Despite being one of the stars, he had only eleven lines in The Magnificent Seven (1960).

At the time of his death, he was at home listening to music and playing his flute.

Because of his severe rheumatoid arthritis, Coburn appeared in very few films during the 1980s, yet continued working until his death in 2002. This disease had left Coburn's body deformed and in pain. "You start to turn to stone," he told ABCNEWS in an April 1999 interview. "See, my hand is twisted now because tendons have shortened." For 20 years he tried a host of conventional and unconventional treatments, but nothing worked. "There was so much pain that ... every time I stood up, I would break into a sweat," he recalled. Then, at age 68, Coburn tried something called MSM, methylsulfonylmethane, a sulfur compound available at most health food stores. The result, he said, was nothing short of miraculous. "You take this stuff and it starts right away," said Coburn. "Everyone I've given it to has had a positive response." MSM did not cure Coburn's arthritis, but it did relieve his pain, allowing him to move more freely and resume his career.

Was a huge fan of Seven Samurai (1954). He greatly admired Seiji Miyaguchi's performance as Kyuzo, and would eventually play Britt, Kyuzo's counterpart in The Magnificent Seven (1960).

Along with his The Magnificent Seven (1960) co-star, Steve McQueen, Coburn was a pallbearer at the funeral of his friend (and his martial arts instructor), Bruce Lee, on July 31, 1973 in Seattle, Washington.

College friends with his The Magnificent Seven (1960) co-star Robert Vaughn.

In 1979, Coburn started suffering from severe rheumatoid arthritis, which left him debilitated at times. In 1998, a holistic healer started him on a dietary supplement, Methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, that resulted in a drastic improvement in his condition.

He was good friends with Bruce Lee. He was even one of the pallbearers at Lee's funeral, along with Steve McQueen, Bruce's brother, Robert Lee, Peter Chin, Danny Inosanto, and Taky Kimura.

For a time, he did ads for Schlitz beer. Later after the contract was finished, he admitted on a talk show that he never liked the taste of the beer.

Gained an Associate of Arts from Compton Junior College in 1950, before being drafted into the Army. Then on his return from service in Germany, he studied acting at Los Angeles City College, (along with Robert Vaughn) and improvisation at Jeff Corey's Professional Actors Workshop. One of his colleagues there was James Dean. He did not study at UCLA.

Appears on the Paul McCartney and Wings album "Band on the Run" (1973).

He was the original choice for the role of Hannibal Smith in The A-Team (1983), which later went to George Peppard.

He was deeply interested in Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, and collected sacred Buddhist artwork.

He was considered for the role of Captain Christopher Pike in the Star Trek (1966) pilot episode The Cage (1966), which went to Jeffrey Hunter.

Had appeared with Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson in two films, both of which were directed by John Sturges: The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963).

He once played the gong on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962).

Sergio Leone attempted to cast him in A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) in the parts that went to Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson, but both times he asked for too much money. Leone eventually cast him in Duck, You Sucker! (1971).

Became good friends with Kris Kristofferson during the filming of Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973). They also worked together on Convoy (1978) and Payback (1999). Coburn contributed with backup vocals on Kristofferson's album "Who's to Bless and Who's to Blame".

He was considered for the role of Trapper John McIntyre in M*A*S*H (1970), which went to Elliott Gould.

He was originally going to star in Circle of Iron (1978) opposite Bruce Lee based on a script they co-wrote themselves. He dropped out following Lee's death. Coburn refused to watch the completed film.

James Coburn appears in a 1956 Remington Rand commercial shaving and is introduced as Jim Coburn.

In the early 1960s, he appeared twice on Perry Mason (1957), both times playing the murder victim, both mean and unscrupulous characters.

Sam Peckinpah offered him the role of Bennie in Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974). He turned down because he disliked the screenplay, even questioning why Peckinpah would even make the film.

Became a father for the first time at age 32 when his first wife Beverly Kelly gave birth to their son James H. Coburn IV on May 22, 1961.

He was considered for Gregory Peck's roles in Cape Fear (1962) and The Omen (1976).

He was originally cast Franco Nero's role in The Mercenary (1968), but dropped out due to disagreements as to whether he or Nero (who was cast in a different role) would be top-billed.

On November 18, 2002, a 'Daily News' newspaper had an article on how he overcame arthritis. Coburn himself ended up dying (from a heart attack) later in the day.

In Japan, his masculine appearance was so appealing he became an icon for its leading cigarette brand. He also supported himself in later years by exporting rare automobiles to Japan.

Had appeared in two films about William H. Bonney (Billy the Kid). He played in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), as Pat Garrett. And he played John Simpson Chisum in Young Guns II (1990).

He named Pat Garrett in Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973) as his favourite performance of his own.

Sam Peckinpah wanted to cast him in The Osterman Weekend (1983), but was overruled by the producers.

He auditioned for the role of Zeus in Disney's Hercules (1997), which went to Rip Torn.

Had appeared in two feature films with Mel Gibson: Maverick (1994) and Payback (1999).

His interest in fast cars began with his father's garage business and continued through his life, as he exported rare cars to Japan. He was credited with having introduced Steve McQueen to Ferraris, and in the early 1960s owned a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso and a Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California SWB. His Spyder was the thirteenth of just fifty-six built. In 1964, Coburn imported the pre-owned car, shortly after completing The Great Escape (1963). The car was restored and sold for $10,894,400 to English broadcaster Chris Evans, setting a new world record for the highest price ever paid for an automobile at auction. Cal Spyder #2377 was repainted several times during Coburn's ownership; it has been black, silver and possibly burgundy. He kept the car at his Beverly Hills-area home, where it was often serviced by Max Balchowsky, who also worked on the suspension and frame modifications on those Mustang GTs used in the filming of McQueen's Bullitt (1968). In 1987, Coburn sold the Spyder after twenty-four years of ownership. Over time, he also owned the above-noted Lusso, a Ferrari Daytona, at least one Ferrari 308 and a 1967 Ferrari 412P sports racer.

He was considered for the role of Dr. Frank Poole in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), which went to Gary Lockwood.

During the 1960s, he was often compared with Lee Marvin.

He turned down Lee Van Cleef's role in The Big Gundown (1967).

He turned down O.J. Simpson's role in The Cassandra Crossing (1976).

He co-wrote two songs with Lynsey de Paul, "Melancholy Melon" and "Losin' the Blues for You" that appeared on her album "Tigers and Fireflies".

He was approached about playing Dr. Nathan Bryce in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), but ultimately the production simply could not afford such a name actor.

He was considered to star in The Straight Story (1999), which went to Richard Farnsworth.

In 1967, Coburn was voted the twelfth biggest star in Hollywood. In 1973, he was voted the 23rd most popular star in Hollywood.

Had a granddaughter named Jayn Coburn who is the daughter of his son James H. Coburn IV.

Alumnus of Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

Sergio Leone wanted him for A Fistful of Dollars but he was too busy.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7051 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 1, 1994.

Stepdaughter Lisa was web mistress for genesimmons.com, the official website of Gene Simmons from the rock group KISS.

He had a relationship with Lynsey de Paul.

He was considered for Tony Curtis' role in Black Commando (1982).

He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: The Magnificent Seven (1960), Charade (1963) and The Muppet Movie (1979).