James Gammon (born April 20, 1940) is an American actor. A character actor recognizable for his gruff appearance and gravely voice, he is known for playing grizzled "good ol' boy" types in numerous movies and television shows. He is probably best known for his characters "Coach Lou Brown" in the Major League movies, and "Nick Bridges", the father of Don Johnson's title character in the television series Nash Bridges. He has appeared in the films Cool Hand Luke (1967), Urban Cowboy (1980), Silverado (1985), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Major League (1989), Major League II (1994), Wyatt Earp (1994), Wild Bill (1995), Cold Mountain (2003) and in the TV movie Noon Wine (1985). He recently portrayed a Korean War veteran on the hit ABC series Grey's Anatomy. He also played Charles Goodnight in the noted western miniseries, Streets of Laredo. Though Gammon played the father of Don Johnson's title character in the television show Nash Bridges, there are but a few years difference in their ages.

Gammon was born in Newman, Illinois, the son of Doris Latimer (née Toppe) and Donald Gammon, a musician.

Rugged-looking James Gammon first broke into the entertainment industry not as an actor but as a TV cameraman. From there his weatherbeaten features, somewhat menacing attitude and a tough-as-nails voice--the kind that used to be described in detective novels as "whiskey-soaked"--reminiscent of '40s noir icon Charles McGraw got him work in front of the cameras in TV westerns (though he sounds as if he's from Texas or Oklahoma, he was actually born and raised in Illinois) and he made his film debut in 1967. Not the kind of guy you'd see in a tuxedo in a Noel Coward drawing-room comedy--unless he was one of a gang holding them up--Gammon could play lighter parts also, as evidenced by his work as the coach in the baseball comedy Major League (1989) and in his regular role as Don Johnson (I)'s rambunctious father in Johnson's "Nash Bridges" (1996) series.