Born in 1914, durable, dependable actor James Seay was initially designed for romantic leads after being signed by Paramount in 1940. Caught up in a number of uncredited roles, the actor seemed to fare better as a villain or stern, officious type. Although military service may have taken away any chance for outright stardom, he compensated in later years by focusing on minor character roles, finding steady employment in late '40s and '50s films as a voice of authority. He was the benign old folks home doctor who expounds on Kris Kringle's mental condition in _Miracle on 34th Street . In hundreds of small-screen parts, he also played a captain in Disney's "Swamp Fox" series in 1959. Not seen after the early 1970s, Seay died at age 78 in 1992.
Some sources give Seays middle initial as A, and the 1920 U.S. Census gives it as C, but both the Social Security Death Index and the World War II Military Enlistment Records give it as W.
Raised by his mother Mable Seay and his aunt Grace Lawry, he for a time used his aunts last name, Lawry, as his own for billing purposes, particularly in theatre.
