James Rufus Agee was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on November 27, 1909 to Hugh James Agee and Laura Whitman Tyler. He had one sister, Emma. Hugh Agee was killed in an automobile accident in 1916. In 1918, Laura relocated the family to Sewanee, Tennessee. James attended the St. Andrew’s School where he met Father James Harold Flye who would become his lifelong close friend and mentor. The Agees returned to Knoxville in 1924, and James attended Knoxville High School for a year, before transferring to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. He was accepted into Harvard University’s class of 1932.

Upon graduation, Agee wrote for Fortune magazine from 1932-1937, and published his only volume of poetry, Permit Me Voyage, in 1934. In 1941, Agee turned material for a scrapped Fortune article into his first book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Agee is also credited as a screenwriter on both The African Queen and The Night of the Hunter, both released in 1955. Published posthumously in 1957, A Death in the Family is Agee’s autobiographical novel set in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Agee led a somewhat tumultuous personal life. He was married to Via Saunders from 1933-1938. Later in 1938, he married Alma Mailman, and had a son with her, Joel, before their divorce in 1941. He then married Mia Fritsch in 1946, and they two daughters, Julia and Andrea, and a son, John. Agee died of a heart attack on May 16, 1955. In 1999, the street where Agee was born was renamed to James Agee Street in the Fort Sanders neighborhood of Knoxville.

The African Queen is a 1951 film based on C. S. Forester's novel of the same name. The film was directed by John Huston, and the screenplay adapted by James Agee, John Collier, and Peter Viertel. The film starred actors Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, and Peter Bull.

"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" is the second half of the film Face to Face directed by Bretaigne Windust in 1952. The second half of the film is an adaptation of a short story by Stephen Crane. The film adaptation was written by James Agee. The film starred Robert Preston and Majorie Steele.

The Night of the Hunter is a 1955 film based on the novel by David Grubb. The film was directed by Charles Laughton, and the screenplay was adapted by Charles Laughton and James Agee. The film starred Richard Mitchum and Shelley Winters.