--- name: "James Hampton" canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-hampton" fi1m_id: "james-hampton" imdb_id: "nm0358996" tmdb_id: 14848 wikidata_id: "Q1680523" roles: ["Actor"] born: "9 July 1936" died: "7 April 2021" reviewed_on_fi1m: 2 average_fi1m_score: 69 average_as: "actor" average_over: 2 updated: "2026-10-04T18:54:36.567298+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 Hampton ## Identity James Hampton - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-hampton - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** james-hampton - **IMDb ID:** nm0358996 - **TMDB ID:** 14848 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1680523 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hampton_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1680523, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358996/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14848 Actor. Born 9 July 1936 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. Died 7 April 2021. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 9 July 1936, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States - **Died:** 7 April 2021 - **Active:** 1985–1996 - **Also known as:** James Wade Hampton - **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as actor, over 2 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 55 (1), 1990s 83 (1) - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hampton_(actor), https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1680523, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0358996/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/14848 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Teen Wolf*](https://film.one/film/teen-wolf.md) (55) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on James Hampton > James Hampton brought warmth and a useful lack of fuss to fathers and comic sidekicks. *Teen Wolf* is a reminder that an agreeable presence cannot make up for a thinly written part. As Harold Howard in *Teen Wolf* (1985), James Hampton brings a father's warmth to a comedy more interested in Michael J. Fox. He has less room to make an impression than the part needs, but his understated presence suits a film that is at least kind to its characters. We found that kindness comforting, particularly when the jokes ran short. Hampton is worth noticing for this unforced good nature, though we would not pretend it rescues the film. There is too little for the supporting cast to do independently of Fox. That familiar supporting position took several forms. On television, he was the tone-deaf bugler Hannibal Dobbs in *F Troop* (1965–1967); in *The Longest Yard* (1974), he played Caretaker opposite Burt Reynolds. The latter part grew through improvisation, a useful indication that his amiability could produce something more than agreeable background company. *The China Syndrome* (1979), in which he played Bill Gibson alongside Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon, gave him a dramatic supporting role. The dramatic role matters in a career so often associated with genial, hapless companions. *Sling Blade* (1996) offers a more rewarding setting for that unshowy approach. Working with actor-director Billy Bob Thornton, Hampton plays Jerry Woolridge, a hospital administrator whose credibility helps establish the film's ordinary small-town surroundings. We admire the film's patience with its people, while finding that some scenes linger too long. Hampton makes sense in that ensemble: he can play an ordinary official without making him seem merely useful to the plot. Thornton remains the main attraction, and his central performance earns the attention it asks for. His later career also included directing episodes of the sitcoms *Evening Shade* and *Hearts Afire*, alongside continued acting. For all his reliability, *Teen Wolf* leaves us wishing someone had written more for him. Start with *Sling Blade*, and watch what he adds without expecting the film to stop for him. ## Biography James Hampton was an American actor, television director and screenwriter. Born James Wade Hampton in Oklahoma City in 1936, he grew up in Dallas and studied theatre arts at the University of North Texas. He trained in New York and Los Angeles, and served in the US Army before making his screen debut in the early 1960s. He appeared regularly on television in the 1960s and 1970s, including as Private Hannibal Dobbs in *F Troop* (1965–1967) and Leroy B. Simpson on *The Doris Day Show* (1968–1973). Film roles included Caretaker in *The Longest Yard* (1974), for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, Bill Gibson in *The China Syndrome* (1979), Harold Howard in *Teen Wolf* (1985) and its sequel, and Jerry Woolridge in *Sling Blade* (1996). He also directed episodes of series such as *Evening Shade*. Hampton died in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2021. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, rottentomatoes.com, hollywoodreporter.com, nytimes.com.* ## On Fi1m (2) - *Sling Blade* (1996), Fi1m 83, as Jerry Woolridge — [page](https://film.one/film/sling-blade.md) - *Teen Wolf* (1985), Fi1m 55, as Harold Howard — [page](https://film.one/film/teen-wolf.md) ## Complete filmography (83) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Divine Access* (2015), as Mr. Bernstein - *Big Stone Gap* (2014), as Reverend Manning - *The Last Ride* (2012), as Judge Matheny - *Underground Entertainment: The Movie* (2011), as James Hampton - *Fire from Below* (2009), as Griffith - *Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel* (2000), as Pediatrician - *Katie Joplin* (1999), series, Director - *Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane* (1999), series, Director - *Rude Awakening* (1998), series, Director - *The Tony Danza Show* (1997), series, Director - *Fired Up* (1997), series, as Ben Franklin - *Smart Guy* (1997), series, Director - *Life with Roger* (1996), series, Director - *Sling Blade* (1996), as Jerry Woolridge — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/sling-blade.md) - *E! True Hollywood Story* (1996), series, Actor - *Boston Common* (1996), series, Director - *Kirk* (1995), series, Director - *Hope and Gloria* (1995), series, as Bob - *Sister, Sister* (1994), series, Director - *Grace Under Fire* (1993), series, Director - *Hearts Afire* (1992), series, as Jasper Edmunds · Director - *Melrose Place* (1992), series, as Harry Alan - *The Giant of Thunder Mountain* (1990), as Jesse (Townsman) - *Get a Life* (1990), series, as Fletcher - *Evening Shade* (1990), series, Director - *Pump Up the Volume* (1990), as Arthur Watts, Watts - *Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach* (1988), as Mayor of Miami - *Teen Wolf Too* (1987), as Uncle Harold - *Full House* (1987), series, as Mr. Malatesta - *She's the Sheriff* (1987), series, as Digby - *Teen Wolf* (1986), series, as Harold Howard (voice) - *Teen Wolf* (1985), as Harold Howard — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/teen-wolf.md) - *Otherworld* (1985), series, as Fred Roach - *Crazy like a Fox* (1984), series, Actor - *The Burning Bed* (1984), as Police Witness - *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Jerry Blevins, Veterinarian - *Who's the Boss?* (1984), series, Actor - *Punky Brewster* (1984), series, as Jimmy John - *Boone* (1983), series, Actor - *Goodnight, Beantown* (1983), series, Actor - *Mama's Family* (1983), series, Actor - *Newhart* (1982), series, Actor - *Matt Houston* (1982), series, Actor - *Tales of the Gold Monkey* (1982), series, Actor - *World War III* (1982), series, as Richard Hickman - *Through the Magic Pyramid* (1981), as Sam Tuttle - *Simon & Simon* (1981), series, as Odell Mitchell - *Maggie* (1981), series, as Len Weston - *Condorman* (1981), as Harry Oslo - *Stand by Your Man* (1981), as Billy Sherrill - *Hangar 18* (1980), as Lew Price - *The China Syndrome* (1979), as Bill Gibson - *Kaz* (1978), series, as Osman - *The Cat from Outer Space* (1978), as Capt. Anderson - *Thaddeus Rose and Eddie* (1978), as Alvin Karl - *Three on a Date* (1978), as Ernest - *The Amazing Howard Hughes* (1977), as Wilbur Peterson - *The Amazing Howard Hughes* (1977), series, as Wilbur Peterson - *Bunco* (1977), Actor - *Hawmps!* (1976), as Howard Clemmons - *Hustle* (1975), as Bus Driver - *Mackintosh and T.J.* (1975), as Cotton - *W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings* (1975), as Junior - *Force Five* (1975), as Lester White - *Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan* (1975), series, as Harry Dudley - *The Rockford Files* (1974), series, as Aaron Ironwood — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md) - *The Manhunter* (1974), series, Actor - *The Longest Yard* (1974), as Caretaker - *Fade In* (1973), as Bud - *The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing* (1973), as Jimmy (uncredited) - *Hawkins* (1973), series, as Earl Coleman - *Justin Morgan Had a Horse* (1972), as Aaron - *Soldier Blue* (1970), as Pvt. Menzies - *Love, American Style* (1969), series, as John Simpson, Davis - *The Doris Day Show* (1968), series, as LeRoy B. Simpson - *Mannix* (1967), series, as Billy Lee - *Cimarron Strip* (1967), series, Actor - *The F.B.I.* (1965), series, as Claybourne - *F Troop* (1965), series, as Hannibal Dobbs - *Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.* (1964), series, Actor - *The Cliff Dwellers* (1962), as The Boy - *Gunsmoke* (1955), series, as Jeb, Eliab Haggen - *The Wonderful World of Disney* (1954), series, as Aaron ## Gallery - ![James Hampton](https://film.one/media/person/86776/gallery-3dc38493ea7a.jpg) James Hampton — CBS Television Uploaded by We hope at en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/James_hampton_1975.JPG?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![James Hampton](https://film.one/media/person/86776/gallery-6e58b171d8fa.jpg) James Hampton — Image via TMDB - ![James Hampton](https://film.one/media/person/86776/gallery-45c4f1590632.jpg) James Hampton — Image via TMDB - ![James Hampton](https://film.one/media/person/86776/gallery-3a694137e571.jpg) James Hampton — Image via TMDB - ![James Hampton](https://film.one/media/person/86776/gallery-68efe2395b14.jpg) James Hampton — 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-hampton