James “Jim” Mitchum, the “Thunder Road” actor and son of late Hollywood icon Robert Mitchum, has died. He was 84.
Jim died after a lengthy illness on September 20 at his is ranch home in Skull Valley, Arizona, a family spokesperson confirmed to Deadline over the weekend.
The rep said Jim’s wife, Pamela K. Smith, was by his side when he passed away.
Born in Los Angeles May 8, 1941, Jim was the son of Robert and Dorothy Spence.
He made his film debut at age 8 in the 1949 Western “Colorado Territory,” also starring his mom, Joel McCrea and Virginia Mayo.
At age 16, Jim was cast as his father’s much-younger brother, Robin Doolin, in Arthur Ripley’s 1958 cult classic “Thunder Road.” The role was originally written for Elvis Presley, but his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded too much money.
“Thunder Road,” also produced by Robert, is about Southern whiskey runners in conflict with federal agents.
Jim’s character is a mechanic, which led to the actor developing a real-life interest in stock car racing and mechanics. He even briefly worked on Presley’s vehicles.
After forming a bond with Presley, Jim signed a contract with 20th Century Fox and released a single, “Lonely Birthday” in 1961. The song was not a hit and Jim gave up on his singing career.
Jim went on to appear in dozens of more films including “The Beat Generation,” “Ride the Wild Surf,” “The Victors,” “In Harm’s Way,” “Grand Canyon Massacre,” “Ambush Bay,” and “The Invincible Way.”
Aside from his father, Jim worked with other famous actors on the big screen like John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Hugh O’Brian, Mickey Rooney and more.
In 1975, Jim starred as Grady Hagg in the action comedy “Moonrunners,” which was later developed into the popular TV series “The Dukes of Hazzard.”
Jim retired from acting in 1994 and moved to Arizona, where he helped manage his parents’ horse ranch.
Robert died in 1997 at age 79, while Dorothy died in 2014 at age 94.
Jim was married three times. He was with his first wife, actress Wende Wagner, from 1968 to 1978 and they had one son, Will Spence Mitchum.
In 1985, Jim wed his second wife, Vivian Ferrand, and they had two children together, son Brian Price Mitchum and daughter Caitlin Ann, before the couple divorced in 1995.
Jim met his third wife, Pamela, in 1993, but they didn’t get married until earlier this year.
