James Johnson Edwards (March 6, 1918January 4, 1970) was an American actor in films and television. His most famous role was as Private Peter Moss in the

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

film '' Home of the Brave'', in which he portrayed a

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

soldier experiencing racial prejudice while serving in the South Pacific during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Career

Edwards majored in psychology at Knoxville College in Tennessee and continued his education at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

where he received a master's degree in drama. While enrolled at Northwestern, he participated in student productions and in the

Federal Theatre Project The Federal Theatre Project (FTP; 1935–1939) was a theatre program established during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to fund live artistic performances and entertainment programs in the United States. It was one of five Federal ...

. During World War II, he was commissioned as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

. After the war he appeared on the New York stage when he assumed the role of the war hero in the touring play ''Deep Are the Roots''. Throughout his early and mid acting career, Edwards portrayed African American soldiers, playing such characters in '' Home of the Brave'' (1949), '' The Steel Helmet'' (1951), ''

Bright Victory ''Bright Victory'' is a 1951 American drama romance war film directed by Mark Robson, and starring Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow. Plot During World War II, American sergeant Larry Nevins is blinded by a German sniper while fighting in North ...

'' (1951), '' Battle Hymn'' (1957), ''

Men in War ''Men in War'' is a 1957 black-and-white American war film about the Korean War directed by Anthony Mann and starring Robert Ryan and Aldo Ray as the leaders of a small detachment of American soldiers cut off and desperately trying to rejoin th ...

'' (1957), Blood and Steel (1959), and '' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959) as well as an uncredited

Messman A steward's assistant (SA) is an unlicensed, entry-level crewmember in the Steward's department of a merchant ship. This position can also be referred to as steward (the usual term on British ships), galley utilityman, messman, supply, waiter or ...

in ''

The Caine Mutiny ''The Caine Mutiny'' is a 1951 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel by Herman Wouk. The novel grew out of Wouk's personal experiences aboard two destroyer-minesweepers in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Among its themes, it deals with the mo ...

''. (1954). It was believed he was originally cast in Universal's ''

Red Ball Express The Red Ball Express was an American truck convoy system that supplied World War II allies, Allied forces moving through Europe after breaking out from the D-Day beaches in Normandy in the summer of 1944. To expedite cargo shipments to the fro ...

'' but was replaced by

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was a Bahamian-American actor, film director, activist, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his ot ...

when he refused to testify before the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

. Other notable roles were in

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

's '' The Killing'' (1956) and

John Frankenheimer John Michael Frankenheimer (February 19, 1930 – July 6, 2002) was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films. Among his credits are ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', ''The Manc ...

's '' The Manchurian Candidate'' (1962). Edwards was prolific on TV in the

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the Woodstock, 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong ...

, playing character roles in various series such as ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'', '' The Fugitive'', The Twilight Zone's "The Big Tall Wish", '' Burke's Law'', '' Dr. Kildare'' and ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that originally aired for eight seasons on CBS from September 16, 1967, to March 13, 1975. The show was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer ...

'', before his death of a heart attack at the age of 51 in 1970. One of his final roles was as General

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (11 November 1885 – 21 December 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, then the Third Army in France and Germany after the Alli ...

's longtime personal valet, Sergeant Major William George Meeks, in the film '' Patton''.

Death

James Edwards died on Sunday, January 4, 1970, in

San Diego, CA San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. He was working on a film script in his wife's family's house in San Diego when he complained of chest pains. He was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital, where he died. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that his age was given as 42. Edwards was in fact 51.

Filmography

* '' The Set-Up'' (1949) as Luther Hawkins * '' Home of the Brave'' (1949) as Private Peter Moss * '' Manhandled'' (1949) as Henry, Bennet's Butler (uncredited) * '' The Steel Helmet'' (1951) as Corporal Thompson * ''

'' (1951) as Joe Morgan * ''

The Member Of The Wedding ''The Member of the Wedding'' is a 1946 novel by Southern writer Carson McCullers. It took McCullers five years to complete, although she interrupted the work for a few months to write the novella '' The Ballad of the Sad Café''.McDowell, Mar ...

'' (1952) as Honey Camden Brown * ''

The Joe Louis Story ''The Joe Louis Story'' is a 1953 American film noir drama sport film directed by Robert Gordon and starring Coley Wallace, Hilda Simms and Paul Stewart. Plot Biographical film about the story of boxer Joe Louis and his rise from poverty to ...

'' (1953) as Jack 'Chappie' Blackburn * ''

'' (1954) as Whittaker (uncredited) * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1955) (Season 1 Episode 7: "Breakdown") as Convict * '' African Manhunt'' (1955) as Native Guide * ''

Seven Angry Men ''Seven Angry Men'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Charles Marquis Warren and starring Raymond Massey, Debra Paget and Jeffrey Hunter. It is about the abolitionist John Brown, particularly his involvement in Bleeding Kansas and ...

'' (1955) as Ned Green * '' The Phenix City Story'' (1955) as Zeke Ward * ''

'' (1956) (Season 1 Episode 15: "The Big Switch") as Ed * '' The Killing'' (1956) as Track Parking Attendant * '' Battle Hymn'' (1957) as Lieutenant Maples * ''

'' (1957) as Sergeant Killian * ''

Fräulein ( , ) is the German honorifics, German language honorific for unmarried women, comparable to Miss in English and in French. Description ''Fräulein'' is the diminutive form of ''Frau'', which was previously reserved only for married women. ...

'' (1958) as Corporal S. Hanks * '' Tarzan's Fight for Life'' (1958) as Futa * '' Anna Lucasta'' (1958) as Eddie * '' Night of the Quarter Moon'' (1959) as Asa Tully * '' Pork Chop Hill'' (1959) as Corporal Jurgens * '' Blood and Steel'' (1959) as George * '' The Manchurian Candidate'' (1962) as Corporal Allen Melvin * ''Legend of Bearheart'' (1964) released as ''Legend of the Northwest'' in 1978p. 188 Pitts, Michael R.''Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d edition'' McFarland 2012 * ''

The Sandpiper ''The Sandpiper'' is a 1965 American drama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, the third of eleven films starring the power couple. Plot Laura Reynolds is a free-spirited, unwed single mother liv ...

'' (1965) as Larry Brant * '' The Virginian'' (1968, TV Series) as The Mustangers * '' The Young Runaways'' (1968) as Sergeant Joe Collyer * '' Coogan's Bluff'' (1968) as Sergeant Jackson * '' Patton'' (1970) as Sergeant Major William George Meeks (posthumous release) * '' Doomsday Voyage'' (1972) as Coast Guard Officer (posthumous release) * ''Legend of the Northwest'' (1978) (posthumous release; final film role)

Notes

References

* Deane, Pamala S. (8 December 2009) ''James Edwards: African American Hollywood Icon'', McFarland

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, James 1918 births 1970 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Indiana People from Muncie, Indiana 20th-century American male actors United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers 20th-century African-American male actors Knoxville College alumni Northwestern University alumni Federal Theatre Project people