November 2026 – About Relatively Famous

Subscribe or Follow Spotify | Amazon Music

James Hampton was a familiar face in film and American television throughout the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. From F Troop to Teen Wolf to The Longest Yard, his career spanned decades and left a lasting impression. In this episode, his widow, actress Mary Deese Hampton, shares stories of their life together, Jim’s remarkable Hollywood journey, and how her own acting career continues to thrive.

Jim was a Texas-born, Oklahoma-raised University of North Texas cheerleader who eventually made his way to Hollywood. As he liked to joke, he discovered all the pretty girls were in the theater and drama departments, so naturally, that’s where he headed! That journey eventually took him to New York, where he was drafted in 1959. Thinking there had been some mistake, he quickly learned otherwise and spent two years in the Army.

After his military service, Jim found himself back in Fort Worth, Texas, working at Casa Mañana alongside talents like Sal Mineo and Tom Poston. He traded his set design skills for the lead role in a short film that went on to receive an Academy Award nomination. That opportunity led to a role on Gunsmoke and, as they say, the rest is history.

Johnny Carson helped turn Jim from a familiar face into a household name. Mary shares some wonderful stories about Jim’s friendship with Burt Reynolds, which began with his first appearance on Gunsmoke and eventually led to The Longest Yard and Burt’s television series Evening Shade.

Interestingly, both Jim and I stumbled into many of the careers that would ultimately define our lives as actors and producers.

Mary’s journey into acting was a little different. An only child, she had always wished she possessed the confidence and fire to pursue the stage, but initially chose a different path. She was interested in law and had dreams of putting the bad guys away! After marrying young, she found herself with plenty of free time while her husband pursued his passions for hunting, fishing, and softball. That downtime eventually inspired her to take acting lessons.

Her first acting coach in Dallas was Lou Diamond Phillips, just a year before he landed his breakout role in La Bamba. Then, in 1993, at age 30, Mary found herself divorced, with no children or mortgage, and decided it was time to take a chance. She packed up and moved to Los Angeles to see where her acting ambitions might lead.

As luck would have it, she lived in an apartment building with the kids from Saved by the Bell and a young Jennifer Love Hewitt. Opportunities started coming her way, and Mary began booking television and film roles fairly quickly. She eventually landed a recurring role on General Hospital, an experience that gave her an entirely new appreciation and respect for the world of soap opera actors.

Mary and Jim met in 1994, and by 1996, she was working alongside him as his director’s assistant. They soon married in the early 2000s moved back to Texas, where Jim largely stepped away from Hollywood. Together, they filled their days with celebrity charity golf tournaments and appearances on the comic convention circuit.

Following Jim’s passing, Mary made a thoughtful decision about his legacy. Rather than simply auctioning off his belongings, she wanted his fans to have an opportunity to own a piece of his life and career. She took his memorabilia to the comic conventions, giving the people who loved his work a chance to connect with his legacy in a very personal way.

Mary also shares stories from Jim’s book, along with a hilarious story that didn’t make the pages. It involves a little old lady who mistakenly thought Jim was Ned Beatty!

And just when you think you’ve heard it all, we get into another unexpected part of Mary’s life: What exactly do kimchi and Southern cooking have in common?

It’s a conversation filled with Hollywood memories, unexpected career paths, love, laughter, and a few surprises along the way.

#FTroop #Longestyard #JamesHampton #ComicCon #BurtReynolds