James Philbrook was an American actor who appeared in several major films, including I Want to Live! (1958), Woman Obsessed and as Colonel Tall in the 1964 war picture The Thin Red Line. He had supporting roles on television, including The Islanders (1960–61) and The New Loretta Young Show (1962 - 1963).

Philbrook was born on October 22, 1924, at Davenport, Iowa,^{[citation needed][note 1][1]} the son of Roland F. Philbrook, a clergyman.^[2] He attended St. Ambrose University and the University of Iowa, eventually completing an electrical engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1946.^[1]

A December 26, 1962, newspaper article reported on Philbrook's varied occupational experiences: "At various times, he's been a miner, a rodeo performer, a gym instructor, a writer, a photographer — you name, he's done it with various degrees of success."^[3]

Philbrook was an aviation electronics specialist for the Navy for four years during the Korean War.^[3] He was stationed in Africa, the Aleutian Islands, China, Europe, and India.^[1]

Philbrook was married to the former Frances Cassling. They had four children.^[4]

Philbrook died on October 24, 1982, at Los Angeles, California.^{[citation needed]}