James Leland Walters Jr. (born June 13, 1969) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles on ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

'' and '' The Heights'' and singing lead vocal on " How Do You Talk to an Angel".

Career

Walters was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsula that extends ...

. After graduating from high school, he attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

and studied film for two years and studied acting at The Actors Space in New York City. While attending college, he was discovered at a bank by a casting agent who placed him in three high-profile commercials for Levi's 501 Jeans. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and musical career. He played a bit role on '' Everyday Heroes''. His film debut came in 1991 with the movie '' Shout'', alongside

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy ''License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaimed ...

, and

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

. Walters performed the song "Rockin' the Pad" on the ''Shout'' soundtrack album. In 1992,

Aaron Spelling Aaron Spelling (April 22, 1923 June 23, 2006) was an American film and television producer and occasional actor. His productions included the TV series ''Family'' (1976–1980), '' Charlie's Angels'' (1976–1981), ''The Love Boat'' (1977–1986 ...

cast Walters as the lead on the Fox series '' The Heights'', in which he also sang the theme song " How Do You Talk to an Angel?." The single reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on November 14, 1992. It was also nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics". (The award went to

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

.) The show was canceled by Fox, but it launched his music career when

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

took an interest in Walters and signed him to a recording contract. In October 1994, he started playing Ray Pruit on ''

''; he was the musician-boyfriend of Donna (played by

Tori Spelling Victoria Davey Spelling (born May 16, 1973) is an American actress and author. Her first major role was Donna Martin on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', beginning in 1990. She has appeared in made for television films, including ''A Friend to Die For' ...

), a role he played for one season. On September 20, 1994, Walters released his self-titled debut album ''

Jamie Walters James Leland Walters Jr. (born June 13, 1969) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' and '' The Heights'' and singing lead vocal on " How Do You Talk to an Angel". Career Walters was born in Boston ...

''. The first single from the album, "Hold On", peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 76 in Australia. The album sold over 1 million copies and was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

. In 1997, he released his second album ''

Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a 1998 comedy by Millicen ...

''. It was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

. A third album, ''

Believed ''Believed'' is the third and final album by American pop singer-songwriter, actor Jamie Walters with his band, Elco. It was released through indie label Leisure Records. Track listing #"Evilyn" (Jamie Walters James Leland Walters Jr. (born Ju ...

'', followed in 2002. In 2009, he appeared in the VH1 reality show ''

Confessions of a Teen Idol ''Confessions of a Teen Idol'' is an American reality series that began airing on VH1 on January 4, 2009 and concluded on February 22, 2009. It ran for eight episodes. The series was hosted and produced by former teen idols Scott Baio and Jaso ...

'', in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers. He became a firefighter and paramedic in 2002.

Personal life

In 2002, Walters married Patricia Walters; they have three children. She filed for divorce in 2015.

Filmography

Discography

Studio albums

*''

'' (1994) *''

'' (1997) *''

'' (2002)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Jamie 1969 births Living people American male film actors American male singers American male television actors People from Marblehead, Massachusetts People from Los Angeles County, California Male actors from Massachusetts 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Singers from Massachusetts American firefighters