He was most often recognized for his gritty, masculine roles in films like The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Major Dundee. In 1979, he was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Coburn was born in Laurel, Nebraska on August 31, 1928, the son of James Harrison Coburn II (1902–1975) and Mylet S. Coburn (née Johnson; 1900–1984). What is the normal RA progression? LARRY KING, HOST: Tonight, he's an Oscar-winning actor who says he's beating arthritis: James Coburn joins us from Los Angeles. TORONTO, CANADA - James Coburn is one of those movie stars who inspire an instinctive reaction in a lot of people. In 2016 most people have finally figured out that MSM simply doesn’t work. Though so did Sean Connery and he was suppoedly measured at 6'1.5 too! Arthritis had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. James Harrison Coburn, Jr. (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who appeared in nearly 70 films and made over 100 television appearances in his 45-year career. James Harrison Coburn III (/ dʒ eɪ m z ˈ k oʊ b ɜr r n ˌ ˈ k oʊ b ər n /; August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American actor.He featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career, ultimately winning an Academy Award in 1998 for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction. James Coburn & RA. Kim Basinger presenting James Coburn with the Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "Affliction" at the 71st Academy Awards® in 1999. james-coburn Credit: Corbis While RA affects 2.5 times as many women as men, that doesn’t mean men don’t get the disease—including macho movie stars. Keeping in mind Mel Gibson was 6 ft 3 in one film not longer back ;-) Yes, if his character said it in a film it's more likely, but if we have Coburn at 6'1.5 then most people need a half inch downgrade. I remember James Coburn, the actor who starred in The Magnificent Seven, battled many years with debilitating Rheumatoid Arthritis. See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." James Coburn appeared in more than 80 films throughout his career. But it just won’t go away, despite it’s total lack of effectiveness. USA Today article on James Coburn and Arthritis Relief using MSM Methylsulfonylmethane. The elder Coburn had a garage business that was destroyed by the Great Depression. Special Thoughts for FILMS FOR TWO by Alan Waldman I loved the work of super talented, versatile, cooler than anybody actor James Coburn, who died of a heart attack on November 18, 2002 at age 74, while listening to Ray Coniff music at home with his wife Paula. His popularity waned in the 1970s, and in the 1980s he was sidelined by rheumatoid arthritis. James Coburn had rheumatoid arthritis from the late 1970s onwards. Well, not quite unknown. James was the son of an auto mechanic and a schoolteacher and the grandson of cigar-chomping, Oscar-winning character actor Charles Coburn. Of course, we do not have a database of every single person with rheumatoid arthritis, so we’d like to share with you a selection of celebrities and other famous individuals with the condition. James Coburn. Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis , Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, yet he continued working until his death in 2002. By the mid-80s, his disease forced him to limit how much he worked. Maybe it's that grin, the one that somehow suggests that fate has given Coburn a free lifetime pass. The Magnificent Seven was the first Western that helped to make James Coburn a star in the Sixties and Seventies. Coburn's performance in Affliction eventually earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.