James Drury Star of The Virginian Dies at 85 – Cause of Death REVEALED – Entertainment News

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By Geoffrey Huchel

American actor James Drury, who starred on the Western series THE VIRGINIAN (1962), died April 6, 2020, in Houston, Texas from natural causes. He was 85 years old. Drury played the title role in the long-running and classic series, but the actor had already established a successful career years prior to becoming The Virginian.

At age twenty he began his career appearing in bit parts in films such as THE TENDER TRAP (1955), LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE (1955) and THE LAST WAGON.

He appeared in a supporting role in the musical/drama LOVE ME TENDER (1956), with Elvis Presley, Richard Egan and Debra Paget and the classic sci-fi flick FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956), with Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis and Leslie Nielsen. His other credits include BERNADINE (1957), GOOD DAY FOR A HANGING (1959), TEN WHO DARED (1960), POLLYANNA (1960), RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (1962), THE YOUNG WARRIORS (1967), MAVERICK (1994), with Mel Gibson, James Garner and Jodie Foster, and HELL TO PAY (2005).

In addition to his starring role on THE VIRGINIAN, Drury appeared in several television series, most notably series based on Westerns. His television credits include THE TEXAN (1958), BRONCO (1958), ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (1955), THE MAGICAL WORLD OF SISNEY (1954), DEATH VALLEY DAYS (1952), CHEYENNE (1955), THE REBEL (1959), THE RIFLEMAN (1958), RAWHIDE (1959), PERRY MASON (1957), GUNSMOKE (1955), WAGON TRAIN (1957), THE DETECTIVES (1959), IT TAKES A THIEF (1968), IRONSIDE (1967), THE FALL GUY (1981), WALKER, TEXAS RANGER (1993), and THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY, JR. (1993).