Not everyone who moves to Hollywood is chasing instant fame. Some people come because they just can't picture living anywhere else. James Kenneth "Jimmy" Bangley was one of those people. For nearly thirty years, he worked as an actor and quietly became known as a Hollywood film historian. Whether he was acting in Shakespeare plays, doing stand-up on Sunset Boulevard, or digging up forgotten stories from Hollywood's silent era, Bangley gave his life to the industry he loved. He may not have found fame, but he always found fulfillment.
By Allan R. Ellenberger
Jimmy Bangley was born on July 11, 1956, in Norfolk, Virginia, and grew up in Suffolk. As a kid, he loved old movies and spent hours watching classics with his father, dreaming of being an actor one day. At Suffolk High School, he acted in plays like Our Town and performed with the Norfolk Savoyards in The Pirates of Penzance. His classmates thought he was outgoing and funny, voting him "Craziest" and "Best All Around" when he graduated in 1974.
His parents, James H. Bangley Jr. and Mary Frances Bangley, saw how passionate he was. For his graduation, they gave him enough money to visit California. They thought he would check it out and come home after a week. Instead, Hollywood changed his life for good.
Bangley returned to Los Angeles in 1975 with determination and a strong belief that he belonged in show business. Like many before him, he found that success wasn't easy. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, taking classes in voice, speech, movement, and acting, while working different jobs to support himself.
One of those jobs was as a doorman at the Pacific Pantages Theatre, which had hosted the Academy Awards from 1949 to 1960. For someone who loved Hollywood history, it was the perfect place to work.
His first screen work was as an extra and bit player in Universal Pictures' 1977 thriller Rollercoaster. The part was small, but it started a steady career in front of the camera. Bangley knew early on he probably wouldn't be a leading man, but he threw himself into character roles. "Let's face it," he once said, "I consider myself a character actor. That's what I'm going to be."
At the age of ten, Jimmy poses with a CBS color camera test card while modeling for his father, who worked at the local CBS television affiliate in Virginia.
A teenage Jimmy Bangley in his hometown of Suffolk, Virginia, years before following his dream of moving to Hollywood to pursue a career as an actor, writer, and film historian.
Jimmy with Charles Goodman, director of the Student Cooperative Association at Suffolk High School, shortly after Jimmy was elected the organization's vice president.
Comedy was another big part of his life. In the late 1970s and 1980s, he regularly performed at the Comedy Store on Sunset Boulevard and the Improvisation Café on Melrose Avenue. His impressions of stars like Bette Davis and Elvis Presley were crowd favorites, though he often said he couldn't tell from the stage if they really worked. "It's so different when you're up there," he explained. "You really can't judge how you're doing."
Even though he did well in comedy, Bangley's true love was theater. In the 1980s, he became a regular on Los Angeles stages, acting in plays like Shakespeare's Sir John Oldcastle, A Yorkshire Tragedy, and King Edward III, often playing more than one character in a show. He loved the challenge of becoming different people and thought it was more rewarding than trying to be a leading man. Later, he acted in the cult favorite Bob's Office Party and, in his last year, Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People.
Bangley never gave up on acting for the screen. Over the years, he built up film and television credits, appearing in more than 100 television shows as both an actor and a film historian. His biggest film role was in 2001, when he acted alongside Faye Dunaway, James Coburn, Brenda Blethyn, Cynthia Watros, and Natalie Canerday in The Yellow Bird, which Dunaway directed based on a Tennessee Williams story. He was also cast in Dunaway's planned adaptation of Master Class, but sadly, he never got to play that part.
How Bangley met Dunaway became one of his favorite Hollywood stories. One day, while walking in his West Hollywood neighborhood near Spaulding Avenue and Willoughby Avenue, he saw a woman struggling with a heavy box on her porch. He offered to help, and was surprised when she introduced herself as Faye Dunaway, the Academy Award winner. That simple act of kindness turned into a lasting friendship. Dunaway admired his intelligence, humor, and deep knowledge of classic films, and later invited him to appear in The Yellow Bird. Bangley often said their friendship was one of the great joys of his life.
Above: Faye Dunaway and Jimmy Bangley share a moment between takes on the set of The Yellow Bird (2001). Below: Dunaway and Bangley are joined by their co-star Natalie Canerday (left) during the film's production.
Jimmy poses with comedian Roseanne Barr at the Comedy Store during the early years of her career, before she achieved television stardom with her hit sitcom Roseanne.
Jimmy shares a booth with his friend, actress Sally Kirkland, at the Silver Spoon restaurant, where Jimmy regularly met with actors, and other friends from Hollywood.
Jimmy is with his good friend, actress Marsha Hunt, proudly holding a copy of Classic Images magazine featuring the article he wrote about the legendary actress.
Even though acting was his job, Bangley became more and more dedicated to remembering Hollywood history. By the mid 1990s, he was a respected film historian, researcher, writer, and photo archivist at the Writers Guild Foundation in Los Angeles. He used to joke that every dollar he made came from "writing, researching, being a film historian, or acting." He researched silent films, wrote about classic Hollywood, narrated television segments about historic Hollywood homes, consulted on many history projects, and often appeared on television to talk about movie memorabilia, costumes, and film history. People often turned to him for help, knowing that if anyone could identify a forgotten actor, find a rare photo, or solve a Hollywood mystery, Jimmy probably already knew the answer.
It was through his passion for silent screen legend Barbara La Marr that our own friendship began. I first met Jimmy in June 1996 while volunteering at the Hollywood Studio Museum during preparations for an exhibition celebrating the one-hundredth anniversary of Barbara La Marr's birth. Knowing La Marr's son, Donald Gallery, I telephoned him, hoping he might loan a few family treasures for display. Without hesitation, he replied, "You need to talk to Jimmy Bangley."
Jimmy, author and film historian Margaret Burke, and Donald Gallery, son of silent screen star Barbara La Marr, examine a selection of rare photographs from Jimmy's extensive Barbara La Marr collection.
Jimmy Bangley was an occasional speaker at the annual Rudolph Valentino Memorial Service, where he shared his extensive knowledge of the silent screen legend with fellow admirers and film historians.
Jimmy and I met for lunch at his favorite spot, the Silver Spoon on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. We got along right away. He kindly lent the museum an amazing collection of Barbara La Marr memorabilia, including rare photos, original lobby cards, and even La Marr's handbag, which helped make the exhibition one of the museum's best. This showed Jimmy's generous spirit. He never saw himself as just a collector. He believed Hollywood history belonged to everyone and was happiest when he could share it.
Silver Spoon was more than just a local restaurant. It became Jimmy's unofficial headquarters, where filmmakers, actors, historians, and writers often gathered. Thanks to Jimmy, I met an amazing group of friends, including Sally Kirkland, Shelley Winters, Robert Forster, and Rip Taylor. Later, he also became friends with actress Marsha Hunt, author Cari Beauchamp, and former Academy president Fay Kanin. Jimmy had a real talent for bringing people together. Lunch conversations would move from silent films and forgotten stars to Broadway, television, and the latest Hollywood gossip, with Jimmy usually acting as the historian who could explain every story.
Perhaps his most ambitious historical project was a full-length biography of silent screen star Barbara La Marr. For years, he painstakingly gathered interviews, photographs, documents, and family recollections, hoping to produce the definitive study of the actress whose extraordinary beauty and tragic life had fascinated him since childhood.
Those who followed his research believed the book would have become an important contribution to silent film scholarship. Sadly, it remained unfinished.
Even though he made his home in West Hollywood, Jimmy never forgot Suffolk. Local newspapers proudly covered his career, from his stage and comedy work to his projects with Faye Dunaway and his reputation as a Hollywood historian. Friends back home admired not just what he achieved, but his determination. As Bangley often said, "I know I'll get a part. I may hear 'no' twenty times in a row, but the next time I step into that theater, I may hear 'yes.'"
On December 10, 2004, Jimmy Bangley was found dead at his home in West Hollywood after a short illness and a heart attack. He was only forty-eight. His death shocked friends in both Hollywood and Virginia. By then, he had acted in dozens of stage shows, ten movies, and over a hundred television programs, and was known as one of Hollywood's most respected independent film historians. His passing also meant his Barbara La Marr biography and his chance to appear in Dunaway's Master Class would never happen.
Jimmy's funeral was held on December 18, 2004, at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Virginia. He was buried next to his beloved grandmother in Cedar Hill Cemetery, returning to the hometown where his dreams first started.
Jimmy Bangley visits the final resting place of his favorite actress, Bette Davis, whose remarkable career and enduring legacy inspired his lifelong love of classic Hollywood.
Although Jimmy was buried in his hometown of Suffolk, Virginia, his Hollywood friends gathered one last time to honor him. On January 8, 2005, a memorial was held at the Chapel of the Psalms at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, packed with friends, colleagues, and fellow film historians. Many shared touching stories about Jimmy's generosity, humor, and passion for acting and preserving Hollywood's history. Following the service, everyone gathered at the Silver Spoon for a wake, where we filled the restaurant as friends shared memories of Jimmy. We then raised money to buy a cenotaph niche in the Valentino Shrine at Hollywood Forever, creating a permanent spot in the city he loved where people can pay their respects.
Jimmy is buried in the Bangley family plot at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Suffolk, Virginia, where he was laid to rest in the community that nurtured his lifelong dream of a career in Hollywood. (Photo courtesy of James Shippey.)
Jimmy Bangley, who would have celebrated his seventieth birthday tomorrow, never measured success by fame. He was an actor who loved becoming different people, a comedian who enjoyed making people laugh, and a historian who wanted to keep the memories of others alive. He had a rare gift for celebrating Hollywood's past while still chasing his own dreams. Looking back, it's fitting that he lived in both worlds: the performer making stories and the historian making sure others weren't forgotten. His own story deserves to be remembered too.
Jimmy's cenotaph niche in the Valentino Shrine of Hollywood Forever Cemetery's Cathedral Mausoleum was purchased through donations from his many friends, giving them a permanent place to honor and remember him in the city he loved.
What you've read here is only a glimpse into Jimmy Bangley's extraordinary life. The full story is far richer, filled with remarkable adventures, unforgettable friendships, and encounters with some of the most fascinating personalities of his time—far more than could ever fit within the pages of a single article.
Over the years, Jimmy formed lasting friendships. Pictured here are just a few of the Hollywood people whose lives he touched through his warmth and generosity.
🎬 Check back this Sunday for my latest film review! I'll be taking a look at a new release, exploring whether it's worth your time. I hope you'll stop by, read the review, and share your own thoughts in the comments!
If you enjoyed learning about the life and legacy of actor, writer, and film historian Jimmy Bangley, please take a moment to leave a comment, rate the article, and share it with fellow lovers of classic Hollywood, and also share any memories you may have of Jimmy—your support helps keep these forgotten stories alive.
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Comments
Jimmy was so much fun. I miss him terribly. Thank you, Allan, for bringing him back to us.
Hi Max, good to hear from you. We did have fun, right? Thanks for sharing.
Uncle Jimmy has the type of voice that just sticks with you. Sometimes when loved ones pass you kinda forget what they sound like, luckily for us we have ways to hear his again, which doesn’t happen with others often. But in all honesty, we don’t need anything to remind us of his. I only had been 13 when he passed but I still hear things pass through my thoughts in his voice. I wish I could have just one conversation with him as an adult, I know the hour long talks with him as a child would now be an all day event. You know the question “if you could have lunch with anyone in the world alive or dead who would it be?” My answer has and always will be him.
Hi Phaedra, your uncle talked about you a lot too. He was very proud of the young lady you were growing up to be. He would have loved what you said. Thanks for sharing.
Jimmy was my cousin and we lived just a few houses away from each other. I was a year behind him at Suffolk high school and, because it was a small school in a small town, we shared friends. Your article is a fabulous glimpse into the life he had after leaving Suffolk. Jimmy was unique and so very full of life. No one who met him ever forgot him. Thank you for sharing such a well written story.
Hi Terri, thank you for your kind words. I would have been fun growing up next door to him. Thank you for your comments.
Allan, thank you so much for this article! I read this to our mother, Mary Frances, this morning. We were laughing, crying, full range of emotion!! I miss Jimmy so much, but I am so grateful to have had him in my life as a brother. He was my protector when I was growing up. Literally confronting bullies for his sis!!! So you see, he was funny and fearless!! I miss him being here on Earth with me!! Thank you again!!!!
Hi Mary Ann, Jimmy talked about you and your parents all the time. He loved you dearly. Thanks for reading it to your mom and please tell her I said hello. Thanks for leaving your comments.
This is such a beautiful article. Jimmy was my uncle who I sadly only met as a baby, so I never got to have a proper memory of him. I've grown up hearing about him all my life from my mom, his sister. I've looked at his yearbooks over and over and seen the love everyone had for him. I feel like we would have been the best of friends and am so connected to his love of movies and wanting to document all that he loves. This was a wonderful read and allowed me to hear a few new things about my Uncle. Happy birthday, Jimmy. We love you, even those of us who never got to talk to you. Thank you for this wonderful tribute.
Hi Rhiannon, I believe I remember him telling me when you were born. He would have loved watching you grow up. He would have been a fun uncle. Thanks for leaving a comment.
Allan, God bless you for your touching, true and now forever portrait of our beloved Jimmy Bangley. 70 years old today! That man lived more in a day than most people lived in a year. Gone way too soon, but he got his money’s worth for sure! I love you Jimmy Bangley!
Hi Jim, thank ewww very much. Can you believe 70? I can't haha. I'll miss him always. Thanks for commenting.
My uncle Jimmy was one of the greatest men I've ever known. I'm so glad I got to have him for the years I did. I will always remember his holiday calls yo my grandma's house where we would all stand in line just to talk to him and hear his voice... most of the time he was spending the holiday with Faye. Little did I know back then how amazing that was. He will always have a special spot in my heart whether it was playing barbie and the rockers with me at Christmas or just his special hugs. Thank you for making such a great post for him. He touched so many ❤️
Hi Natalie, your uncle Jimmy talked about you a lot. I was there sometimes when he was talking to you. He loved you very much. Thanks for commenting.
Mr. Jimmy Bangley (as he liked to be called) was a force of nature! His personality was bigger than life and he loved the world and the people who lifted him up. He was taken was too soon
Hi Rose, Mr. Bangley was bigger than life indeed. Thanks for commenting.
I went to Suffolk high school as a graduate of 73 and he was such a delightful effervescent personality that he lit up every room. He walked in and he was just so kind and loving.
Hi Mary, he was infectious. Thanks for commenting.
This is such a beautiful tribute to one of my closest childhood friends. I loved him dearly and miss him. Thanks for sharing this wonderful and well written story.
Hi Jane, I remember Jimmy mentioning you on occasion. Thanks for your comment.
What a fantastic article about our beloved friend. You captured his essence. Jimmy packed a lot into his life. What a brilliant human. So missed. And great photos too. Thank you❤️
Hi Alexa, its good to hear from you. Jimmy is still missed. Thanks for commenting.
Jimmy was one of the funniest people I ever know. I was friends with his MaryAnne. I stayed at their house a lot and would talk to us about all golden oldies. He called me "Sixteen" He is someone I will never forget. Love you Jimmy!
Hi Susan, it would have been fun to know him as a kid. Thanks for your comment.
Jimmy was quite the character. I remember his lengthy voicemails!! Always with laughter. One time at the Valentino Memorial Service he was speaking and there was suddenly a loud screeching sound from the microphone feedback. Without missing a beat, Jimmy chimed in that it was Pola Negri letting us know she was there! Gone far too soon, he was truly one of those people you never forget, and truly irreplaceable. He is still missed in the Hollywood that he loved and admired
Hi Tracy, I remember that day well. He was a hoot. Thanks for commenting.
Loved this tribute, Allan. Jimmy was an original. One of a kind. I’m so pleased to have been able to call him a friend. Thank you for honoring his memory.
Hi Donna, its good to hear from you. Jimmy was one of kind. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you for sharing Jimmy with the world. He was a dear friend and we had so much fun growing up in Suffolk! I can still hear his excitement when he told all of us about his part in Rollercoaster and you can bet we filled the Chadwick Theater to cheer him on. Gone too soon. Love and miss him🙄
Thanks, Susan, I bet that was like a premiere. Thanks for commenting.
Long Live Jimmy Bangley!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful article -- We were so lucky to have Jimmy in our community. He was a bright light, and we miss him.
Hi Chris, Jimmy talked a lot about Suffolk and everyone there. Thanks for the comment.