# James Coco
**James Coco** (James Emil Coco, March 21, 1930 – February 25, 1987) was an American character actor whose career was built on stage work in New York, with three Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, a 1983 Primetime Emmy for *St. Elsewhere*, and a sole Academy Award nomination for *Only When I Laugh* (1981).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) • [2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/james-coco) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/awards/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | March 21, 1930, New York City; February 25, 1987, New York City, at age 56[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/bio/) |
| Stage honors | Obie Awards for *The Moon in Yellow River* (1961), *Fragments* (1967), and *The Transfiguration of Benno Blimppie* (1977); Drama Desk Award for *Next* (1969)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) • [5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/james-coco-35746) |
| Tony nomination | Best Actor in a Play, 1970, for Neil Simon's *Last of the Red Hot Lovers*, written for him[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/james-coco-35746) |
| Oscar nomination | Best Actor in a Supporting Role, 1982, for *Only When I Laugh*; also nominated that year for a Golden Globe and a Razzie Award for the same film[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/awards/) |
| Emmy | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, 1983, for *St. Elsewhere* (episode "Cora and Arnie", playing Arnie)[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/james-coco) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/awards/) |
| Known films | Sancho Panza in *Man of La Mancha* (1972), Milo Perrier in *Murder by Death* (1976), Marcel in *The Cheap Detective* (1978), Uncle Harry in *A New Leaf* (1971)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/James-Coco/) |
| Other work | Author of the best-selling *The James Coco Diet*; recurring role on *Who's the Boss?* in 1986–1987[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) |
## Early life
Coco was born in New York City, the son of Feliche, an Italian shoemaker, and Ida (Detestes) Coco. As a child he shined shoes with his father, and at 17 he toured for three years with a children's theater troupe, playing [Old King Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/old-king-cole) and Hans Brinker.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) After intensive study with the acting teacher [Uta Hagen](https://www.edgepedia.org/uta-hagen), he made his Broadway debut in *Hotel Paradiso* in 1957.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) The Internet Broadway Database credits him with 11 Broadway productions, beginning with *Hotel Paradiso* and including *Auntie Mame* (1957), where he also served as assistant stage manager, *A Passage to India* (1962), *Arturo Ui* (1963), and *The Devils* (1965).[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/james-coco-35746)
## Stage career
Coco's first acting award was an Obie for the 1961 off-Broadway production of *The Moon in Yellow River*; he won two more Obies for *Fragments* (1967) and *The Transfiguration of Benno Blimppie* (1977).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) In the late 1960s he formed a working relationship with the playwright [Terrence McNally](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrence-mcnally): an off-Broadway double bill of McNally one-acts in 1968, the failed Broadway musical *Here's Where I Belong* (1968), which closed on opening night, and then *Next* in 1969, which ran more than 700 performances and won Coco a Drama Desk Award.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) The two reunited shortly before Coco's death for the 1985 Manhattan Theatre Club production of *It's Only a Play*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/)
[Neil Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-simon) wrote *The Last of the Red Hot Lovers* (1969) specifically for Coco, who played Barney Cashman on Broadway from December 1969 to 1971 and received a Tony Award nomination as Best Actor.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) • [5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/james-coco-35746) The Washington Post obituary called it the role that gave the biggest boost to his career; before it, he was best known as Willy the Plumber in Drano commercials.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/02/26/character-actor-james-coco-dies-at-age-56/0170c124-89bc-419e-8b81-14e3f9e740e7/) Later Broadway work included the 1982 revival of *Little Me*, *Wally's Cafe* (1981), and *You Can't Take It With You* (1983), in which he played Boris Kolenkhov.[5](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/james-coco-35746)
## Film and television
Coco's film career was weighted toward comedy. His screen debut came in *Ensign Pulver* (1964), and his better-remembered roles include [Sancho Panza](https://www.edgepedia.org/sancho-panza) in *Man of La Mancha* (1972), Milo Perrier, the film's [Hercule Poirot](https://www.edgepedia.org/hercule-poirot) figure, in *Murder by Death* (1976), Marcel in *The Cheap Detective* (1978), and Uncle Harry in *[A New Leaf](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-new-leaf)* (1971).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/02/26/character-actor-james-coco-dies-at-age-56/0170c124-89bc-419e-8b81-14e3f9e740e7/) His most acclaimed screen performance was a supporting one: as Jimmy, Marsha Mason's depressed gay actor friend in *Only When I Laugh* (1981), which brought his only Oscar nomination.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/awards/) The same performance also drew a 1982 Razzie nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/awards/)
On television he fronted two short-lived 1970s comedy series, *Calucci's Department* (1973) and *The Dumplings* (1976), appeared on soap operas including *The Edge of Night* and *The Guiding Light*, guested on sitcoms such as *Maude* and *Alice*, and played the Van Daan husband opposite [Doris Roberts](https://www.edgepedia.org/doris-roberts) in the 1980 TV version of *The Diary of Anne Frank*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) His Emmy came for a guest appearance as Arnie on *St. Elsewhere* in 1983.[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/james-coco) • [7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/02/26/character-actor-james-coco-dies-at-age-56/0170c124-89bc-419e-8b81-14e3f9e740e7/) One of his last roles was a recurring part on *Who's the Boss?* in 1986–1987.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/)
## Cookbooks and later years
In his last years Coco drew attention for his cooking, publishing best-selling cookbooks and promoting *The James Coco Diet*, which included chapters on menu planning and behavior modification, on the talk show circuit.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) A 1985 Los Angeles Times profile, written as he opened in *The Unvarnished Truth* in Los Angeles, noted he had finished his second cookbook and reported that he admitted to once having weighed 350 pounds.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-09-29-ca-18548-story.html) IMDb lists him at 5 feet 10 inches and 250 pounds for most of his adult life.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/)
## Death
Coco died on February 25, 1987, in a New York hospital hours after suffering a heart attack, at age 56; he was buried in St. Gertrude's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Colonia, New Jersey.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/02/26/character-actor-james-coco-dies-at-age-56/0170c124-89bc-419e-8b81-14e3f9e740e7/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/) TV Insider's biography instead states that he died following a battle with AIDS.[9](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-coco/)
## References
1. [James Coco, IMDb biography](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/)
2. [James Coco, Television Academy awards database](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/james-coco)
3. [James Coco Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/awards/)
4. [James Coco Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168394/bio/)
5. [James Coco, IBDB Broadway cast and staff](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/james-coco-35746)
6. [James Coco, BroadwayWorld credits](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/James-Coco/)
7. [Character Actor James Coco Dies at Age 56, The Washington Post, February 26, 1987](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1987/02/26/character-actor-james-coco-dies-at-age-56/0170c124-89bc-419e-8b81-14e3f9e740e7/)
8. [Outrage, and Loving It, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1985](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-09-29-ca-18548-story.html)
9. [James Coco, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-coco/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames Br to C*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license