By Bianca Sierra
FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS
James McEachin (May 20, 1930 – January 11, 2025) was an American actor, author and veteran of the Korean War. He appeared in various films and television shows.
James McEachin was born in Rennert, North Carolina on May 20, 1930.
McEachin served in the United States Army before, and then during, the Korean War. Serving in King Company, 9th Infantry Regiment (United States), 2nd Infantry Division, he was wounded (nearly fatally) in an ambush and nearly left for dead. McEachin was one of only two soldiers to survive the ambush. He was a recipient of the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and was entitled to wear the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Following his military career, McEachin dabbled in civil service, first as a fireman and then a policeman in Hackensack, New Jersey, before he moved to California and became a record producer. Known as Jimmy Mack in the industry, he worked with young artists such as Otis Redding and went on to produce The Furys. He began his acting career shortly after, and was signed by Universal as a contract actor in the 1960s.
He was regularly cast in professional, “solid citizen” occupational roles, such as a lawyer or a police commander, guesting on numerous series such as Hawaii Five-O, The Rockford Files, Mannix, The Feather and Father Gang, The Eddie Capra Mysteries, Matlock, Jake and the Fatman, Diagnosis Murder, Dragnet, It Takes a Thief, and Adam-12, and in television movies including Welcome Home, Johnny Bristol (1972); The Alpha Caper (1973) and The Dead Don’t Die (1975). He appeared in such feature films as Uptight (1968); If He Hollers, Let Him Go! (1968); The Undefeated (1969); The Lawyer (1970); Buck and the Preacher (1972); The Groundstar Conspiracy (1972) and Fuzz (1972).
McEachin married the former Lois Emma Davis in 1960. Their three grown children are Alainia, Lyle, and Felecia. The second daughter was personal assistant to, among others, Ice Cube and (the late) Emmy Award-winning director, producer and writer Sam Simon. She is currently owner of The Assistant Company. Lois McEachin died in 2017, in Encino, California.
The pronunciation of “McEachin”, as he used it in a public service ad for the Army Relief Agency, rhymes with “beach in”.
McEachin died on January 11, 2025, at the age of 94.
