Veteran Tony and Emmy award-winning actor James Whitmore died on Friday, at the age of 87.

According to the statement released by his son, he died of lung cancer at his Malibu home. "My father was a great man and it gives me great joy to speak about a father that always had my back," Steve Whitmore said, adding that "He always said the most important thing in life was family. He loved his work, but he always saw it as a way to provide for the most important thing, and that's family."

"He cared about acting; his whole life was dedicated to the theater and to movies," said actor David Huddleston, who was a longtime friend.

He was born on October 1, 1921 in White Plains, then moved to Buffalo where he later received a football scholarship at the Choate School in Wallingford, Conn.

His acting career highlights include a Tony Award received in 1948 for outstanding performance by a newcomer for his role of a cynical Army Air Forces sergeant in the Broadway production of "Command Decision;" he was also nominated at the Oscars for best supporting actor in his second movie, the 1949 WWII drama "Battleground." He won his Emmy Award in the year 2000 for his recurring role in the drama The Practice. Throughout his career he appeared in numerous movies and television shows, including Westerns, musicals, science fiction, dramas and comedies.

He is Survived by his wife Noreen, sons Steve, James Jr. and Dan, eight grandchildren and also five great-grandchildren.