Film tough-guy James Coburn dies aged 74

ACTOR James Coburn, who took on the tough-guy role in such films The Magnificent Seven, but whose anguished portrayal of an abusive father in Affliction finally earned him an Oscar, has died, aged 74.

He died of a heart attack at home yesterday while listening to music with his wife, said his manager, Hillard Elkins.

Coburn won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for the 1998 film after overcoming a 10-year struggle with arthritis that left one hand crippled.