'' Without Warning : The James Brady Story '' is a 1991 American television film directed by Michael Toshiyuki Uno and starring Beau Bridges as James Brady , the White House Press Secretary who was shot during the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan in 1981 . The film is based on Mollie Dickenson 's 1987 biography about Brady titled '' Thumbs Up ''
attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan
Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan
Without Warning: The James Brady Story