Biography
Who is James Remar?
Early life and background
William James Remar was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 31, 1953. His mother, Elizabeth, worked in state mental health affairs, and his father, Roy Remar, practiced law. He grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, alongside his three sisters and two brothers.
James left high school at age fifteen and later spent a year at an alternative school. He traveled around the United States and briefly played guitar in a rock band before returning home to finish high school. He decided against attending college after graduation.
Acting beginnings
James decided to pursue an acting career at age twenty after being laid off from his job as a roofer. He recalled a previous experience performing at a summer camp and gave himself a three-year limit to succeed as an actor. He traveled to Florida and secured a role in a state production of Cross and Sword.
Following that experience, James studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. He later landed the part of Kenickie in a touring production of Grease and performed at the Ensemble Studio Theatre before making his film debut in On the Yard.
Film career
James spent much of his film career portraying villains and tough characters. He played the gang member Ajax in the 1979 cult film The Warriors and the sociopathic criminal Albert Ganz in the 1982 film 48 Hrs. Both motion pictures were directed by Walter Hill. He also portrayed 1930s gangster Dutch Schultz in the 1984 film The Cotton Club.
Additional film credits for James include Windwalker in 1980, Quiet Cool in 1986, and Renaissance Man in 1994. He played Quill in the 1996 film adaptation of The Phantom and took over the role of Raiden in Mortal Kombat Annihilation in 1997. He later appeared in 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, Blade: Trinity in 2004, and Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained in 2012.
Television success
In television, James played Richard Wright, the on-again, off-again partner of Kim Cattrall's character, in Sex and the City from 2001 to 2004. He gained widespread recognition for co-starring as Harry Morgan, the adoptive father of the title character, in the Showtime series Dexter from 2006 to 2013, earning a Saturn Award nomination for the role.
His later television work includes playing Frank Gordon in Gotham from 2016 to 2019 and Peter Gambi in Black Lightning from 2018 to 2021. He also portrayed Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson in the 2023 film Oppenheimer and returned to the Dexter franchise for Dexter: Resurrection.
Birthday and age
James Remar was born on December 31, 1953, which makes James 72 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. James shares the date with 26 other famous people.
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