James Whitmore, famed for an Oscar-nominated turn as President Harry Truman and his role in 'The Shawshank Redemption', has died at age 87.
His son, Steve Whitmore, announced that the actor died of lung cancer at his home in Malibu.
A New York native, Whitmore served in the Marine Corps during World War II and began appearing in stage productions in New Hampshire in the late 1940s.
Whitmore was nominated for seven Oscars including a Best Actor nod for his 1975 portrait of Truman in 'Give 'em Hell Harry!'
He starred in 'Planet of the Apes' as head of the simian assembly, and in 'The Shawshank Redemption', playing an inmate who befriended Morgan Freeman's character.
Whitmore also appeared in 'The Twilight Zone', 'Dr. Kildare' and 'The Detectives'.
