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James Conway "Jimmy" O'Donnell is the secondary antagonist of the 1984 gangster film Once Upon a Time in America.
He was portrayed by the late Treat Williams, who also played Stanley Kowalski in the 1984 A Streetcar Named Desire film, Arnold Friend in Smooth Talk, Howard Prince in Tales from the Crypt, Professor Milo in Batman: The Animated Series and Xander Drax in The Phantom.
Biography[]
Jimmy is initially a legitimate union boss who wants nothing to do with criminals and gangsters, but is persuaded into the lifestyle by Noodles, Max and the gang when they promise to provide muscle for him, help him financially and to protect him from rival teamsters attempting to assassinate him. Eventually, he succumbs to greed, power and corruption, and becomes the president of the teamsters union, and a major part of the Combination. One day, while on the phone with the gang, Jimmy is shot by Chicken Joe, a hitman for rival union official Crowning. As payback, the gang killed joe and his associate Willie the Ape. Jimmy is hospitalized, with his leg damaged.
Jimmy, along with the Combination, and various corrupt cops helped Max fake his death, take the gang's money, and start a new life as Senator Bailey, where Max married Noodles' love interest Deborah along the way. However after a political scandal and Max having found out too much about their criminal activity.
Jimmy attended Max/Bailey's party to inform him that the Combination has marked him for death, promising to protect Max's family and son, if Max were to die, either by murder or suicide. Max then signed over everything he has to him, and jimmy left, leaving Max to confront Noodles after 35 years.