Hollywood Mourns: ‘Thunder Road’ Star Jim Mitchum Passes Away at 84

James (Jim) Mitchum, a seasoned actor known for his roles in film and television, and the son of iconic actor Robert Mitchum, passed away on September 20 in his home located in Skull Valley, Arizona. He was 84 years old.

Jim was born in 1941 and spent his early years in Los Angeles. His family initially resided in a makeshift home converted from a chicken coop behind his grandmother’s bungalow in West Hollywood. This was before his father achieved enough success to afford a nearby rental home. At the time of Jim’s birth, his father was involved in a local theater production, playing a Russian peasant. Robert Mitchum famously rushed from the theater to the hospital still in stage makeup, joining other anxious fathers as they awaited the arrival of their children.

Jim Mitchum began his acting journey at the tender age of eight, securing his first role in a Western film. By the age of 16, his striking resemblance to his father led to him being cast as Robert’s brother in the 1958 film “Thunder Road,” directed by Arthur Ripley. Robert also produced this movie about Southern whiskey runners, which featured high-speed chases and conflicts with law enforcement. Jim played a mechanic in the film, a role that sparked his real-life interest in car mechanics, even leading him to work briefly as a stock car racer and a mechanic for none other than Elvis Presley.

Encouraged by Presley, Mitchum also tried his hand at a singing career, signing with 20th Century Fox and releasing the single “Lonely Birthday” in 1961.

Although his venture into music didn’t flourish, Jim continued to make his mark in acting. Throughout the 1960s, he appeared in 11 film and television productions, working with notable stars such as George Peppard, Albert Finney, and George Hamilton in “The Victors,” as well as John Wayne and Kirk Douglas in “In Harm’s Way,” among others.

In 1971, Mitchum was featured in Dennis Hopper’s “The Last Movie,” a film shot in Peru. During this time, he created a short documentary titled “The Last Movie Movie,” which detailed his experiences working alongside Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Kris Kristofferson on this challenging project.

Jim starred in “Moonrunners” in 1975, a film that shared similarities with “Thunder Road” and eventually inspired the popular TV series “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

Jim was married three times. His first marriage was to actress Wende Wagner in 1968, with whom he had a son, Will Spence Mitchum, in 1969 before their divorce in 1978. He later married Vivian Ferrand in 1985, fathering two children, Brian Price Mitchum and Caitlin Ann Mitchum. This marriage ended in 1995. Jim met his third wife, Pamela K. Smith, in 1993 in Arizona, and they married earlier this year.

After retiring from acting in 1994, Mitchum moved to Arizona to help manage his parents’ horse ranch. There, he was involved in breeding and racing operations and also developed premium moonshine and traditional corn whiskey, including a special “Robert’s Rye Whiskey” in tribute to his father’s famous moonshiner roles.

Jim Mitchum leaves behind his wife Pamela, his brother Christopher Mitchum, sister Petrine Day Mitchum, daughter Ana Liljeback, son Will Spence Mitchum (Els), stepdaughter Tiffany Mitchum Greene (Doug), son Brian Price Mitchum, daughter Caitlin Ann Mitchum (Blaine Muir), grandsons Jack Durham Mitchum and Wagner Bernard Maximus Mitchum, and granddaughters Paige Mitchum and Winnry Marie Mitchum Muir.