View source for James MacArthur

{{Short description|American actor and recording artist (1937–2010)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| image        = James MacArthur 1968.JPG
| imagesize    =
| caption      = MacArthur in 1968
| name         = James MacArthur
| birth_name   = James Gordon MacArthur
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1937|12|8}}
| birth_place  = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S.
| death_date   = {{death date and age|2010|10|28|1937|12|8}}
| death_place  = [[Jacksonville, Florida]], U.S.
| known_for    = ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''<br>''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]''
| resting_place = 
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Joyce Bulifant]]|1958|1968|end=div.}}<br>{{marriage|[[Melody Patterson]]|1970|1975|end=div.}}{{marriage|Helen Beth Duntz|1984|2010}}
| children     = 4
| parents      = [[Charles MacArthur]]<br>[[Helen Hayes]]
| relatives    = [[Mary MacArthur (actress)|Mary MacArthur]] (sister)<br/>[[John D. MacArthur]] (uncle)<br>[[J. Roderick MacArthur]] (cousin)<br>[[John R. MacArthur]] (paternal first cousin once removed)
| years_active = 1955–2008
| occupation   = Actor
}}
'''James Gordon MacArthur''' (December 8, 1937&nbsp;– October 28, 2010) was an American actor and recording artist.

He had a long career in both movies and television, and his early work was predominantly in supporting roles in films. Later, he had a starring role as Danny "Danno" Williams in the long-running television series ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''.<ref name="chi"/>

In 1963, his [[spoken word|spoken-word]] recording "The Ten Commandments of Love" charted on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], peaking at number 94.<ref name=JW/>

==Early life==
{{More citations needed|section|date=February 2021}}
MacArthur was born in Los Angeles, and was adopted by playwright [[Charles MacArthur]] and his wife, actress [[Helen Hayes]].<!-- Leave birthplace as "Los Angeles". See discussion on Talk page. --> He was raised in [[Nyack, New York]] along with his elder sister, the MacArthurs' biological daughter [[Mary MacArthur (actress)|Mary]], who died of polio in 1949 at the age of 19.<ref name="chi"/> He was educated at [[Allen-Stevenson School]] in New York and later at the [[Solebury School]] in [[New Hope, Pennsylvania]], where he starred in basketball, [[American football|football]] and baseball.{{Citation needed |date=July 2024}} 

In his final year at Solebury, MacArthur played guard on the football team, captained the basketball team, rewrote the school's constitution, edited the school paper, played [[Ebenezer Scrooge|Scrooge]] in a local presentation of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'' and was president of his class, the student government and the drama club. He also dated fellow student and future actress [[Joyce Bulifant]], whom he married in November 1958 and divorced nine years later.{{Citation needed |date=July 2024}} 

MacArthur was raised among people of literary and theatrical talent. [[Lillian Gish]] was his godmother, and his family's guests included [[John Steinbeck]], [[John Barrymore]], [[Harpo Marx]], [[Ben Hecht]], [[Beatrice Lillie]] and the humorist [[Robert Benchley]].{{Citation needed |date=July 2024}}

== Acting career ==
=== Early career ===
MacArthur's first [[Old-time radio|radio]] role was on the ''[[The United States Steel Hour|Theatre Guild on the Air]]'' in 1948, accompanying his mother Helen Hayes.

MacArthur made his stage debut in [[Olney, Maryland]] in 1949 with a two-week stint in ''[[The Corn Is Green]]''. His sister Mary, who was also in the play, had requested that he join the company. The following summer, he repeated the role in [[Dennis, Massachusetts]] and his theatrical career was under way.<ref name="chi"/>

In 1954, he played John Day in ''[[Life with Father]]'' with [[Howard Lindsay]] and [[Dorothy Stickney]]. He became involved in important [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] productions only after receiving his training in [[summer stock theatre|summer-stock theater]]. He worked as a set painter, lighting director and chief of the parking lot. During a Helen Hayes festival at the Falmouth Playhouse on [[Cape Cod]], he had a few walk-on parts. He also helped the theater's electrician and became so interested that he was allowed to remain after his mother's plays had ended. As a result, he lit the show for [[Barbara Bel Geddes]] in ''The Little Hut'' and for [[Gloria Vanderbilt]] in ''The Swan''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/james-macarthur-actor-best-known-as-danno-in-hawaii-five0-2120546.html|title=James MacArthur: Actor best known as Danno in 'Hawaii Five-0'|website=The Independent|date=October 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>"James MacArthur Can't Wait to Be 20 So He Can Shake Off Teen-ager Label", ''Los Angeles Times'', September 14, 1957: 12.</ref>

=== Television ===
In 1955, at the age of 18, MacArthur played Hal Ditmar in the television play '"Deal a Blow", an episode of the series ''[[Climax!]]'' directed by [[John Frankenheimer]] and starring [[Macdonald Carey]], [[Phyllis Thaxter]] and [[Edward Arnold (actor)|Edward Arnold]]. The critical response was excellent, with the ''New York Times'' saying that he "performed splendidly."<ref>"New Star in Family: James MacArthur Has Debut on 'Climax!'", ''New York Times'', August 26, 1955: 39.</ref>

The following year, Frankenheimer directed the film version of the play, which was renamed ''[[The Young Stranger]]'' (1957), with MacArthur again in the starring role. His performance was again critically acclaimed, earning him a nomination for Most Promising Newcomer at the 1958 [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] awards.<ref>[http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/nominations/?year=1957 Past Winners and Nominees – Film – Awards], Bafta.org; retrieved October 21, 2011.</ref>

In late 1956, it was announced that MacArthur would make ''Underdog'', based on a novel by [[W. R. Burnett]], along with his mother and [[Susan Strasberg]], but the project never materialized.<ref>"Jim M'Arthur, Helen Hayes' Son, to Co-Star in Movie", ''Chicago Daily Tribune'', November 26, 1956: B-14.</ref>

MacArthur returned to television to appear in ''World in White'' (1957) and episodes of ''[[General Electric Theater]]'', ''[[Studio One in Hollywood]]'' and ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''.

===Disney===
MacArthur was selected by Walt Disney to star in ''[[The Light in the Forest (film)|The Light in the Forest]]'' (1958), playing a white man raised by Indians. In April 1957, he signed a three-picture deal with Disney. For ''Light in the Forest'' he was paid $2,500 per week, which increased to $3,000 per week for the second film and $3,500 for the third. However, MacArthur was only available to work during his summer vacation from [[Harvard University|Harvard]], where he was studying history.<ref>"Helen Hayes' Adopted Son Gets Pact OK", ''Los Angeles Times'', November 16, 1957: 2.</ref>

Disney executives liked his performance and cast him in ''[[Third Man on the Mountain]]'' (1959), playing a young man who climbs the [[Matterhorn]]. His mother had a cameo role.<ref>"Helen Hayes Does Bit in Disney Film", ''Los Angeles Times'', July 21, 1958: C8.</ref>

Deciding to make acting his full-time career, he left Harvard in his second year to appear in two more Disney movies, ''[[Kidnapped (1960 film)|Kidnapped]]'' (1960) and ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]'' (1960). He was named a possibility for ''[[Bon Voyage! (1962 film)|Bon Voyage]]'' (1962) but did not appear in the film.<ref>By Way of Report: "Disney Plans 'Voyage' -- Other Movie Items", ''The New York Times'', January 10, 1960: X7.</ref>

MacArthur made his [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] debut in 1960 playing opposite [[Jane Fonda]] in ''Invitation to a March'', for which he received a [[Theatre World Award]]. Although he never returned to Broadway, he remained active in theater throughout his career, appearing in such productions as ''[[Under the Yum Yum Tree]]'', ''[[The Moon Is Blue]]'', ''John Loves Mary'' (with his wife [[Joyce Bulifant]]), ''[[Barefoot in the Park]]'' and ''[[Murder at the Howard Johnson's]]''.<ref>'Danno' was TV crime-stopper, Barnes, Mike. Hollywood Reporter; Hollywood Vol. 416 (Oct 29-Oct 31, 2010): 8, 87.</ref>

He also released several records in the early 1960s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/artist/james-macarthur|title=James MacArthur Discography - All Countries - 45cat|website=www.45cat.com}}</ref> scoring two minor hits with "(The Story of) The In-Between Years" and "The Ten Commandments of Love", which peaked at number 94 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in 1963.<ref name="JW">{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2013|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2012|edition=14th|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn= 978-0-89820-205-2|page=524}}</ref>

MacArthur delivered a chilling performance as baby-faced opium dealer Johnny Lubin in ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'' episode "Death For Sale". He also appeared in episodes of the television shows ''[[Bus Stop (TV series)|Bus Stop]]'' and ''[[Wagon Train]]''. He returned to feature films as one of several young actors in ''[[The Interns (film)|The Interns]]'' (1962), Columbia's popular medical drama.

He appeared in episodes of ''[[The Dick Powell Theatre]]'', ''[[Sam Benedict]]'' and ''[[Arrest and Trial]]'', then made ''[[Spencer's Mountain]]'' (1963) at Warner Bros. with [[Henry Fonda]] and ''[[Cry of Battle]]'' (1963) in the [[Philippines]].<ref name="don" />

In 1963, MacArthur was nominated for the Top New Male Personality category of the [[Producers Guild of America Awards|Golden Laurel Awards]]. That year, he starred in and produced a pilot for a television series about a writer, ''Postmark: Jim Fletcher'', but it was not sold.<ref name="don">"James MacArthur: Broadway to the Valley---Non-stop", ''Los Angeles Times'', October 7, 1962: 10.</ref>

He guest-starred on the television shows ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]'', ''[[The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[The Great Adventure (U.S. TV series)|The Great Adventure]]'', and ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents|The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]'' before appearing in the feature films ''[[The Truth About Spring]]'' and ''[[The Bedford Incident]]'', both in 1965.

In ''[[Battle of the Bulge (1965 film)|Battle of the Bulge]]'' (1965), MacArthur again played the role of a young and inexperienced officer. He appeared in ''[[Ride Beyond Vengeance]]'' (1966) and guest-starred on ''[[Branded (TV series)|Branded]]'', ''[[Combat!]]'', ''[[Gunsmoke (TV series)|Gunsmoke]]'', ''[[Hondo (TV series)|Hondo]]'', ''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]'', ''[[Death Valley Days]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[The Virginian (TV series)|The Virginian]]'', ''[[Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)|Twelve O'Clock High]]'' and ''[[Tarzan (1966 TV series)|Tarzan]]''.

MacArthur returned to Disney to appear in ''Willie and the Yank'' (1967) for television, released theatrically as ''[[Mosby's Marauders]]''. He also had a role in ''[[The Love-Ins]]'' (1967) for [[Sam Katzman]]<ref>"James MacArthur, 'Danno,' Dies at 72", ''New York Times'', October 29, 2010: B-11.</ref> and a brief but memorable appearance in the [[Clint Eastwood]] film ''[[Hang 'Em High]]'' (1968) as a preacher.

===''Hawaii Five-O''===
''Hang 'Em High'' was written by [[Leonard Freeman]], who was producing a new police procedural, ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''. [[Tim O'Kelly]] was originally cast as [[Jack Lord]]'s assistant, but test audiences felt that he was too young, so MacArthur was offered the role.<ref name="chi"/> MacArthur said that Lord "said 'book him' to others in the cast, but I guess he said it to me the most. It wasn't anything we really thought about at first. But the phrase just took off and caught the public's imagination."<ref name="chi">"James MacArthur: 1937-2010: 'Danno' from 'Hawaii Five-0'; Helen Hayes' son also in 'Swiss Family'"
Nelson, Valerie J. ''Chicago Tribune'', October 29 2010: 1.31.</ref>

Appearing in the show made MacArthur wealthy,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/search/people/james-macarthur-|title=People search results for "james-macarthur-"|website=AllMovie}}</ref> and he invested much of his earnings in Hawaiian real estate.<ref name="chi" />

MacArthur left the show in 1979, feeling that it had become bland and predictable. It was canceled one year later. He later reflected: "It was just time. I called the producer from South America and told him I was heading down the [[Amazon River]]."<ref>'Danno' of 'Hawaii Five-O': [ALL Edition]
Ellington, Christy. The Christian Science Monitor22 July 1999: 23.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bergan|first=Ronald|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/31/james-macarthur-obituary|title=Obituary: James MacArthur: US actor known for his role as Danno in the TV series Hawaii Five-O|website=The Guardian|date=October 31, 2010}}</ref>

[[William Smith (actor)|William Smith]], who replaced him on the show, claimed that MacArthur quit "because Jack Lord wouldn't let him have a dressing room. He had to change in the prop truck for eleven years."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Shock Cinema|url=https://archive.org/details/ShockCinema121998|page=[https://archive.org/details/ShockCinema121998/page/n6 5]|title=Shock Cinema Talks with the Legendary William Smith|first=Chris|last=Poggiali|number=12|year=1998}}</ref>

===After ''Hawaii Five-O''===
After leaving ''Hawaii Five-O'', McArthur guest-starred on television shows such as ''[[Time Express]],'' ''[[Murder, She Wrote]],'' ''[[The Love Boat]],'' ''[[Fantasy Island]],'' ''[[Walking Tall (TV series)|Walking Tall]]'', ''[[The Littlest Hobo]]'',''[[Vega$]]'' and ''[[Superboy (TV series)|Superboy]]''. He also appeared in the miniseries ''[[Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story]]'' (1980) and ''[[The Night the Bridge Fell Down]]'' (1983).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-james-macarthur-20101029-story.html|title=James MacArthur dies at 72; Actor played 'Danno' on 'Hawaii Five-0'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=October 29, 2010}}</ref> He returned to the stage, appearing in ''A Bedfull of Foreigners'' in Chicago in 1984 and in Michigan in 1985. He followed this with ''The Hasty Heart'' before taking a year out of showbusiness.

In 1987, he again took to the stage in ''The Foreigner'', and then played Mortimer in the national tour of ''Arsenic and Old Lace''. In 1989, he followed another stint in ''The Foreigner'' with ''Love Letters'' and in 1990–1991, ''A Bedfull of Foreigners'' in Las Vegas.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-macarthur-started-ca/150050993/ |title=MacArthur started career at 8 |first=Paul |last=Lomartire |newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]] |page=309 |date=1991-04-07 |access-date=2024-06-25 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

===Semi-retirement===
From 1959 to 1960, MacArthur partnered with actors [[James Franciscus]] and [[Alan Ladd, Jr.]] in the ownership of a Beverly Hills telephone-answering service. In June 1972, he directed the Honolulu Community Theatre in a production of his father's play ''[[The Front Page]]''.

He appeared at conventions, collectors' shows and celebrity sporting events. A keen golfer, he won the 2002 Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament.

MacArthur also appeared in television and radio specials and on interview programs such as ''Entertainment Tonight'', ''Christopher's Closeup'' and the [[BBC Radio 5 Live]] obituary program ''Brief Lives'', in which he paid tribute to his ''Hawaii Five-O'' castmate [[Kam Fong Chun|Kam Fong]]. In 1997, MacArthur returned without [[Jack Lord]] (who was in declining health) to reprise his character, who had become Hawaii's governor, in the 1997 unaired reboot pilot of ''Hawaii Five-O''.

In April 2003, he traveled to Honolulu's historic Hawaii Theatre for a cameo role in [[Joe Moore (television journalist)|Joe Moore]]'s play ''Dirty Laundry''. Negotiations were under way in Summer 2010 for MacArthur to make a cameo appearance in the new CBS primetime [[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|remake of ''Hawaii Five-0'']] at the time of his death, a role that eventually was offered to [[Al Harrington (actor)|Al Harrington]]. Before the start of the November 1, 2010, episode, MacArthur's death was mentioned in a short tribute.

In 2001, a Golden Palm Star on the [[Palm Springs Walk of Stars]] was dedicated to MacArthur.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=October 13, 2012|title=Palm Springs Walk of Stars|url=http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/web-storage/Stars/Stars+dedicated+by+date.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418002837/http://www.palmspringswalkofstars.com/web-storage/Stars/Stars+dedicated+by+date.pdf|archive-date=April 18, 2019|access-date=|website=}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
From 1958 to 1968, he was married to actress [[Joyce Bulifant]]. From 1970 to 1975, he was married to actress [[Melody Patterson]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://h1960.classes.harvard.edu/article.html?aid=360|title=James Gordon MacArthur|website=h1960.classes.harvard.edu}}</ref>
At the time of his death, MacArthur was married to former [[LPGA]] golfer Helen Beth Duntz. MacArthur had two daughters and two sons.<ref name=Playbill>[http://www.playbill.com/news/article/actor-james-macarthur-son-of-american-theatre-royalty-dies-at-age-72-173161 "Actor James MacArthur, Son of American Theatre Royalty, Dies at Age 72"], playbill.com, October 28, 2010.</ref>

MacArthur died on October 28, 2010, at the age of 72 of unspecified causes in Florida.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hevesi|first=Dennis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/29/arts/television/29mccarthur.html?_r=0|title=James MacArthur, 'Danno,' Dies at 72|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 29, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39893712/ns/today-entertainment|title=Hawaii Five-0' actor James MacArthur dies|date=October 28, 2010|website=msnbc.msn.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031170457/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39893712/ns/today-entertainment|archive-date=October 31, 2010}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1953
| ''[[Take the High Ground!]]''
| 
|
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Climax!]]''
| Hal Ditmar
| ''Deal a Blow''
|-
| 1957
| ''{{sortname|The|Arthur Murray Party}}''
| Self
| April 30, 1957
|-
| 1957
| ''{{sortname|The|Young Stranger}}''
| Harold James "Hal" Ditmar
|
|-
| 1958
| ''[[General Electric Theater]]''
| Johnny Dundeen
| ''The Young and the Scared''
|-
| 1958
| ''[[Westinghouse Studio One|Studio One]]''
| Jim Gibson
| ''Ticket to Tahiti''
|-
| 1958
| ''Studio One''
| Ben Adams
| ''Tongues of Angels''
|-
| 1958
| ''{{sortname|The|Light in the Forest|The Light in the Forest (film)}}''
| Johnny Butler / True Son
|
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''
| Jamsie Corcoran
| ''The Innocent Assassin''
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Third Man on the Mountain]]''
| Rudi Matt
|
|-
| 1959
| ''[[Wagon Train]]''
| Waiter
| ''The Jenny Tannen Story'', Uncredited
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Kidnapped (1960 film)|Kidnapped]]''
| David Balfour
|
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Night of the Auk]]''
| Lt. Mac Hartman
|
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Swiss Family Robinson (1960 film)|Swiss Family Robinson]]''
| Fritz Robinson
|
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Play of the Week]]''
| Lieutenant Max
| ''Night of the Auk''
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Walt Disney anthology television series|Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color]]''
| Johnny Butler / True Son
| Archive footage<br />''Light in the Forest: True Son's Revenge''
|-
| 1961
| ''The Play of the Week''
| Lt. Max Hartman
| ''Night of the Auk''
|-
| 1961
| ''{{sortname|The|Untouchables|The Untouchables (1959 TV series)}}''
| Johnny Lubin
| ''Death for Sale''
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Bus Stop (TV series)|Bus Stop]]''
| Thomas Quincy Hagan
| ''And the Pursuit of Evil''
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Insight (American TV series)|Insight]]''
| Jim Brown
| ''The Sophomore''
|-
| 1962
| ''Wagon Train''
| Dick Pederson
| ''The Dick Pederson Story''
|-
| 1962
| ''{{sortname|The|Interns|The Interns (film)}}''
| Dr. Lew Worship
|
|-
| 1962
| ''{{sortname|The|Dick Powell Show}}''
| Jack Doffer
| ''The Court Martial of Captain Wycliff''
|-
| 1963
| ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color''
| Rudi Matt
| Archive footage<br />''Banner in the Sky: To Conquer the Mountain''
|-
| 1963
| ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color''
| Rudi Matt
| Archive footage<br />''Banner in the Sky: The Killer Mountain''
|-
| 1963
| ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color''
| David Balfour
| Archive footage<br />''Kidnapped: Part 1''
|-
| 1963
| ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color''
| David Balfour
| Archive footage<br />''Kidnapped: Part 2''
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Sam Benedict]]''
| Bert Stover
| ''Some Fires Die Slowly''
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Spencer's Mountain]]''
| Clayboy Spencer
|
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Arrest and Trial]]''
| Deke Palmer
| ''A Shield is for Hiding Behind''
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Cry of Battle]]''
| David McVey
|
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)]]''
| Larry Forsythe
| ''Who Killed the Kind Doctor?''
|-
| 1963
| ''{{sortname|The|Eleventh Hour|The Eleventh Hour (1962 TV series)}}''
| Mason Walker
| ''La Belle Indifference''
|-
| 1963
| ''{{sortname|The|Great Adventure|The Great Adventure (U.S. TV series)}}''
| Lieutenant Alexander
| ''The Hunley''
|-
| 1964
| ''{{sortname|The|Great Adventure|nolink=1}}''
| Rodger Young
| ''Rodger Young''
|-
| 1964
| ''[[Alfred Hitchcock Presents|The Alfred Hitchcock Hour]]''
| Dave Snowden
| ''Behind the Locked Door''
|-
| 1965
| ''{{sortname|The|Truth About Spring}}''
| William Ashton
|
|-
| 1965
| ''{{sortname|The|Bedford Incident}}''
| Ensign Ralston
|
|-
| 1965
| ''{{sortname|The|Virginian|The Virginian (TV series)}}''
| Johnny Bradford
| ''Jennifer''
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Battle of the Bulge (1965 film)|Battle of the Bulge]]''
| Lieutenant Weaver
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Ride Beyond Vengeance]]''
| The Census Taker
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Branded (TV series)|Branded]]''
| Lt. Laurence
| ''A Destiny Which Made Us Brothers''
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Twelve O'Clock High (TV series)|12 O'Clock High]]''
| Lt. Wilson
| ''The Outsider''
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Gunsmoke]]''
| David McGovern
| ''Harvest''
|-
| 1967
| ''Dateline: Hollywood''
| Self
| June 19, 1967
|-
| 1967
| ''Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color''
| Cpl. Henry Jenkins
| ''Willie and the Yank: The Deserter''<br />''Willie and the Yank: The Mosby Raiders''
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Combat!]]''
| Jack Cole
| ''Encounter''
|-
| 1967
| ''{{sortname|The|Love-Ins}}''
| Larry Osborne
|
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Mosby's Marauders]]''
| Cpl. Henry Jenkins
|
|-
| 1967
| ''Insight''
| Billy Thorp
| ''Some Talk About Pool Rooms and Gin Mills''
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Hondo (TV series)|Hondo]]''
| Judd Barton
| ''Hondo and the Mad Dog''
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Tarzan (1966 TV series)|Tarzan]]''
| Dr. Richard Wilson
| ''The Pride of the Lioness''
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Bonanza]]''
| Jason 'Jase' Fredericks
| ''Check Rein''
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Death Valley Days]]''
| Kit Carson
| ''Spring Rendezvous''
|-
| 1968
| ''Death Valley Days''
| Kit Carson
| ''The Indian Girl''
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Hang 'Em High]]''
| The Preacher
|
|-
| 1968
| ''{{sortname|The|Angry Breed|nolink=1}}''
| Deek Stacey
|
|-
| 1968
| ''Premiere''
| Russ Faine
| ''Lassiter''
|-
| 1968–<br />1979
| ''[[Hawaii Five-O (1968 TV series)|Hawaii Five-O]]''
| Det. [[Danny "Danno" Williams|Danny Williams]]
| 259 episodes
|-
| 1971
| ''{{sortname|The|Movie Game|nolink=1}}''
| Self
| June 28, 1971<br />July 4, 1971
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Hollywood Squares]]''
| Self
| April 12, 1971
|-
| 1972
| ''Hollywood Squares''
| Self
| March 6, 1972
|-
| 1973
| ''Hollywood Squares''
| Self
| January 1, 1973
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Battle of the Network Stars|Battle of the Network Stars III]]''
| Self
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Battle of the Network Stars|Battle of the Network Stars IV]]''
| Self
|
|-
| 1978
| ''[[Fantasy Island]]''
| Fantasy Island
| ''The Funny Girl/Butch and Sundance''
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Time Express]]''
| Dr. Mark Toland
| ''Garbage Man/Doctor's Wife''
|-
| 1979
| ''{{sortname|The|Love Boat}}''
| Chet Hanson
| ''The Spider Serenade/The Wife Next Door/The Harder They Fall''
|-
| 1980
| ''34th Annual Tony Awards''
| Self
|
|-
| 1980
| ''Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story''
| Walt Stomer
|
|-
| 1980
| ''{{sortname|The|Love Boat|nolink=1}}''
| Scott Burgess
| ''The Caller/The Marriage of Convenience/No Girls for Doc/Witness for the Prosecution''
|-
| 1981
| ''Fantasy Island''
| Bob Graham
| ''The Heroine/The Warrior''
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Vega$]]''
| Jerry Lang
| ''Heist''
|-
| 1981
| ''Walking Tall''
| Father Adair
| ''The Fire Within''
|-
| 1981
| ''{{sortname|The|Littlest Hobo|nolink=1}}''
| Jim Haley
| ''Trail of No Return''
|-
| 1983
| ''{{sortname|The|Scheme of Things|nolink=1}}''
| Self
|
|-
| 1983
| ''{{sortname|The|Night the Bridge Fell Down|nolink=1}}''
| Cal Miller
|
|-
| 1983
| ''{{sortname|The|Love Boat|nolink=1}}''
| Paul Krakauer
| ''I Don't Play Anymore/Gopher's Roommate/Crazy for You''
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
| Alan Gephardt
| ''Hooray for Homicide''
|-
| 1985
| ''{{sortname|The|Love Boat|nolink=1}}''
| Marc Silver
| ''Vicki's Gentleman Caller/Partners to the End/The Perfect Arrangement''
|-
| 1989
| ''{{sortname|The|Adventures of Superboy|The Adventures of Superboy (TV series)}}''
| Hogan
| ''Birdwoman of the Swamps''
|-
| 1991
| ''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]''
| uncredited David McVey
| Archive footage ''Cry of Battle''
|-
| 1991
| ''[[American Masters]]''
| Self
| ''Helen Hayes: First Lady of the American Theatre''
|-
| 1994
| ''{{sortname|The|Wonderful World of Disney: 40 Years of Television Magic|nolink=1}}''
| Self
|
|-
| 1997
| ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1997 TV pilot)
| Governor Danny Williams
| Unsold pilot episode
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Light Lunch]]''
| Self
| ''70 Super Cops''
|-
| 1998
| ''Storm Chasers: Revenge of the Twister''
| Frank Del Rio
| (final film role)
|-
| 2002
| ''Swiss Family Robinson: Adventure in the Making''
| Narrator
| Special thanks
|-
| 2002
| ''Inside TVLand: 40 Greatest Theme Songs''
| Self
|
|-
| 2002
| ''Inside TVLand: Cops on Camera''
| Self
|
|-
| 2005
| ''{{sortname|The|100 Greatest Family Films|nolink=1}}''
| Self
|
|-
| 2006
| ''{{sortname|The|100 TV Quotes and Greatest Catch Phases|nolink=1}}''
| Self
|
|-
| 2007
| ''Entertainment and TVLand Present: The 50 Greatest TV Icons''
| Self
|
|-
| 2008
| ''{{sortname|The|Age of Believing: The Disney Live Action Classics|nolink=1}}''
| Self
| Grateful thanks
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{official website|http://www.jamesmacarthur.com/}}
* {{IMDb name|531279}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Discogs artist}}
* [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/60765101/james-macarthur James MacArthur] at [[Find a Grave]]

{{Charles MacArthur}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macarthur, James}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:2010 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American adoptees]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American spoken word artists]]
[[Category:Harvard University alumni]]
[[Category:MacArthur family (Chicago)|James]]
[[Category:Male actors from Los Angeles]]