Great men in history: James Coburn

Academy Award winning actor (Affliction) and all around bad-ass, James Coburn appeared in hundreds of films and television series over his nearly five decade long career. Starting in television westerns, Coburn established himself as one of the preeminent actors in the genre and would go on to work with western masters Sergio Leone (Duck, You Sucker) and Sam Peckinpah (Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, aka the saddest, most beautiful western ever made). Over the years, Coburn - who was close friends with Bruce Lee - proved himself to be a versatile and charismatic actor who could move easily between genres. While he's best remembered for his iconic western roles, discerning viewers might recognize him as the voice of eco-villain Looten Plunder (You'll pay for this, Planet!!) on the cartoon series Captain Planet or in his role as El Sleezo Cafe Owner in The Muppet Movie. Felled by a heart attack in 2002, Coburn lives on in his impressive body of work.