James MacArthur

1937 - 2010

Today the world mourns the loss of internationally known actor, family man, and humble human being, James Gordon MacArthur. He passed on October 28, 2010, at the age of 72, with his family by his side. James was born on December 8, 1937 in Los Angeles, Calif. and raised in a theatre atmosphere by his parents, the First Lady of the American stage, Helen Hayes and noted playwright Charles MacArthur residing at their home, "Pretty Penny", on the bank of the Hudson River in Nyack, N.Y. As an actor, James had three strong separate careers, Live Stage, Movies and Television. His early work earned him a nomination in the Most Promising Newcomer category at the 1958 BAFTA awards. During summer breaks from Harvard he made "The Light in the Forest" and "Third Man on the Mountain" for Walt Disney. In 1959 and 1960, he made both "Kidnapped" and "Swiss Family Robinson" for Disney and made his Broadway debut playing Aaron Jablonski opposite Jane Fonda in "Invitation to a March" which won him the 1961 Theatre World Award for Best New Actor. He then appeared in "Under the Yum Yum Tree", "The Moon Is Blue", "John Loves Mary", "Barefoot in the Park" and "Murder at the Howard Johnson's" before returning to Hollywood to star in such movies as "The Interns", "Spencer's Mountain", "The Truth About Spring" with Haley Mills, and "Cry of Battle". In 1968 producer Leonard Freeman cast him as Detective Dan Williams of Hawaii 5-0, who will be forever tied to the phrase "Book 'em Dano!" After 11 years as Detective Dan Williams, he returned to the live stage in "The Hasty Heart" with Caroline Lagerfelt", "The Front Page", a play written by his father Charles MacArthur, "A Bed full of Foreigners" and then played Mortimer in the national tour of "Arsenic and Old Lace" with Jean Stapleton, Marion Ross, and Larry Storch. In 2001, James was honored with his own star along the Walk of Fame in Palm Springs, California. In 2003, the fourth annual "Film in Hawaii "Award was bestowed upon him and Hawaii Five-O. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored James with a Gold Circle Award for 50 years of outstanding contributions to the medium in 2008. He leaves behind his wife of over 25 years, Helen Beth ("H.B" Duntz, former LPGA touring pro); four children, Charles P. MacArthur (Jenny), Mary McClure (Kevin), Juliette Rappaport (Kurt), James D. MacArthur; and seven grandchildren, Ruby Johnstone, Riley Kea MacArthur, Ford and Daisy McClure, Jake, Luke, and Julia Rappaport. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, DC, The Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation, West Haverstraw, N.Y., The Solebury School MOM Fund, New Hope, Penn., Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, Palm Desert, Calif. and the Hawaii Theatre, Honolulu, Hawaii. A funeral service was held at St. Ann's Church in Nyack, N.Y., on November 6, 2010. Services will be held at 1:30 PM, Sunday, November 21, 2010 at the Palm Desert Presbyterian Church, HWY 74, Palm Desert, CA. A Memorial service will be held in Honolulu in January.
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