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James Wainwright

James Wainwright

Actor · Died December 20, 1999, aged 61 · Danville, Illinois, USA

General purpose actor James Wainwright was born in Illinois in 1938 and discovered he had artistic talent at a young age, landing a scholarship at Carnegie University. This active pursuit was all but dissipated when he decided to join the Marines. Following his honorable discharge, he made do with a number of unskilled jobs until he found an interest in another area of the fine arts -- acting. He auditioned and earned a seat as a student at the Actors' Studio, then proceeded to migrate West in the late 60s to pursue film and TV stardom. Initially cast as a ruthless heavy, his image was redeemed somewhat after landing a recurring role in 1969 on the already-established TV program Daniel Boone (1964). In 1972, he fronted in his own weekly series Jigsaw (1972) as dogged Lt. Frank Dain of the California State Police Department's Bureau of Missing Persons--a man who didn't always play by the rules. What could have been his ticket to TV stardom barely lasted a season. In years to come he was seen in secondary support to a number of Oscar-winning cinema stars, notably Clint Eastwood in Joe Kidd (1972), George Kennedy in the prison drama Mean Dog Blues (1978) and Walter Matthau and Robin Williams in The Survivors (1983). He also appeared in a number of mini-movies, particularly that of a younger J. Edgar Hoover who grows up to be bulldog Broderick Crawford in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977), and guested on the more popular shows including "Cannon," "The Fall Guy," "Dynasty," "Magnum P.I.," "Hardcastle & McCormick" and "Hunter." In his second TV series he reverted back to playing the heavy as an unstable scientist who invents and unleashes humanistic robots to take over the world in Beyond Westworld (1980). Based on the popular 1973 Yul Brynner movie, the program was very short-lived. Following additional episodic work on TV, as well as the lowbudget action film Mission Manila (1988), Wainwright left the screen. Little was heard from or about the actor until his reported death from lung cancer on December 20, 1999 at age 61.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 5, 1938
Died
December 20, 1999 (aged 61)
From
Danville, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
22 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 11% in 30 days

What are James Wainwright's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
30%
Power
17%
Bonds
15%
Survival
15%
Self
14%
Ideas
8%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTechnology2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 5 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Shadow
2 of 4
Hero
1 of 4
Herald
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Contemplative
5
Thrilling
3
Cold
2
Absurd
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Wainwright's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 22 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Wainwright's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

39 credits, 22 with a MovieCove page.

  • Death on the Oregon Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Actor

  • The Hell Raiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Rico Callahan

  • Hunter(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Jonathon Zole

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • The Survivors(1983)

    as Wes Huntley

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Battletruck(1982)

    as Straker

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Fall Guy(1981)

    Show 1 episode · as Del Slade

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows

  • Magnum, P.I.(1980)

    Show 1 episode · as Lyden

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Beyond Westworld(1980)

    Show 5 episodes · as Simon Quaid

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows

  • Undercover with the KKK(1979)

    as T.J. Barker

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • A Woman Called Moses(1978)

    Show 2 episodes · as Andrew Coleman

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Mean Dog Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    as Sgt. Hubbell Wacker

  • The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover(1977)

    as Young Hoover

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Incredible Hulk(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Tom Wallace

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • CHiPs(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Reno Hale

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows

  • Grizzly Adams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Sam Steel

  • The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 2 episodes · as Arlo Weatherly

  • Code R (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 1 episode · as Mitch

  • Quincy, M.E. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Arthur Lanz

  • Bridger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    as Jim Bridger

  • Delvecchio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · as Captain McCardy

  • Police Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Det. Tom Foley

  • The Rockford Files(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Gene Chechik

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Little House on the Prairie(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as Cal Taylor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Killdozer(1974)

    as Jules 'Dutch' Krasner

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The President's Plane Is Missing(1973)

    as Gen. Dunbar

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Kung Fu(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Luke Haskell

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Jigsaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 7 episodes · Actor

  • M*A*S*H(1972)

    Show 1 episode · as Colonel Lacy

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Joe Kidd(1972)

    as Mingo

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Jigsaw(1972)

    as Lt. Frank Dain

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Once Upon a Dead Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as John Patterson

  • Cannon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · as Brad Sartino · as Roy Starrett

  • McCloud(1970)

    Show 1 episode · as Val Rankin

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Hawaii Five-O(1968)

    Show 1 episode · as Richard Royce

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Mannix(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as Thomas Chasmin

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Cowboy in Africa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · as George

  • Daniel Boone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 3 episodes · as Cully

  • The Virginian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · as Boyd Dewey · as Jack Withers

  • Gunsmoke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Mark Riker

Career shape

Star power in the 77th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 39 titles from 1955 to 1998; peak year 1983.

Biggest box office

The Survivors (1983)

$14M worldwide

Highest rated

Joe Kidd (1972)

Midcredits 57th

Most popular right now

Beyond Westworld (1980)

Film career

19551998

Peak 1983 · steadily prominent in film for years. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting39 of 39: 39 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score55th

By decade

1950s1 · acting1960s5 · acting1970s25 · acting1980s7 · acting1990s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James Wainwright's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

53rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 22 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 22 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · actor

Undercover with the KKK (1979)

76th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Joe Kidd (1972)

Midcredits 57th · 52% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does James Wainwright work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Wainwright's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ronee Blakley shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers