Raised in Buffalo, NY, Jim joined Actors’ Equity at age 17, when he was cast as Donald in the first regional production of The Me Nobody Knows at Studio Arena Buffalo. He continued to perform while majoring in Theater at Northwestern University, where he played Georg in She Loves Me, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls and Adam in The Apple Tree, along with appearing in the nationally-recognized WAA-MU Show for all four years.

Moving to Los Angeles after college, he performed several solos for Lehman Engel in his 1978 BMI Showcase, and was hired as a singer on the short-lived Mary, a television variety hour starring Mary Tyler Moore, along with her pals, David Letterman, Michael Keaton and Swoosie Kurtz. Jim became a member of SAG, and was hired for several speaking roles on episodic TV, on shows including Fantasy Island and James at 16.

     Moving to NYC, he joined the cast at Radio City Music Hall as one of the New Yorkers in Manhattan Showboat. For the next 19 years, he continued to perform in NYC and regionally, the highlights being: Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti at Miami Opera; A Quiet Place at Vienna Staatsoper (conducted by Bernstein); Horace Peabody in Sitting Pretty at Carnegie Hall (conducted by John McGlinn); Eddie in Times Square Angel with Charles Busch; Pacific Overtures and Close Harmony Holidays at Skylight Milwaukee; A Sondheim Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992); Stonewall: Night Variations, with EnGarde Arts, directed by Tina Landau; Feste in Twelfth Night at Chelsea Rep. Also in NYC, he taught Meisner acting classes for 2 years at The Acting Studio.

After moving to Washington, DC in 1999, he was hired as an adjunct professor at Catholic University to teach Meisner classes to the Musical Theater majors, where he continued for 21 years. In addition, he was hired in 2003 as the full-time Acting teacher at Georgetown Day High School, where he taught until retiring from teaching in June of 2020. That same year, Jim was given the English-Speaking Union’s Teacher Recognition Award, after his student took top prize in the National Shakespeare Recitation Competition.

As a director, Jim mounted productions of Oklahoma and The Gift (World Premiere) at Catholic University, and was a resident director at Shaker Mountain Music Festival in the Berkshires for three summers, directing full productions of The Magic Flute, Manon, Norma, Suor Angelica, Gianni Schicchi and Carousel. During his years at Georgetown Day, he directed 18 one-act plays, with For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls and Post-Its being two of his favorites. In May of 2013, he wrote and directed Marathon 2100, in response to the Boston Marathon bombing, with characters from that day telling their stories in the style of Spoon River Anthology.

Jim has put together several solo shows, including Faraway and Stealing That Extra Bow, performed over the years in various venues in NYC and Chicago. His most recent solo show, Liza and Barbra and Bette, Oh My! has been performed in Brooklyn and in Washington, DC. He now lives in Bloomington, Indiana and continues to perform and coach.

Please go to the “Contact” page if you are interested in knowing more about Jim’s solo show, or reaching out to him about other performing or coaching opportunities.