James Hampton, known for 'F Troop' and 'The Longest Yard,' dead at 84

The actor died at his home in Fort Worth, Texas due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Born in Oklahoma City in 1936, Hampton was mostly raised in Dallas until he attended the University of North Texas and was ultimately drafted into the U.S. Army. THR reports that he was in the cavalry at Fort Knox before being sent to active duty overseas. When he returned home, he studied acting with Sidney Lumet’s father, Baruch Lumet at the Knox Street Theater in Dallas.  Eventually, he moved to New York and found a job on the Oscar-nominated movie "The Cliff Dwellers." Due to its success, he went to Los Angeles where he landed a role on the TV show "Gunsmoke" in 1963. On the show, he met Burt Reynolds, which launched a friendship and working relationship that would endure until Reynolds’ death in 2018.