James Noble
The son of a Dallas wholesale coal dealer, Noble spent much of his youth attending pool halls and movie houses. He retained his expertise with a pool cue throughout his life, while his stronger interest in acting (fueled by movies) manifested itself in local stage productions and drama studies at Southern Methodist University. Following Navy service in World War II, Noble went to New York to study at the Actors Studio, then went on to a stage revival of Pygmalion wherein he met his future wife, actress Carolyn Coates. The actor appeared on such TV soap operas as As the World Turns (1956), A World Apart (1970) and such Broadway productions as "1776" (a role he took to the movie 1776 (1972)), spending much of his spare time in psychotherapy to handle his ongoing feelings of self-doubt. In films from the mid '70s, Noble principally played small roles as authority figures and politicians (Being There (1979), The Nude Bomb (1980)), with occasional larger roles. such as Bo Derek's father in 10 (1979). In 1979, Noble was cast as the genially absent-minded "Governor Gene Gatling" on the sitcom, Benson (1979), a role in which he remained until the series' 1986 cancellation. Two years later, he resurfaced on TV in the role of a Nebraska-based recording engineer on the very short-lived sitcom, First Impressions (1988).
Acted in
Fake
2011
as Mr. Rousseau
Beech is Back
2001
Bang
1995
as Rooftop Dealer
Harry
1993
as Chapel
Peak Practice
1993
as Mr. Naughton
Born Kicking
1992
as Hudson
Law & Order
1990
as Judge Nelson Kurland
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
1990
as Mr. Hyrum Lodge
Chances Are
1989
as Dr. Bailey
The Absent-Minded Professor: Trading Places
1989
as Dr. Gilmore Blount
Father Dowling Mysteries
1989
as Judge Karnes
First Impressions
1988
Paramedics
1988
as Chief Wilkins
A Tiger's Tale
1988
as Sinclair
The Day My Kid Went Punk
1987
as Max Smiley
Perry Mason: The Case of the Murdered Madam
1987
as Leonard Weeks
You Talkin' To Me?
1987
as Peter Archer
Deadly Deception
1987
as Ed Shoat
When the Bough Breaks
1986
as Dr. Warren Towle
Perfect Strangers
1986
Cinderella
1985
as King Rupert III
Night of 100 Stars II
1985
as Self
The Bill
1984
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Paul Carlisle
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
1983
Dempsey
1983
as Gavin McNab
The Woman Who Willed a Miracle
1983
as Dr. Edwards
Airplane II: The Sequel
1982
as Father O'Flanagan
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as King Rupert III
This Is Kate Bennett...
1982
as Tom Fairmont
Baby Comes Home
1980
as Dr. Elliott Olsen
Being There
1979
as Kaufman
Promises in the Dark
1979
as Dr. Blankenship
10
1979
as Dr. Miles
Benson
1979
as Governor Eugene Xavier Gatling
Hart to Hart
1979
as Dr. Metz
Lovey: A Circle of Children, Part II
1978
as Ed
Summer of My German Soldier
1978
as Pierce
Breaking Up
1978
as Haberle
The Love Boat
1977
The Love Boat
1977
as Martin Corell
The Andros Targets
1977
as Tierney
Death Play
1976
Dragonfly
1976
as Dr. Lee
The Adams Chronicles
1976
as Jonathan Sewall
Starsky & Hutch
1975
Who?
1974
as General Deptford
1776
1972
as Rev. John Witherspoon (NJ)
ABC Afterschool Special
1972
as Max Smiley
Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me
1971
as Father Pettis
The Sporting Club
1971
as Canon Pritchard
A World Apart
1970
McCloud
1970
What's So Bad About Feeling Good?
1968
as Board Member
The Defenders
1961
as Ron Mayberry