James Robertson Justice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Robertson Justice
Justice in The Lady Says No (1952)
Born	James Norval Harald Justice (1907-06-15)15 June 1907 Lee, London, England
Died	2 July 1975(1975-07-02) (aged 68) Romsey, Hampshire, England
Resting place	Cremated; ashes buried in Spinningdale, Sutherland, Scotland
Other names	Seamus Mor na Feaseg
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1944–1971
Spouse(s)	Dillys Ethel Hayden ​ ​ (m. 1941; div. 1968)​ Irene von Meyendorff ​ (m. 1975)​
Children	1

James Robertson Justice (born June 15, 1907 – died July 2, 1975) was a famous English actor. He is best known for playing important, sometimes bossy, characters in funny movies. He was especially famous for his role in the seven Doctor films.

He also acted alongside Gregory Peck in adventure movies, like The Guns of Navarone. James Robertson Justice was born in south-east London. His father was Scottish, and James became very involved in Scottish public life. He helped start Scottish Television (STV) and was the leader (Rector) of the University of Edinburgh twice.

Early Life and Education

James Norval Harald Justice was born on June 15, 1907, in Lee. This is a part of Lewisham in South East London. His father, James Norval Justice, was a mining engineer from Aberdeen, Scotland. His mother was Edith Burgess.

James went to St Hugh's School in Kent and Marlborough College in Wiltshire. After school, he studied science at University College London for a year. Then, he studied geology at the University of Bonn in Germany, but he also left after a year.

Different Jobs and Adventures

In 1927, James Justice returned to the UK. He worked as a journalist for Reuters in London. He even worked with Ian Fleming, who later created the James Bond stories!

After a year, he moved to Canada. There, he had many different jobs. He sold insurance, taught English at a boys' school, worked as a lumberjack, and even mined for gold. He came back to Britain without much money. He worked washing dishes on a Dutch ship to pay for his trip home.

Ice Hockey Player and Manager

When he returned to Britain, James Justice became involved in sports. In the early 1930s, he was the secretary of the British Ice Hockey Association. He also managed the national team at the 1932 European Championships in Berlin. The team finished in seventh place. In 1931–32, he also played as a goalie for the London Lions ice hockey team.

Motor Racing Enthusiast

James Justice also loved motor racing. He took part in a race at Brooklands in May 1932. He also competed in the Brighton Speed Trials. During one race, his car, named 'Tallulah,' broke down loudly before the finish line! He was also involved with famous racing drivers like Whitney Straight.

Working for Peace

In the mid-1930s, James Justice joined an international peacekeeping group. This group was part of the League of Nations, which was an organization trying to keep peace after World War I. He worked in the Territory of the Saar Basin. This area of Germany was managed by both France and Germany. Britain, Italy, Sweden, and the Netherlands sent troops to help keep order there. James stayed in the Saar until the Nazis came to power. The Saar region was returned to German control after a vote in 1935.

Military Service

After his time in the Saar, James Justice fought with the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War. This war happened in Spain in the late 1930s. It was during this time that he started growing his big, bushy beard. He kept this beard for the rest of his acting career.

In 1939, when Second World War started, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. In 1943, he was injured by a piece of metal (shrapnel). He was then honorably discharged from the Navy.

Acting Career

After leaving the Navy, James Justice decided to become an actor. He joined the Players' Theatre in London. This club put on old-fashioned Victorian music hall shows. One night, he filled in for someone and was noticed. This led to his first film role in For Those in Peril (1944).

With his strong personality, large size, and deep, booming voice, James quickly became a popular supporting actor in British comedy films. His first main role was as a headmaster in the film Vice Versa (1948). This movie was written and directed by Peter Ustinov.

James Justice also appeared in a Walt Disney film about Robin Hood, called The Story of Robin Hood (1952). In this movie, he played the character of Little John.

He is perhaps most famous for playing the demanding surgeon Sir Lancelot Spratt. He played this role in the "Doctor" series of films, starting with Doctor in the House (1954). In some of his films, he was credited with different names, like Seumas Mòr na Feusag (which means "Big James with the Beard" in Scottish Gaelic).

On August 31, 1957, he helped launch the TV station Scottish Television (STV). He hosted the channel's very first show, This is Scotland. From 1957 to 1960, and again from 1963 to 1966, he was the Rector of the University of Edinburgh. This is an important leadership role at the university.

In the war film The Guns of Navarone (1961), he had a co-starring role and also narrated the story. He appeared in four films with his Navarone co-star Gregory Peck. These included Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) and Moby Dick (1956). In Moby Dick, he played a sea captain who had lost an arm.

After finishing his work for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in 1968, James Justice had a severe stroke. This was the beginning of the end for his acting career. He appeared in a few more films after that, but in smaller roles. He played Sir Lancelot Spratt for the last time in Doctor in Trouble (1970). He then suffered more strokes, which made it impossible for him to work.

Personal Life

In 1941, James married a nurse named Dillys Hayden in Chelsea. They had a son named James. Their marriage ended in 1968.

James Justice met the actress Irene von Meyendorff on a film set in 1960. They became a couple and married in 1975, just three days before he passed away.

James Justice was very good at languages. He could speak many, possibly up to 20! These included English, Spanish, French, Greek, Danish, Russian, German, Italian, Dutch, and Gaelic.

His Love for Scotland

After the war, James Justice strongly emphasized his Scottish background. He changed his middle names to Robertson, often wearing a Robertson tartan. He felt so strongly about his Scottish roots that he sometimes joked he was born under a distillery on the Isle of Skye. Some sources even listed his birthplace as Wigtown, Wigtownshire. He lived in Wigtown from 1946 to 1950. He also tried to become a politician for the Labour Party in 1950, but he was not successful.

With the money he earned from the film Doctor in the House (1954), James bought a cottage in a Scottish Highlands village called Spinningdale. In 1966, he appeared on the BBC children's TV show Jackanory. He narrated five episodes, telling stories and legends from Scotland, like "The Battle of the Birds."

Death

After a series of strokes, James Justice could no longer work as an actor. He faced financial difficulties in 1970. He died in 1975. His ashes were buried on a north Scotland moor near his former home in the Highland village of Spinningdale.

Legacy

A book about his life, called James Robertson Justice—What's The Bleeding Time?, was published in 2008. The title refers to a funny line from his first "Doctor" film. The book was written by James Hogg, Robert Sellers, and Howard Watson.

Filmography