Suffolk News-Herald

Aspiring actor James &uot;Jimmy&uot; K. Bangley will take his final bow this weekend before an audience of family and friends.

A Suffolk native,

Bangley died of a heart attack in his West Hollywood, Calif. home last Wednesday. He was 48.

Bangley, who grew up in the close-knit Kingsboro community, graduated from Suffolk High School in 1974. His parents, Mary Frances and James Bangley, gave their son – who had bitten by the acting bug as a child – a trip to California for his high school graduation.

Although he returned home for several months, Bangley moved out there the following year to pursue an acting career.

&uot;Every year out there,

he loved it out there more and more,&uot; Mary Frances Bangley said. &uot;He always wanted to make it on the stage and in the movies.&uot;

Bangley performed in dozens of theatrical productions and comedy clubs during his years on the West Coast. He also appeared in several movies, including &uot;Rollercoaster&uot; and in 2001, Faye Dunaway’s &uot;The Yellow Bird.&uot;

Bangley was probably more widely known for expertise in silver screen actors.

He has appeared on more than 200 network television programs representing Hollywood memorabilia and film costumes since the early 1990s.

Bangley’s sister, Mary Ann Edwards of Ivor, said her brother’s research into the silver screen stars of the past has been documented in magazines, books and on television and the Internet.

Even as a youngster, Bangley always loved old movies, said Belinda Jeffreys, a lifelong friend and high school classmate.

&uot;That was something he and his dad shared,&uot; she recalled. &uot;They taped them and spent hours watching them together.&uot;

Even if he had not made it on the big screen, Bangley was a star in life, said Jeffreys.

&uot;He embraced everything he did, regardless of what he was doing,&uot; she said. &uot;He had a good life …and he was following his dream in California.

&uot;He was a great guy. We’ll miss him.&uot;

Funeral services for Bangley are at 3 p.m. Saturday at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church.

Visitation is from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at Parr Funeral Home, 447 W. Washington St.