Probably, there is no person on Earth who has not watched the cult film "The Fifth Element". So, in this film there is a very striking character - General Munro, played by the famous American actor Brion James. Of course, he is known not only for this picture.
In the filmography of the actor, one hundred and sixty-one films, and the best of them are considered the tapes "My Enemy" (1985), "Tango and Kesh" (1989) "The Fifth Element" (1997), "Blade Runner" (1982), "Flesh + blood "(1985).
James also starred in TV series, the best of which are "Sledgehammer" (1986-1988), "Team A" (1983-1987), "Spawn" (1997-1999), "Tales from the Crypt" (1989-1996), Millennium (1996-1999).
In his interview, the actor said that there are at least a hundred more episodes of television series where he starred.
He played mostly supporting roles, but if it were not for these roles, any of the films would have lost much. The best proof of this is that the film The King Lives (2000) was dedicated to James after his death.
Biography
The future actor was born in 1945 in the city of Redlens. Shortly after his birth, the James family moved to Beaumont, California, where Brion spent his childhood. His parents adored cinema and everything connected with it, and the boy could not help but adopt this love from them. Moreover, in Beaumont, his father bought a small cinema, where in the evenings, as they said then, "played films."
The fact is that the equipment was old: huge reels of film were spinning on the drive gears, from which the image was fed to the screen. This sight fascinated Brion, and he dreamed that someday his face would appear on the screen.
We can say that over the course of his life, the actor watched how sound films changed from combining an image with a gramophone to the most modern digital technologies. However, the cinema in Beaumont was the starting point that determined his career choice.
When James graduated from high school and went to study at the University of San Diego, he realized that he was not mistaken, that he decided to become an actor. Of course, it was difficult for a young man from a provincial city to immediately get used to the world of art, but gradually he found his own style of acting, his own niche and began to master the basics of acting.
After graduating from university, Brion went to New York - a city where all dreams come true. And he had only one dream: to act in films, and as much as possible.
However, it turned out to be not so easy. In fact, the young university graduate went the way of many young people who wanted to get into the film industry. At first, he worked wherever and with whom he would have to, in order to earn basic housing and food, while he did not have roles, fees and a contract with a film studio. After all, he came to New York almost beggar. However, the thought of a career as an actor helped to overcome all difficulties. He even served in the National Guard, which is why the role of general in The Fifth Element suited him so well.
He also worked without wages as a cook for actress and teacher Stella Adler, and she helped him improve his acting skills.
Actor's career
In 1973, James moved to Los Angeles and began to go through endless auditions. Finally, in 1974, he managed to get a role on television - it was the television series The Waltons, and James starred in just one episode.
However, this was enough for the almost two-meter charming actor of twenty-five years of age to be noticed by other directors. In 1974-1975, the actor played many cameo roles in films of various genres.
Gradually, he developed a certain role - he played mostly either a charismatic bandit or a close-minded warrior.
In 1976, the actor got a small role in the film Hard Times by Walter Hill, where the leading role was played by the wonderful actor Charles Bronson. This is a picture of the Great Depression in the United States and how people tried to survive during this cruel time.
Another notable film in James' portfolio is The Path to Glory. This is a biopic about protest singer Woodrow Whealson Guthrie. The film received two Oscars, and this was a modest contribution of the young actor, which he was very happy about.
The peak of James' acting fame came in the seventies, eighties and nineties of the twentieth century. It so happened that he starred in three or four films in the same year, and it was a huge load.
One of Brion's striking works is the role of Leon the replicant in Blade Runner (1982) directed by Ridley Scott. This is a fantastic picture about artificially created people who were just toys in the hands of earthlings. One day, the Replicants rebelled against being used and killed when they pleased, and began to flee their colonies. It was difficult to distinguish them from humans, so it was difficult to detect and arrest them. In addition to James, the main roles in the film were played by Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah.
The actor also starred in the films of Luc Besson, Andrei Konchalovsky and other famous directors. And, as a rule, after the first meeting, they invited him to their other projects.
Personal life
Brion was married to actress Maxine James and had a son, Jeff. The couple decided to leave in 1996.
Perhaps this influenced the health of the actor, and he died three years later, in 1999. It happened in his home in Malibu, when doctors arrived diagnosed with myocardial infarction.
James indicated in his will that he wants to be cremated and his ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean. Relatives and friends exactly fulfilled his will.
