James Hampton, a character actor who achieved some level of sitcom immortality in one of his earliest roles, the inept signaler Hannibal Dobbs in the 1960s series “F Troop,” died Wednesday at his home in Trophy Club, Texas. He was 84 years old.
Linda McAlister, his agent, said the cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Mr. Hampton had a kind face that lends itself well to comedic roles characterized by bumblebees or gullibility. He was among them on a handful of television shows like “Death Valley” and “Dr. Kildare” when the director of a “Gunsmoke” episode he was in drew his attention to a casting director at Warner Bros. That led to the role in “F Troop,” a spunky ABC comedy about a military outpost, Fort Courage, in the 1860s.
The show featured Forrest Tucker, Larry Storch, Melody Patterson and Ken Berry, but Mr. Hampton made an indelible mark in his supporting role as the horn player, whose playing bore only a passing resemblance to music. (In the show’s opening montage, an arrow hits the bell end of his horn directly as he plays.) The show only ran two seasons, but its exaggerated humor in an era of milder comedies like “The Andy Griffith Show” made it known to a specific audience segment .
Mr. Hampton was known to a later generation from the 1985 film Teen Wolf, in which he portrayed the title character’s father, a werewolf played by rising star Michael J. Fox. He was also in the sequel to “Teen Wolf Too” with Jason Bateman in 1987.
Mr. Hampton also played a more serious role, including the utility company’s PR man showing Jane Fonda’s character in a nuclear power plant when a disaster strikes in The China Syndrome (1979).
He has occasionally directed, including episodes from the 1990s series “Hearts Afire,” which cast Billy Bob Thornton. When Mr. Thornton wrote his acclaimed film “Sling Blade” (1996), he ensured that Mr. Hampton played a role in it as the hospital administrator.
Burt Reynolds was another major influence in his career. They met while they were working on Gunsmoke together when Mr. Reynolds was a regular cast member. The two appeared in the 1974 soccer film “The Longest Yard,” and Mr. Hampton wrote and directed episodes of Mr. Reynolds’ 1990 series, “Evening Shade.”
James Wade Hampton was born in Oklahoma City on July 9, 1936. His father, Ivan, owned a dry cleaner, and his mother, Edna (Gately) Hampton, worked in a fashion workshop.
He grew up in Dallas and studied speech and theater at North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas). He was drafted into the army in 1959 and served in Europe. He returned to Texas in the early 1960s and worked in the local theater before moving to New York in 1962.
Recognition…Barry Crowbar / WireImage
Mr. Hampton worked non-stop for the next four decades, getting roles occasionally, even after he retired in 2002 and settled in Texas. He is survived by his wife, Mary Deese Hampton, whom he married in 2002. two sons, James and Frank; a daughter, Andrea Hampton Doyle; and three grandchildren.
After “F Troop”, Mr. Hampton returned in 1976 in the movie “Hawmps!” He played a mid-19th century lieutenant assigned to oversee an experiment in Texas using camels in the cavalry. Mr. Hampton was a Johnny Carson favorite at the time and was a frequent guest on his “Tonight Show,” including the night of the Hollywood premiere of “Hawmps!”
When Mr. Hampton told The Community Common in Portsmouth, Ohio in 2007, he was Mr. Carson’s first guest so he could leave early to get to the premiere. He happened to mention to Mr. Carson that his mother was in the studio audience. Mr. Carson turned on the house lights and congratulated her on her son’s big night.
His mother replied by saying, “You just go to the premiere, James. I’ll stay and watch the rest of Johnny. “
