Although he attended West Point, James Flavin decided on an acting career instead of the military. After touring with several stock and repertory companies, he arrived in Hollywood and broke into films in the early 1930s. A fast-talking, granite-jawed Irishman, Flavin appeared in hundreds of films during his career and was often cast as a big-city homicide detective, street cop, prison guard or Marine sergeant. One of Flavin's closest friends, oddly enough, was legendary cheapo producer Sam Katzman. Flavin was married for more than 40 years to actress Lucile Browne; he died in 1976, and she died two weeks after he did.