James Gleason

A world-weary theater veteran with a heart of gold navigates the chaos of Hollywood and the afterlife as he clashes with destiny in a hilarious battle between fate and free will.

Born

May 23, 1882

Died

Apr 12, 1959

From

New York City, New York, USA

131

Credits on file

Decades active

Awards

In short · Acted for 10 decades — 131 credits.

Remembered for

Ranked by community engagement + sustained interest across this person's credits in our database.

Biography

James Gleason was born in New York City to William Gleason and Mina Crolius, both of whom were involved in the theatre. He married Lucile Gleason (born Lucile Webster), and the couple had a son named Russell Gleason. As a young man, James served in the Spanish-American War. After the war, he joined the stock company at the Liberty Theater in Oakland, California, which was managed by his parents. James and his wife later relocated to Portland, Oregon, where they performed in stock theatre at the Baker Theater. For several years they toured in road shows until James enlisted in the army during World War I. Upon his return, he appeared on stage in "The Five Million." He then transitioned to writing, including the play "Is Zat So," which he produced for New York stage. He also wrote and acted in "The Fall Guy" and "The Shannons on Broadway." He next wrote *The Broadway Melody* (1929) for MGM. In 1930, he collaborated on *The Swellhead* (1930), *Dumbbells in Ermine* (1930), *What a Widow!* (1930), *Rain or Shine* (1930), and *His First Command* (1929). James and his wife were then contracted to Pathe, with Lucile acting and James (or Jimmie, as he was known) serving as a writer. His most famous acting role was as Max Corkle, the manager of Joe Pendleton who is wrongly plucked from life into the afterlife, in the hit fantasy *Here Comes Mr. Jordan* (1941).

Filmography · 131 of 131

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