It’s My Imagination

James Whitmore Dies at Age 87

World War II Marine Corps veteran and actor James Whitmore has passed away at age 87.  The cause of death was lung cancer which he had only been diagnosed with in mid November.

James Whitmore began an acting career on Broadway and won his first Tony in 1948 for Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer for his role in “Command Decision”.  He went on to Hollywood where he won an Academy Award for his portrayel of a tobacco-chewing Army sargeant in the 1949 World War II drama, “Battleground”.  He has a long list of movies in which he has appeared, many of them are old favorites.  They include, “Tora, Tora, Tora!”, “Planet of the Apes”, “Kiss Me Kate”, “Oklahoma” and “The Shawshank Redemption” to name just a few.

Mr. Whitmore also made many appearances on television including shows like “The Law and Mr. Jones” in the early 1960′s.  In 2000, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor for his guest appearance on “The Practice” and then won the same award in 2003 for his role on “Mr. Sterling”.   Yet, with all of his award winning performances, many will remember him as the Miracle-Gro spokesman.  Remember all those commercials?

Mr. Whitmore is survived by his wife, 2 sons, eight grand-children and five great grand-children.