---
name: "James Ellison"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-ellison"
fi1m_id: "james-ellison"
imdb_id: "nm0255199"
tmdb_id: 97037
wikidata_id: "Q7886491"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "4 May 1910"
died: "23 December 1993"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T03:31:45.205506+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# James Ellison

## Identity

James Ellison

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-ellison
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** james-ellison
- **IMDb ID:** nm0255199
- **TMDB ID:** 97037
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7886491
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ellison_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7886491, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255199/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/97037

Actor. Born 4 May 1910 in Guthrie Center, Iowa, USA. Died 23 December 1993.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 4 May 1910, Guthrie Center, Iowa, USA
- **Died:** 23 December 1993
- **Also known as:** Jimmie 'Shamrock' Ellison, Jimmie Ellison, Jimmy 'Shamrock' Ellison, Jimmy Ellison, James Ellison Smith
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ellison_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7886491, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0255199/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/97037

## Fi1m on James Ellison

> James Ellison's light leading-man manner suited westerns and romantic comedy, but the tension and regret of his Wesley Rand are more interesting. We would start with *I Walked with a Zombie*, then look at the lighter work.

In *I Walked with a Zombie* (1943), James Ellison's Wesley Rand is resentful, tense and regretful. Those are useful qualities in a film that finds much of its horror in human unhappiness. They also complicate the straightforward appeal of an actor often cast as a youthful, loyal companion in westerns. We were moved by the film's sadness, and Wesley's regret contributes to that feeling. It is a supporting performance with enough discomfort in it to hold our attention.

The *Hopalong Cassidy* films gave him a clear job: Johnny Nelson, William Boyd's sidekick, across eight entries from 1935 to 1937. His rugged appearance and horsemanship suited the work, and these parts made sensible use of his light leading-man manner. Cecil B. DeMille's *The Plainsman* (1936) cast him as Buffalo Bill Cody. Ellison later said he felt miscast in the role. That is a reason to be cautious about treating the bigger part as the fullest account of what he could do.

*Vivacious Lady* (1938), opposite Ginger Rogers and James Stewart, offers a more useful example of his light-comedy timing. The musical *The Gang's All Here* (1943), with Carmen Miranda, cast him as a romantic lead. That lighter work deserves attention too, even if Wesley Rand gives us more to think about. His return to western leads alongside Russell Hayden around 1950–1952 brought him back to familiar work, where his suitability was already well established.

Jacques Tourneur builds *I Walked with a Zombie* through shadow, music and patient looking, giving Ellison's troubled character a setting in which his unhappiness matters. We would not credit the actor alone with the film's hold; much of it comes from the direction. The dialogue can be stiff, too, and admiration need not excuse that. But Wesley gives us a reason to notice Ellison beyond the dependable western companion. For a second look, choose *Vivacious Lady* rather than expecting another Wesley Rand.

## Biography

James Ellison was an American actor. Born James Ellison Smith in Guthrie Center, Iowa, he appeared in nearly seventy films between 1932 and 1962.

He worked for a time in a film laboratory, where he was offered a screen test. He spent much of his career in Westerns, including a stint in the mid-1930s as Johnny Nelson, sidekick to Hopalong Cassidy, and played William "Buffalo Bill" Cody in Cecil B. DeMille's *The Plainsman* (1936).

Ellison's other notable roles include Keith in *Vivacious Lady* (1938), Robert Curtis in *The Undying Monster* (1942), Wesley Rand in *I Walked with a Zombie* (1943) and Andy Mason in *The Gang's All Here* (1943). He later worked in real estate.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, catalog.afi.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *I Walked with a Zombie* (1943), Fi1m 84, as Wesley Rand — [page](https://film.one/film/i-walked-with-a-zombie.md)

## Complete filmography (66)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *When the Girls Take Over* (1962), as Alex 'Longhorn' Gates (as Jimmy Ellison)
- *Dead Man's Trail* (1952), as Dan Winslow
- *Man from the Black Hills* (1952), as Jim Fallon (as Jimmy Ellison)
- *Texas City* (1952), as Jim Kirby (as Jimmy Ellison)
- *Texas Lawmen* (1951), as Sheriff Tod Merrick
- *Whistling Hills* (1951), as Sheriff Dave Holland
- *Oklahoma Justice* (1951), as Clancy
- *Kentucky Jubilee* (1951), as Jeff Benson
- *The Texan Meets Calamity Jane* (1950), as Gordon Hastings
- *I Killed Geronimo* (1950), as Capt. Jeff Packard
- *Fast on the Draw* (1950), as Shamrock Ellison
- *Crooked River* (1950), as Shamrock Ellison
- *West of the Brazos* (1950), as Shamrock Ellison
- *Colorado Ranger* (1950), as Shamrock Kid
- *Marshal of Heldorado* (1950), as Shamrock Ellison
- *Everybody's Dancin'* (1950), as Jimmy Ellison
- *Hostile Country* (1950), as Shamrock Ellison
- *Last of the Wild Horses* (1948), as Duke Barnum
- *The Ghost Goes Wild* (1947), as Monte Crandall
- *Calendar Girl* (1947), as Steve Adams
- *G.I. War Brides* (1946), as Steve Giles
- *Hollywood and Vine* (1945), as Larry Winters
- *Johnny Doesn't Live Here Anymore* (1944), as Mike Burke
- *Lady, Let's Dance* (1944), as Jerry Gibson
- *The Gang's All Here* (1943), as Andy Mason
- *Best Foot Forward* (1943), as Cadet
- *I Walked with a Zombie* (1943), as Wesley Rand — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/i-walked-with-a-zombie.md)
- *Dixie Dugan* (1943), as Roger Hudson
- *Army Surgeon* (1942), as Capt. James Mason
- *The Undying Monster* (1942), as Robert Curtis
- *That Other Woman* (1942), as Henry Summers
- *Careful, Soft Shoulders* (1942), as Thomas Aldrich
- *Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case* (1941), as P. Cadwallader Jones
- *Ice-Capades* (1941), as Bob Clemens
- *Charley's Aunt* (1941), as Jack Chesney
- *They Met in Argentina* (1941), as Tim Kelly
- *Play Girl* (1941), as Thomas Elwood Dice
- *Anne of Windy Poplars* (1940), as Tony Pringle
- *You Can't Fool Your Wife* (1940), as Andrew Hinklin
- *Fifth Avenue Girl* (1939), as Mike
- *Hotel for Women* (1939), as Jeff Buchanan
- *Sorority House* (1939), as Bill Loomis
- *Zenobia* (1939), as Jeff Carter
- *Almost a Gentleman* (1939), as Dan Preston
- *Next Time I Marry* (1938), as Anthony J. Anthony
- *Mother Carey's Chickens* (1938), as Ralph Thurston
- *Vivacious Lady* (1938), as Keith
- *The Barrier* (1937), as Lt. Burrell
- *Annapolis Salute* (1937), as William J. "Bill" Martin
- *23 1/2 Hours Leave* (1937), as Sgt. Robert Gray
- *Borderland* (1937), as Johnny Nelson
- *Trail Dust* (1936), as Johnny Nelson
- *The Plainsman* (1936), as William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
- *Three on the Trail* (1936), as Johnny Nelson
- *Call of the Prairie* (1936), as Johnny Nelson
- *Heart of the West* (1936), as Johnny Nelson
- *The Leathernecks Have Landed* (1936), as Mac MacDonald
- *Hitch Hike Lady* (1935), as Jimmy Peyton
- *Bar 20 Rides Again* (1935), as Johnny Nelson
- *The Eagle's Brood* (1935), as Johnny Nelson
- *Hop-a-long Cassidy* (1935), as Johnny Nelson
- *Reckless* (1935), as Dale Every
- *The Winning Ticket* (1935), as Jimmy
- *Buried Loot* (1935), as Detective (uncredited)
- *The Famous Ferguson Case* (1932), as Reporter Lane  (uncredited)
- *Play Girl* (1932), as Elmer

## Gallery

- ![James Ellison](https://film.one/media/person/3859582/gallery-5833c136ab1f.jpg) James Ellison — unknown (20th Century Fox), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/That_Other_Woman_%281942%29_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![James Ellison](https://film.one/media/person/3859582/gallery-5fa9d8d90270.jpg) James Ellison — Image via TMDB
- ![James Ellison](https://film.one/media/person/3859582/gallery-f92bc940cd87.jpg) James Ellison — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/james-ellison