. [Keith Carradine] and the other ones, they wore wet suits under the clothes, I never wore one. I was miserable, but it worked for the movie. I played a local Cajun trapper. It's the only accent I ever had to learn. I'm a parrot. I can pick up an accent and just do it. That one I had to study, and a real Cajun taught me how to do it. So, I did this Cajun patois, bastardized French. It was very different, it was like a southern black French.
4My dad built a movie theater in Beaumont, California, and by the time I was two years old I was at the movies every night. I lived in books and movies. That's where I wanted to be, in that fantasy world. I started acting in school at a very early age, putting on talent shows, acting in high school plays, that kind of thing. I guess some people are just destined to do this.
5[on his part in Another 48 Hrs. (1990) being heavily cut down] Total Recall (1990) came out a week before "Another 48 Hrs" that summer, it made 25 million. The studio panicked. My stuff was in there until one week before the film opened. They cut 25 minutes out of that movie, a week before it opened. It went from around 140 to down to around 95 minutes. They said cut all the behavior, action, comedy, done. I lost every major scene I had. That's the last time I ever cared about a movie because I went to the press screening and it was like getting kicked in the stomach, seeing what's not there. I'm the third lead and I looked like a dress extra. All the stuff that they had in the set-up, stuff in the trailer, all those scenes were gone.
6[on what he remembers about making Crime Wave (1985)] Three months in Detroit, which was where we were. Murder City. I was really sick, I was doing a lot of drugs, but I told Sam Raimi, "Put me on, but don't say cut, let me go". He did and I went and basically I had the show. At that point, which came after Blade Runner (1982), they put me on a blacklist, because I wouldn't be in the union, and when I came up for that, they said, "You can't do the movie". They said, "We've got to have Brion James". They said, "No, he's not working for us." Finally they said, "Look, he's the only guy we want". They said, "Fine, you can have him, but we're not paying our part". So they paid their part, I worked like ten weeks for $2500. You know they say don't make waves, so I learned my lesson.
7[about Red Heat (1988)] I told Walter Hill, "I'll do a walk-on for you, or a starring role, I don't care". He made me a film actor. He said, "Fine, now you're a film actor" in Southern Comfort (1981), and it was one of the best roles I ever had. I told Walter, "I'll do anything you want, just tell me". In "Red Heat" I had one good scene. I played this guy like a white Negro, "Snitch". So I processed the hair, wore those shoes, I made him like a real street guy. Walter Hill, he loves it.
8[in August 1999, when asked to what he attributes his success] Hard work. You gotta study, man. It's like any profession. I did eight years in theater. I studied two years in school in New York with Stella Adler, the best teacher in the world. I studied under Nina Foch, I did theater, I learned my craft. You got to learn how to build a character, there's a way to do it. Everything I ever did was different. I did 125 films, and over 100 television shows, and you've never seen the same character twice. I think now, in my 50s, with [Robert Duvall], [Albert Finney] and [Gene Hackman], those guys are getting up there in their 60s, it's my time. And I'm making sure that I push myself into their slot. So, my best work's coming.
#Fact
1Appeared in five films directed by Philippe Mora including playing Hermann Goering in Snide and Prejudice.
2Good friends with co-star Rutger Hauer. They made four movies together prior to James' death.
3He was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.
4Acted in five films for director Walter Hill.
5Acted in four films for director Albert Pyun.
6Vietnam buddy with actor Tim Thomerson.

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Desperado: The Outlaw Wars1989TV MovieRoy Grimes
Circles in a Forest1989Mr. Patterson
Mutator1989David Allen
The Horror Show1989Max Jenke
On My Honor1988ShortCommander
Miami Vice1988TV SeriesEdward Reese
Red Scorpion1988Sgt. Krasnov
Webster1988TV Series
Death Street USA1988The Albino
Red Heat1988Streak
The Wrong Guys1988Glen Grunski
D.O.A.1988Detective Ulmer
Dead Man Walking1988Decker
Sledge Hammer!1986-1988TV SeriesDon Merrill / Felix Ridel
Cherry 20001987Stacy
Steel Dawn1987Tark
The Hitchhiker1987TV SeriesLionel
Love Among Thieves1987TV MovieAndre
Matlock1987TV SeriesMr. Grock
Sidekicks1986TV SeriesMarshall
Armed and Dangerous1986Anthony Lazarus
Annihilator1986TV MovieAlien Leader
Dynasty1986TV SeriesHawkins
Enemy Mine1985Stubbs
Amazing Stories1985TV SeriesWillie Joe
The A-Team1983-1985TV SeriesDavid Plout / Ryder
The Fall Guy1985TV Series
Silverado1985Hobart (uncredited)
Flesh+Blood1985Karsthans
Crimewave1985Arthur Coddish
The Dukes of Hazzard1982-1984TV SeriesCaptain Slater / Jenkins
A Breed Apart1984Peyton
Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues1983TV MovieReece
The Renegades1983TV SeriesCochran
Cagney & Lacey1983TV SeriesDave
Lone Star1983TV MovieBreyer
48 Hrs.1982Kehoe
Hear No Evil1982TV MovieBilly Boy Burns
Quincy M.E.1982TV SeriesHenry Muller
American Playhouse1982TV SeriesCaptain Rogers
Blade Runner1982Leon Kowalski
Little House on the Prairie1982TV SeriesAmos
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez1982Captain Rogers
CHiPs1979-1981TV SeriesAckerman / Monk
Benson1981TV SeriesAxe-Man
Killing at Hell's Gate1981TV MovieTurkey
Soggy Bottom, U.S.A.1981Defalice
Southern Comfort1981Trapper
The Postman Always Rings Twice1981Crapshooter
The Jazz Singer1980Man in Bar
When the Whistle Blows1980TV SeriesAl Davis
Trouble in High Timber Country1980TV MovieEddie Rhodes
Wholly Moses!1980Guard at Banquet
The Jeffersons1980TV SeriesDirty Dog
Galactica 19801980TV SeriesWilly
B.J. and the Bear1979TV SeriesBomber / Patrol Officer
Big Shamus, Little Shamus1979TV SeriesDenker
Mork & Mindy1978TV SeriesGeorge
The Incredible Hulk1978TV SeriesAl
KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park1978TV MovieGuard
Flying High1978TV SeriesClyde Boyer
Corvette Summer1978Wayne's Car Wash Henchman
Goober & the Truckers' Paradise1978TV MovieT-Bone
Chico and the Man1978TV SeriesHog
Blue Sunshine1977Tony
The Rockford Files1977TV SeriesClamshell
Roots1977TV Mini-SeriesSlaver
Nickelodeon1976Bailiff
Bound for Glory1976Pick-Up Truck Driver at Border
Treasure of Matecumbe1976Roustabout
Harry and Walter Go to New York1976Hayseed
The Kansas City Massacre1975TV MovieHomer Van Meter
Hard Times1975uncredited
Gunsmoke1975TV SeriesJoe Barnes
The Waltons1974TV SeriesHenry Ferris Jr.
Get Christie Love!1974TV SeriesHopper
Phoenix Point2005Spider Rico
The Thief & the Stripper2000Shoe
Farewell, My Love2000Renault
The King Is Alive2000Ashley
The Operator2000Vernon Woods
Dirt Merchant1999Detective Harry Ball
The Hunter's Moon1999VideoSheriff Foulkes
Superman1999Video GameParasite (voice)
Spawn1997-1999TV SeriesAdditional Voices
Diplomatic Siege1999Gen. Stubbs
Foolish1999Ruben Reyes, Talent Scout (uncredited)
Arthur's Quest1999TV MovieTrent
Malevolence1999Warden Walker
The Magnificent Seven1998-1999TV SeriesStuart James
A Place Called Truth1998Hank
Black Sea 2131998Captain Killick
Joseph's Gift1998Frank Childress
Men in Black: The Series1998TV Series
Kai Rabe gegen die Vatikankiller1998Mönch
Brown's Requiem1998Cathcart
Vengeance Unlimited1998TV SeriesFranklin Dekker
Deadly Ransom1998Bobby Rico
Men in White1998TV MovieGeneral
Heist1998Caz
Border to Border1998Card Shark
In God's Hands1998Captain
The Sentinel1998TV SeriesWarren Chapel
Jekyll Island1998Lawton Goodyear
Millennium1998TV SeriesSheriff Bowman
Bombshell1997Donald
Blade Runner1997Video GameLeon (voice)
The Underground1997Captain Hilton
Walker, Texas Ranger1997TV SeriesRafer Cobb
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills1997Salvador Dali / Sam
Superman1996-1997TV SeriesThe Parasite Rudy Jones Parasite
The Setting Son1997Junior
Snide and Prejudice1997Hermann Goering
The Fifth Element1997General Munro
Back in Business1997Emery Ryker
The Killing Jar1997Dr. Vincent Garret
Billy Lone Bear1996Walsh
Assault on Dome 41996TV MovieChairman
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters1996TV SeriesBig Orderly / Chimera
American Strays1996Oris
Precious Find1996Sam Horton
The Lazarus Man1996TV Series
Evil Obsession1996Stavinski
Marco Polo: Haperek Ha'aharon1996
Indecent Behavior III1995Mr. Cowed (uncredited)
The Marshal1995TV SeriesChief Marshal Ollie Mathers
Cyberjack1995Nassim
Dominion1995Lynwood
Steel Frontier1995VideoGeneral J.W. Quantrell
The Nature of the Beast1995Sheriff Gordon
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See1995TV MovieLarry Walker
Spitfire1995Tough guy (uncredited)
Hong Kong 971994Simon Alexander
The Soft Kill1994Ben McCarthy
Radioland Murders1994Bernie King
Highlander1994TV SeriesArmand Thorne
The Companion1994TV MovieRon Cocheran
Art Deco Detective1994Jim Wexler
Savage Land1994Cyrus
M.A.N.T.I.S.1994TV SeriesSolomon Box
F.T.W.1994Sheriff Rudy Morgan
Scanner Cop1994VideoDr. Hampton
Knight Rider 20101994TV MovieJared
Future Shock1994Jack Porter
Silk Stalkings1994TV SeriesRupert Tarlow
Cabin Boy1994Big Teddy
The Dark1993Paul Buckner
Precious Victims1993TV MovieAgent Jimmy Bivens
Showdown1993/IVice Principal Kowalski
Striking Distance1993Det. Eddie Eiler
Johnny Bago1993TV SeriesTommy 'The Trunk' Testarone
Brain Smasher... A Love Story1993VideoBrown
Renegade1993TV SeriesEli Starke
Time Runner1993Neila
Rio Diablo1993TV MovieJake Walker
Batman: The Animated Series1992-1993TV SeriesAdditional Voices / Irving
Frogtown II1992Prof. Tanzer
Nemesis1992Maritz
Overkill: The Aileen Wuornos Story1992TV MovieBruce Munster
Wishman1992Staten Jack Rose
The Player1992Joel Levison
Black Magic1992TV MovieTom McKay
Tales from the Crypt1991TV SeriesSteve Dixon
Ultimate Desires1991Wolfgang Friedman
Mom1991Nestor Duvalier
Hunter1988-1991TV SeriesThomas Duffy / Lt. Jeff Wadsworth
Another 48 Hrs.1990Ben Kehoe
Street Asylum1990Reverend Mony
Enid Is Sleeping1990Trucker
The Young Riders1990TV SeriesJonas Simpkins
Tango & Cash1989Requin

Producer

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills1997associate producer

Thanks

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The King Is Alive2000in memoriam

Archive Footage

Known for movies

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