James Remar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Remar
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James Remar at the 2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards
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| Born |
William James Remar
December 31, 1953 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Atsuko Remar
(m. 1984) |
| Children | 2 |
William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played many different characters in movies and TV shows for over 40 years! You might know him as Ajax in The Warriors (1979) or as Albert Ganz in 48 Hrs. (1982). He also played Harry Morgan, the father of the main character, in the TV series Dexter (2006–2013). Since 2009, he has also used his voice for commercials, like those for Lexus cars. James Remar learned acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
More recently, Remar played Frank Gordon in Gotham (2016–2019) and Peter Gambi in Black Lightning (2018–2021). In 2023, he was in the movie Oppenheimer as Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson.
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Early life and acting start
William James Remar was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 31, 1953. His mother, Elizabeth, worked in mental health, and his father, Roy, was a lawyer. His father's family was from Russia, and his mother was from England. James grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, with his three sisters and two brothers.
When he was 15, Remar left high school, but he went to an "alternative school" for a year after that. He then traveled around the United States and even played guitar in a rock band for a short time. Later, he went back home and finished high school. After graduating, he decided not to go to college. Remar shared that he decided to become an actor when he was 20 years old. He had been working as a roofer, but after losing that job, he remembered how much he enjoyed performing at a summer camp. He decided to give himself three years to try acting.
He got a role in a play called Cross and Sword in Florida. After that, he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He wasn't asked back after his first year, which he said was a tough experience. But Remar kept looking for acting jobs. He eventually got the part of Kenickie in a touring show of Grease. He also performed at the Ensemble Studio Theatre before making his first movie, On the Yard.
Film career
James Remar has often played villains in his movies. He was in the popular film The Warriors (1979) and the hit movie 48 Hrs. (1982). Both of these films were directed by Walter Hill. Remar also played a real-life gangster from the 1930s, Dutch Schultz, in the movie The Cotton Club (1984).
However, he also played different kinds of roles. In the film Windwalker (1980), he played a young Cheyenne warrior and even spoke his lines in the Cheyenne language. He also played a gay man in the movie Cruising (1980). In the Western film The Long Riders (1980), he had a small part in a bar fight scene.
Remar was the main actor in Quiet Cool (1986). He was also cast as Corporal Hicks in the science-fiction movie Aliens (1986), but another actor, Michael Biehn, took over the role. Still, some parts of the movie show Remar from behind.
He played Quill, a bad guy, in The Phantom (1996). In 1994, he had a supporting role in Renaissance Man. He also appeared in Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), playing the character Raiden. Other movies he has been in include Psycho (1998), Drugstore Cowboy (1989), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), and Blade: Trinity (2004). He had a short role in Pineapple Express (2008) and was in the horror film The Unborn (2009).
In 2011, Remar was in X-Men: First Class. He also provided the voice for the Autobot Sideswipe in the movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). He also starred in the films Setup (2011) and Arena (2011).
James Remar played two different characters in Quentin Tarantino's film Django Unchained (2012): Ace Speck and Butch Pooch. He also starred in the thriller movie The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015).
Television roles
Remar has appeared in many TV shows. These include Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, and Sex and the City, where he played Richard Wright, the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Samantha Jones. He was also in Tales from the Crypt, Jericho, and Battlestar Galactica. He played a mental patient in an episode of The X-Files. He was also Tiny Bellows in the TV series The Huntress (2000–2001).
From 2006 to 2013, Remar was a main actor in Dexter on Showtime. He played Harry Morgan, who was the adoptive father of the main character, Dexter Morgan. He was nominated for an award for this role.
In 2010, he made guest appearances in The Vampire Diaries as Giuseppe Salvatore and in FlashForward as James Ermine. He also voiced Vilgax in the animated TV shows Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. In 2010, he guest-starred in Private Practice, playing a doctor named Gibby.
From 2018 to 2021, Remar played Peter Gambi in the superhero show Black Lightning. He also had a recurring role in The Rookie as Tom Bradford, the father of Tim Bradford. He is also set to appear in It: Welcome to Derry, a TV series that will be a prequel to the 2017 movie It, coming out in 2025. In 2024, it was announced that he would play Harry Morgan again in Dexter: Resurrection, which is expected in 2025.
Video games
James Remar has also lent his voice to characters in video games:
- 2005 – The Warriors as Ajax
- 2010 – Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame as Harvey Dent / Two-Face
- 2011 – Killzone 3 as Captain Jason Narville
- 2014 – Destiny as Executor Hideo, New Monarchy Merchant
- 2017 – Destiny 2 as Executor Hideo
- 2022 – Destiny 2: The Witch Queen as Executor Hideo
Personal life
James Remar married Atsuko Remar in 1984. They have two children together. He can also speak Japanese.
Awards and recognition
James Remar has been recognized for his acting. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Television Actor for his role in Dexter. He was also nominated several times for a Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series" for Dexter. In 2012, he received The Life Career Award at the Saturn Awards. He also won a "People's Choice Voice Acting Award" in 2014 for his voice work in The Legend of Korra. In 2024, he won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble for Oppenheimer.
See also
In Spanish: James Remar para niños
