John James is an American actor and producer best known to television audiences for playing the character of

Jeff Colby Jeffrey Broderick "Jeff" Colby is a fictional character on the ABC prime time soap opera ''Dynasty'', created by Richard and Esther Shapiro. Portrayed by John James, Jeff Colby was introduced in the show's first episode in 1981 and appeared as a ...

in both the prime-time

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

'' and its spin-off series ''

The Colbys ''The Colbys'' (originally titled ''Dynasty II: The Colbys'') is an American prime time television soap opera that originally aired on ABC from November 20, 1985, to March 26, 1987. Created by Richard and Esther Shapiro and Eileen and Robert ...

'' throughout the 1980s.

Career

James is a veteran of daytime soaps, first appearing in ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...

'' in the late 1970s. In 1981, he won the role of Jeff Colby in ''

'', appearing in the very first episode, "

Oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

", and remaining on the soap opera until the final episode, '' Catch 22'' in 1989. James played the same role in ''The Colbys'' between 1985 and 1987, and one last time in the 1991 TV movie, '' Dynasty: The Reunion''. James was nominated for a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for his role in ''Dynasty'' in 1985 and appeared at the 1986 ceremony. The

Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outsta ...

went to Edward James Olmos. James returned to the genre playing Rick Decker on ''

As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...

'' in 2003–2004. In May 2006, he was cast in the role of Dr. Jeff Martin (the first husband of

Erica Kane Erica Kane is a fictional character from the American ABC Daytime soap opera ''All My Children''. The character was portrayed by actress Susan Lucci from her debut on January 16, 1970, until the last broadcast television episode on September 23, 2 ...

played by series star

Susan Lucci Susan Victoria Lucci (born December 23, 1946) is an American actress, television host, author and entrepreneur, best known for portraying Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama ''All My Children'' during that show's entire network run from 1970 to ...

) on the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

daytime soap opera ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

''. He began appearing the following month. On July 15, 2008, James returned to ''As the World Turns'', reprising the role of demented Dr. Rick Decker. In film, James starred in ''

Icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

'' (2000) with

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...

Bruce Campbell Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is known for portraying Ash Williams in Sam Raimi's ''Evil Dead'' franchise, beginning with the 1978 short film ''Within the Woods''. He has starred in many low ...

, and

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor and narrator. He has played mainly dramatic roles throughout his career, often in law enforcement or as a private detective. His most prominent role was as Mickey Spillane's fictiona ...

; in ''The Cursed'' aka ''Peril'' (2001) with

Morgan Fairchild Morgan Fairchild (born Patsy Ann McClenny; February 3, 1950) is an American actress. She began acting in the early 1970s and has had roles in several television series since. Fairchild began her career on the CBS daytime soap opera ''Search for T ...

and

Michael Pare Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

; in ''Lightning: Fire from the Sky'' (2001) with

Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg (; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, writer, and director. He has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awar ...

, Stacy Keach and John Schneider and in ''Chronology'' (2015) with

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...

and

Danny Trejo Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...

, all of which were directed by

David Giancola David Giancola (born June 24, 1969) is a Vermont-based American Filmmaker. Born in Rutland (city), Vermont, Rutland, Vermont he has Directed, Produced, and/or functioned as Director of Photography on over 35 feature films as of December 2019. ...

. He produced and starred in ''

Illegal Aliens Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country or the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upwar ...

'' (2007). In 2012, James starred in the Giancola documentary, ''

Addicted to Fame ''Addicted to Fame'' is a 2012 American documentary comedy film directed by David Giancola. The film stars Anna Nicole Smith, David Giancola, John James, Chyna, Larry King, Jesse Eisenberg and Sean Astin. Cast * Anna Nicole Smith * David Gi ...

'' (2012), about the making of their film ''Illegal Aliens''. In 2016, James produced and starred in another Giancola film — the sci-fi action adventure, ''Axcellerator'' which reunited him with ''The Colbys'' co-star

Maxwell Caulfield Maxwell Caulfield (né Maxwell P.J. Newby; born 23 November 1959) is a British-American film, stage, and television actor and singer. He has appeared in ''Grease 2'' (1982), '' Electric Dreams'' (1984), '' The Boys Next Door'' (1985), ''The Su ...

while James' daughter Laura played one of the roles. James has appeared on stage intermittently, from musicals for the producer John Kenley to a 1996 national tour of ''Dial 'M' for Murder'' with Roddy McDowall, to playing Captain Keller in Judson Theatre Company's ''The Miracle Worker'' in 2018.

Personal life

James was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, as one of the three children of radio broadcaster Herb Oscar Anderson (1928—2017) and his first wife. His brother, Herb Oscar Anderson II, is an actor. In 1989, James married Denise Ellen Coward (born 1955 in Australia), a model and 2nd Runner-up for

Miss World 1978 Miss World 1978, the 28th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 16 November 1978 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK. The winner was Silvana Suárez from Argentina. She was crowned by Miss World 1977, Mary Stävin of Sweden. First ...

. They have two children. In 2012, James' daughter, Laura, won

America's Next Top Model, Cycle 19 The nineteenth cycle of ''America's Next Top Model'' (subtitled as ''America's Next Top Model: College Edition''), consisted of thirteen episodes and was broadcast on The CW. It aired from August 24, 2012, until November 16, 2012, and was promote ...

. His son Phillip is serving in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

. In 2014, James considered running as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

for

New York's 21st congressional district The 21st congressional district of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives that is currently represented by Republican Elise Stefanik. The district is rural and includes all of Clinton, Essex, Frank ...

Filmography

Self

* ''

The Home and Family Show ''Home & Family'' (formerly ''The Home and Family Show'') is an American daytime talk show. The series originally premiered on April 1, 1996, on The Family Channel, and was dropped by the network immediately prior to its 1998 relaunch as the Fox ...

'' - Dynasty Reunion (2015) * ''

America's Next Top Model ''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...

'' - Laura's Father (2012) * ''The Life and Death of Anna Nicole Smith'' (2007) * ''

Intimate Portrait (TV series) ''Intimate Portrait'' is a biographical documentary television series on the Lifetime cable network hosted by Meredith Vieira Meredith Louise Vieira (born December 30, 1953) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. S ...

'' -

Emma Samms Emma Elizabeth Wylie Samuelson MBE known professionally as Emma Samms, (born 28 August 1960) is an English actress and TV host, known for her role as Holly Sutton on the American daytime soap opera ''General Hospital'' and as the second actress ...

(2002) * ''After They Were Famous'' - ''Dynasty'' (2002) * '' E! True Hollywood Story'' - ''Dynasty'' (2001) * ''Denver-Clan ohne Maske'' (1994) * ''The

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

Show'' - November, 4 (1991) * ''

Live! with Kelly and Michael ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...

'' - October 18, (1991) * ''

Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...

'' November, 11 (1987) * ''

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...

'' TV Special (1986) * ''The 12th Annual

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

'' (1986) * ''The 43rd Annual

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

'' (1986) * ''The 11th Annual

'' (1985) * ''Christmas with the Carringtons'' BBC TV Special (1985) * '' Breakaway'' TV Series (1984) * ''

Battle of the Network Stars ''Battle of the Network Stars'' is a series of competitions in which television stars from ABC, CBS and NBC would compete in various sporting events. A total of 19 of these competitions were held between 1976 and 1988, all of which were aired b ...

XVI'' - ABC Team Captain (1984) * ''The 10th Annual

'' (1984) * ''

XIV'' - ABC Team Captain (1983) * ''The

Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 a ...

'' - February 12 (1983) * ''The

'' - November 6 (1982) * ''

Miss USA 1982 Miss USA 1982 was the 31st Miss USA pageant, televised live on May 13, 1982 from the Gulf Coast Convention Center in Biloxi, Mississippi on CBS. The pageant was won by Terri Utley of Arkansas, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kim Seelbred ...

'' - Celebrity Judge (1982) * ''

XIII'' - ABC Team (1982) * ''

XII'' - ABC Team (1982)

Awards

Discography

*''This Time'' b/w ''Fooling Around'' (with Heidi Bruhl; 1984) *''Painted Dreams'' b/w ''Sleeping In Your Arms Again'' (1985) (GER # 60, 5 weeks)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, John American male soap opera actors New York (state) Republicans Living people Year of birth missing (living people)