Clifton James, left, met RECOiL actor/writer/director Brian DiMaio, right, on the set of the 1975 film Bear and the Outlaw. The concept of a police chase encompassing the entire plot of the film was ahead of its time as evidenced by the movies obscurity. Two years later Smokey and the Bandit would become a runaway hit.
Besides playing a sheriff alongside Bond in both “The Man with the Golden Gun” as well as the worst James Bond film, “Live and Let Die,” James also played a sheriff in “Superman II,” “Silverstreak,” “RECOiL” and “The Reivers.”
He also played a sheriff on the small screen in TV shows like “The A-Team” and “Dukes of Hazard.” James played non-sheriff roles in “All My Children” and “Gunsmoke.”
He is survived by his six children.
