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James Stephenson

James Stephenson

Known For Acting
Birthday Apr 13, 1889
Died Jul 29, 1941 (52)
Birthplace Selby, Yorkshire, England, UK
Popularity 1 (history)
Updated Aug 09, 2025
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

British stage actor James Stephenson made his film debut quite late in life, at the age of 49, in 1937, making four pictures that year. Warner Bros. got a glimpse of this distinguished gent and signed him to a contract where he indulged himself in urbane villainy. Proving a reliable support in such ... films as Boy Meets Girl (1938), You Can't Get Away with Murder (1939), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), and the classic adventure The Sea Hawk (1940), he was entrusted by director William Wyler and mega-star Bette Davis to play the sympathetic role of the family attorney Howard Joyce in The Letter (1940). It was the role of a lifetime and he didn't let them down for he earned an Oscar nomination in the process. Stephenson was soon on a roll, playing the titular sleuth in Calling Philo Vance (1940) and was first-billed in the above-average "B" movie Shining Victory (1941) when he died suddenly in 1941 of a heart attack at the rather young age of 53. Date of Death:  29 July 1941, Pacific Palisades, California  (heart attack)

Known For

Headshots

Profile
Profile
Filmography

Shining Victory

Shining Victory

1941

as Dr. Paul Venner

International Squadron

International Squadron

1941

as Squadron Leader Charles Wyatt

Flight from Destiny

Flight from Destiny

1941

as Dr. Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens

Calling Philo Vance

Calling Philo Vance

1940

as Philo Vance

The Letter

The Letter

1940

as Howard Joyce

South of Suez

South of Suez

1940

as Inspector Thornton

Wolf of New York

Wolf of New York

1940

as Hiram Rogers

River's End

River's End

1940

as McDowell

Murder in the Air

Murder in the Air

1940

as Joe Garvey

A Dispatch from Reuters

A Dispatch from Reuters

1940

as Carew

The Sea Hawk

The Sea Hawk

1940

as Abbott

Wanted by Scotland Yard

Wanted by Scotland Yard

1939

as Fingers

Devil's Island

Devil's Island

1939

as Col. Armand Lucien

King of the Underworld

King of the Underworld

1939

as Bill Stevens

The Adventures of Jane Arden

The Adventures of Jane Arden

1939

as Dr. George Vanders

The Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine

1939

as Senor De La Torre

Secret Service of the Air

Secret Service of the Air

1939

as Jim Cameron

Espionage Agent

Espionage Agent

1939

as Dr. Anton Rader

On Trial

On Trial

1939

as Gerald Trask

Torchy Blane in Chinatown

Torchy Blane in Chinatown

1939

as Dr. Mansfield

Sons of Liberty

Sons of Liberty

1939

as Colonel Tillman

The Old Maid

The Old Maid

1939

as Jim Ralston

We Are Not Alone

We Are Not Alone

1939

as Sir William Clintock

Confessions of a Nazi Spy

Confessions of a Nazi Spy

1939

as British Military Intelligence Agent

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

1939

as Sir Thomas Egerton

Beau Geste

Beau Geste

1939

as Major Henri de Beaujolais

Nancy Drew… Detective

Nancy Drew… Detective

1938

as Challon

When Were You Born

When Were You Born

1938

as Phillip Corey

The Dark Stairway

The Dark Stairway

1938

as Inspector Clarke

Heart of the North

Heart of the North

1938

as Stephen Gore

White Banners

White Banners

1938

as Thomas Bradford

Cowboy from Brooklyn

Cowboy from Brooklyn

1938

as Prof. Landis

Boy Meets Girl

Boy Meets Girl

1938

as Major Thompson

You Live and Learn

You Live and Learn

1937

as Sam Brooks

Transatlantic Trouble

Transatlantic Trouble

1937

as Lewis

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Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

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Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 6 11 2
2024 7 7 12 2
2024 8 8 26 2
2024 9 3 9 1
2024 10 2 7 1
2024 11 1 3 1
2024 12 1 3 1
2025 1 4 9 1
2025 2 2 4 1
2025 3 2 3 1
2025 5 1 1 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 1 4 0
2025 9 1 1 1
2025 10 1 1 1

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