James Bacon, Longtime Entertainment Columnist and Sometime Actor
In addition to his journalism, Bacon appeared in several films and television programs.
James Bacon, an entertainment columnist who spent 23 years with the Associated Press and later spent 16 years with the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, died September 18, 2010, in Northridge, California. He was 96.
During a career spanning 60 years, Bacon interviewed and wrote about the biggest stars in Hollywood and became friends with such legends as John Wayne, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe.
He also wrote three books — Hollywood Is a Four Letter Town, Made in Hollywood and co-authored an autobiography about Jackie Gleason titled How Sweet It Is.
In addition to his journalism, Bacon made occasional appearances in films and television programs, often as a reporter.
Is the only actor to appear in all five films in the Planet of the Apes series. He played an ape in all of them except for Escape from the Planet of the Apes in which he played a human, General Faulkner. It was also the only one of the films in which he was credited.
His television credits include Run for Your Life, Adam-12 and The Big Valley, and the made-for-TV movies The Rules of Marriage, The Day the Bubble Burst and The Patricia Neal Story.
Most recently, he was a weekly column focused on Hollywood's golden years for the magazine Beverly Hills 213. His last story appeared in June.
Survivors include his second wife, Doris Klein, their three children, two children from his first marriage, 15 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and a sister.