James Lanphier (August 31, 1920 — February 11, 1969) was an American actor who did a variety of work for Blake Edwards. He portrayed Saloud in the 1963 film The Pink Panther, and also appeared in films such as Darling Lili (1970) and the television series Peter Gunn (1958–61).[1][2]

James Lanphier
Lanphier in The Pink Panther (1963)
Born(1920-08-31)31 August 1920
Died11 February 1969(1969-02-11) (aged 48)
OccupationActor
FatherThomas George Lanphier Sr.
RelativesThomas George Lanphier Jr. (brother)

Biography

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Lanphier was born at Mitchel Field, New York, to Janet Grant Cobb and Thomas George Lanphier Sr.[3] He had two brothers, Thomas Jr. and Charles.[3][4]

Lanphier made his stage debut as a juvenile in an army post drama.[5] He debuted on Broadway as a dancer in Mexican Hayride in 1944 and played Mr. Atkins in a production of Dark of the Moon the following year.[6][5] He began his acting career on American television in 1949.

In 1957 Lanphier made his feature film debut in an uncredited role in The Deadly Mantis (1957). Several other minor roles followed including small roles in Blake Edwards' The Perfect Furlough (1958), Operation Petticoat (1959) and High Time (1960), then two appearances on Edwards' Peter Gunn television series. On the third season of the show Lanphier became a regular where he played Leslie, a gourmet chef and restaurateur.

He played a landlord in Edwards' Experiment in Terror (1962) then acted as a dialogue coach on Edwards' Days of Wine and Roses (1962) and The Pink Panther (1963) where he played Saloud, one of his many roles where he played a Middle Eastern or Indian gentleman. He made minor appearances in more of Edwards' films, including What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966) as an Italian villager, The Party (1968) as Harry, and his final role in Darling Lili (1970) as a Hungarian maître d'hôtel, released after his death.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1957 The Deadly Mantis Col. Harvey Uncredited
1958–1961 Peter Gunn Leslie / Sloane / Chop 15 episodes
1958 The Perfect Furlough Assistant Hotel Manager
1958 Bell Book and Candle Waldo Uncredited
1959 It Happened to Jane Newspaper Photographer
1959 Operation Petticoat Lt. Cmdr. Daly Uncredited
1960 High Time Burdick, Maitre D' at Harvey Howard's Uncredited
1961 Breakfast at Tiffany's The Cousin Uncredited
1961 Flight of the Lost Balloon Hindu
1962 Experiment in Terror Landlord
1962 Days of Wine and Roses Prince Uncredited
1963 The Pink Panther Saloud
1964 Sex and the Single Girl Salesman Uncredited
1965 Perry Mason Marius Stone 1 episode
1966 What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? Villager Uncredited
1966 Gambit Garage Attendant Uncredited
1968 The Party Harry
1968 The Legend of Lylah Clare 1st Legman
1970 Darling Lili Hungarian Maitre D' with Larrabee Uncredited, (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ "James Lanphier". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  2. ^ "Biography for James Lanphier". TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Funeral Set for Actor Lanphier". Hollywood Citizen-News. Vol. 64, no. 275 (Metropolitan ed.). February 14, 1969. p. A-3 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "War flights by two Lanphiers made history". Des Moines Sunday Register. Vol. 160, no. 32 (Central ed.). January 25, 2009. p. 2B – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Perry, Lawrence (November 24, 1944). "New York Skylines". The Scranton Times. Vol. 76, no. 280. North American Newspaper Alliance. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "James Lanphier Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos".
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