James Harrison Coburn III (31 August 1928-18 November 2002) was an American western and action film actor from the 1950s to 2000s. Born in Laurel, Nebraska, he was raised in Compton, California during the Great Depression. He served as a US Army DJ and training film narrator in Texas and West Germany during the 1950s before studying acting at Los Angeles City College and becoming a film actor in 1959. He became a leading man in numerous western and action films, becoming known as a "cool" and "tough-guy" actor. He died of a heart attack while listening to music at his Beverly Hills home in 2002 at the age of 74.
Coburn was a Democrat, supporting Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential bid.