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A former illustrator, tall, handsome James Warren (born Wittlig) was discovered in a New York eatery in 1942 by an agent from MGM who awarded him a term contract. After playing servicemen in World War II melodramas, and usually finding himself near the bottom of the cast lists, Warren was approached by RKO, who needed a Western star to replace Robert Mitchum in the studio's Zane Grey Westerns. Mitchum, who had replaced draftee Tim Holt, was being promoted by the studio in Grade-A pictures and Warren, with his slight resemblance to Gary Cooper, seemed the perfect choice to take over the mantle of resident B-Western star. Unfortunately, after only three Westerns, all of them average or above, a reshuffling in RKO's executive offices and the return of Tim Holt left Warren out in the cold. He played Randolph Scott's brother in the high-budget Western Badman's Territory (1946) and later starred in a failed television pilot, Trigger Tales (1950). Gloria Swanson personally selected him as her co-star in the comedy 3 for Bedroom C (1952) and he starred in a rather ridiculous action-thriller, Port Sinister (1953). When both flopped, Warren left Hollywood for good and returned to working as a commercial artist. A longtime resident of Maui, HI, he enjoyed several prominent gallery showings, working mainly in watercolors.