Actor James Morrison      JAMES MORRISON
James Morrison was born April 12, 1954 in Bountiful, Utah and raised in Anchorage,Alaska.


James has lived in Los Angeles since 1982, together with partner/wife Riad since 1989. The couple welcomed their first child in 1999 a son they named Seamus

One of six, James children grew up in Anchorage. He was drawn to acting as a child, play-acting scenes from movies he had watched. Like many shy children, pretending was a skill he learned early on. As he got older his father put him to work as a laborer on the Alaskan highway road crews and his mother encouraged his acting convincing, her son to audition for the local community theater. Though active in sports throughout school, James gave up football to dedicate more time to the stage, where he found a home.

It was the rest of school's structure James had difficulties with, switching between West High and The "Save" alternative educational program. James was allowed to take courses at the local community college and became a peer counselor, but by mid-senior year James opted to quit school, testing out for his diploma instead, followed by acting classes at the same community college.


James traveled the lower 48 for a while after school, going from New York to Salt Lake City. He worked for a while as a clown and wire walker for the Carson and Barnes Wild Animal Circus, before returning home for his theatrical apprenticeship with the Alaska Repertory Theatre in 1977-79. He supplemented his acting income with more main-stream jobs, before moving on to Los Angeles and a full-time acting career.

Since then, he has appeared at The Jupiter Theatre,the La Jolla Playhouse, the LA Stage Company, the Mark Taper Forum, the McCarter Theatre, The Old Globe, and The Pasadena Playhouse working with such directors as Emily Mann, Des McAnuff, Jack O'Brien, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Jose Quintero, and receiving the Los Angels Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance and three Drama-Logue Awards.


He has appeared in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, THE MAI, GETTING AND SPENDING, the London premiere of Emily Mann's STILL LIFE on the West End, The Riverside Studios and The Edinburgh Festival at the Traverse Theatre, where the production received a Fringe First Award. He has been in the American Playhouse production of Ibsen's AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE. This past year he appeared to good reviews in Emily Mann's production of Sam Shepard's play, FOOL FOR LOVE.


He is also a Lecture Fellow at Bournemouth University in the UK.


On television, James appeared as Lt. Colonel T.C.McQueen on twenty-two episodes of the FOX Television series, SPACE: ABOVE AND BEYOND, as well as QUANTUM LEAP, AND PREY (all currently airing in reruns on the SciFi channel).
In addition to other numerous television assignments including MILLENNIUN (airing on the FX channel in reruns), LA LAW, FRASIER, BROOKLYN SOUTH, 7 DAYS, WALKER - TEXAS RANGER, PROFILER AND NASH BRIDGES, as well as such mini series like NORTH SOUTH BOOK II, and FATAL VISION.


James can be heard in the BBC radio production of Julius Caesar and he also appears with Ruby McCollum in a radio drama for National Public Radio.


His film credits include GRACE, DESERT CROSS, WHITE DWARF, FALLING DOWN, SHADOW OF A DOUBT and ABILENE.


An author and play-write, James has two works currently in publication. His play, IDLE WHEELS, and a book of poetry and prose, FOG SLOW TO CLEAR are both available through Amazon.com. He has many other works in the wings.


His stories, PARKING and NUDE DESCENDING were produced into award-winning short films. PARKING was also performed by a Philadelphia Fringe theatre, staged in an actual parking lot. James is a member of many drama guilds and theatre groups. His written works have been seen at The Sundance Institute, Center of Minneapolis, LA Theatre Works, The MET Theatre, the Salt Lake Acting Company as well as others.


He has directed several plays, including those by Sam Shepard, John Robinson, Larry Shue, and Beth Henley, as well as his short film, PARKING.


James has currently filmed an episode of X-Files to aired in Mid Febuary, the episode is titled "Theef". He has also filmed an episode of Morgan and Wong's NBC series "The Others" titled "$4.95 a minute" that aired in May.

He has signed on to the up coming UPN show "Freedom" Starting on October 27th, in a roll that has been discribed as "McQueen's evil twin." Please check listing.


You can write to James Morrison at:

JP Morrison
PO Box 4753
Parkersburg WV 26104-4753

Email: fireweed@spectraldesign.com

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