James Whitworth

Big, brawny and burly, with a rough face, thick, dark curly hair, a furry mustache, a deep, growly voice, and a strong, stocky build, the redoubtable James Whitworth certainly made his aggressive and intimidating presence felt in several choice down'n'dirty 1970's drive-in exploitation pictures in which he often portrayed brutish, nasty and despicable bad guys. James was born on February 19, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York. Among Whitworth's more memorable roles are a vicious biker in "The Black Angels" (1970), a mean prison guard in the pleasingly sleazy "Sweet Sugar" (1973), one of the scuzzy low-life criminal inhabitants of "Terminal Island" (1973), and a hulking telephone repairman who's severely clobbered by a trio of desperate kidnappers in the terrific "The Candy Snatchers" (1973). Whitworth gave an especially wild go-for-broke frightening performance and thus achieved his greatest enduring popularity as Papa Jupiter, the ferocious father of the deranged desert-dwelling cannibal family in Wes Craven's outstanding "The Hills Have Eyes" (1977). Whitworth was likewise fine and impressive in a rare change-of-pace good guy lead as the tough and valiant take-charge hero of the hugely enjoyable low-budget science fiction outing "Planet of Dinosaurs" (1978). Besides his film credits, Whitworth also did guest spots on such TV shows as "Mission: Impossible," "The Rockford Files," "Fantasy Island," "Emergency!," "Quincy M.E.," and "B.J. and the Bear." He abruptly stopped acting in the early 1980's. James died of lung cancer on December 15, 1991.