US character actor Whitmore dies

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James Whitmore, a veteran character actor who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of President Harry Truman, has died aged 87.

Whitmore was nominated for an Academy Award for best lead actor for his portrait of Truman in Give 'em Hell Harry! in 1975.

He was famed for his one-man shows and his career as a character actor, starring in Dr Kildare and Rawhide.

His more recent film credits include the Shawshank Redemption.

He played an inmate who committed suicide.

Other film roles included that of the head of the simian assembly in the original Planet of the Apes.

He died in Malibu, just northwest of Los Angeles, of lung cancer.