Character actor Anthony James was born on July 22, 1942 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Creepily tall (6' 6½) and lanky, with a rough, pockmarked face, a lean, stringy build, greasy dark hair and an extremely edgy'n'intense screen presence, James was often cast in Westerns as really scary, sleazy and disgusting villains. He was especially memorable as the hateful racist diner counterman in the outstanding Al calor de la noche (1967). Other noteworthy parts include a slimy gay hitchhiker in the cult classic Carrera contra el destino (1971), a wimpy priest in Donde se forjan los hombres (1972), a scuzzy outlaw in La venganza del muerto (1973), a deranged psycho in The Teacher (1974), the chauffeur from hell in the chiller Pesadilla diabólica (1976), and the vicious leader of a gang of ferocious barbarians in the strictly so-so science fiction outing Ravagers (1979). James was hilarious in a rare change-of-pace good guy role as a heroic cannibal (!) in the amusing tongue-in-cheek post-nuke sci-fi romp World Gone Wild (1987), and also funny parodying his evil persona in ¿Y dónde está el policía? 2 1/2 (1991). Among the many television shows in which he appeared in guest roles were Matrimonio con hijos (1987), La bella y la bestia (1987), Viaje a las estrellas: La nueva generación (1987), Simon & Simon (1981), El equipo A (1983), Muelle 56 (1984), Profesión peligro (1981), Hunter: el Cazador (1984), Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979), Quincy M.E. (1976), Los ángeles de Charlie (1976), Vega$ (1978), Starsky y Hutch (1975), S.W.A.T. (1975), Ironside (1967), Hawai 5-0 (1968), Bonanza (1959), La ley del revólver (1955) and Valle de pasiones (1965). James's last film appearance to date was as the mean owner of a seedy bordello in Clint Eastwood's Los imperdonables (1992). After quitting acting in the early 1990s, he pursued a successful career as an artist. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries in such major cities as New York, Boston and Miami.