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James Mitchell was an American actor and dancer of English heritage. He was a leading dancer for choreographer Agnes de Mille (1905-1993). As an actor, Mitchell is best known for his role as the villainous businessman Palmer Cortlandt in the long-running soap opera "All My Children." He portrayed this character from 1979 to 2010, with Cortlandt remaining a central figure on the show until 2002.
Born in 1920 in Sacramento, California, Mitchell's parents were English immigrants who ran a fruit farm in Turlock, an agricultural community in Stanislaus County, California. After his parents separated in 1923, his mother returned to England, taking his siblings with her. Unable to care for Mitchell alone, his father entrusted him to vaudevillians Gene and Katherine King. Though his father later regained custody, Mitchell developed an interest in a career in show business.
In 1937, Mitchell left Turlock to pursue acting studies. He studied drama at Los Angeles City College and received modern dance training from renowned choreographer Lester Horton (1906-1953). After graduating, he joined the Lester Horton Dancers, Horton's dance company active from 1932 to 1944.
When Horton disbanded his company in 1944 and relocated to New York City, Mitchell accompanied him. Horton attempted to establish a new dance company there for dancer Sonia Shaw, backed financially by Shaw's husband. However, the investor withdrew support, causing the company to go bankrupt before its debut, leaving Mitchell unemployed for the first time.
Struggling to find acting or dancing work amid fierce competition and lacking connections in New York, Mitchell eventually auditioned for a dancer role in the musical "Bloomer Girl" (1944), choreographed by Agnes de Mille. Though asked to perform ballet moves, which he had little training in, Mitchell improvised a dance instead. De Mille was impressed by his style and offered him the combined role of principal dancer and assistant choreographer, which he accepted.
Mitchell's professional collaboration with de Mille lasted from 1944 to 1969. In her autobiography, she praised him for having "probably the strongest arms in the business," noting that the adagio style he and his partners developed became a valued addition to ballet vocabulary.
During the 1940s, Mitchell primarily worked as a theatrical actor but also appeared as a dancer and uncredited extra in film musicals and westerns. Producer Michael Curtiz (1886-1962) offered him a contract with Warner Brothers, where he appeared in only two films, most notably as gangster Duke Harris in the Western "Colorado Territory" (1949).
He then signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), playing supporting roles in films from 1949 to 1955. His credits included the film noir "Border Incident" (1949), the Western "Stars in My Crown" (1950), and the musical comedy "The Band Wagon" (1953). His final MGM film was the biblical epic "The Prodigal" (1955), which was a notorious box office failure, resulting in losses of $771,000 for the studio. Shortly after, MGM terminated Mitchell's contract.
In 1956, Mitchell landed his first leading film role as gunfighter Terrall Butler in the Western "The Peacemaker" (1956), a low-budget production by independent producer Hal R. Makelim that saw only limited release. This became his last film role for several decades.
Mitchell found steady acting work on television. In 1964, he secured a recurring role as corrupt Captain Lloyd Griffin in the soap opera "The Edge of Night" (1956-1975). He later took on the lead role of literature professor Julian Hathaway in the soap opera "Where the Heart Is" (1969-1973). Although the show maintained fairly healthy ratings throughout its run, it was typically the lowest-rated soap on CBS's daytime lineup and was eventually canceled to make way for the more successful "The Young and the Restless" (1973–present).
Throughout much of the 1970s, Mitchell's television appearances were limited to occasional guest roles. He supported himself financially by teaching acting at Juilliard, Yale University, and Drake University. Eventually, he was cast as businessman Palmer Cortlandt in "All My Children," a role he played for 31 years.
By 2008, health issues forced Mitchell to reduce his television appearances. He was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a long-term lung condition causing breathing difficulties and reduced airflow. He officially retired from acting in 2009 but made return appearances in 2010. Mitchell passed away in January 2010 at the age of 89, due to complications from his chronic illness and pneumonia.
