Jim Meskimen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Meskimen
Meskimen at the 2014 Annie Awards
Born	James Ross Meskimen (1959-09-10) September 10, 1959 (age 65) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor comedian impressionist
Years active	1984–present
Spouse(s)	Tamra Shockley ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	1
Parents	Freeman Meskimen (father) Marion Ross (mother)

Jim Meskimen, born on September 10, 1959, is an American actor, comedian, and impressionist. He is known for his roles in movies directed by Ron Howard and for his voice work in many animated shows and video games. Jim is also famous for his amazing ability to imitate the voices of many different celebrities.

Early Life and Art Studies

Jim Meskimen grew up in Santa Monica, California. He went to Taft High School in Woodland Hills, where he met his wife, Tamra Shockley. During high school, he was a cartoonist for the school newspaper and also acted in plays.

After high school, Jim studied animation at Hanna-Barbera studios in Hollywood. He worked as an assistant storyboard artist for the animated series Jana of the Jungle.

Later, he attended the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC). He focused on visual arts like painting, drawing, and sculpture. He also took part in many plays at the university and local theaters. In 1980, he traveled to Spain to train in classical painting.

Jim's Acting Journey

In 1983, Jim decided to become an actor and moved to New York City. He first worked as a visual artist, creating illustrations and cartoons. He helped design characters for the original Thundercats animated series.

While working on ThunderCats, Jim visited a recording session. This experience led him to start working in radio and TV voiceovers. He soon became the voice for hundreds of commercials. He was also a regular voice actor on the animated show The Comic Strip.

Jim became the voice of several well-known brands in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the voice for the channel that later became Comedy Central. He also created a character called Doctor Swatch for Swatch Watch commercials.

During his time in New York, Jim also studied and performed improv comedy. He performed hundreds of live shows. He even appeared as a guest several times on the British TV show Whose Line Is It, Anyway?.

Moving to Hollywood

In 1993, Jim moved back to Los Angeles with his family to work in TV and film. His first TV role was in Fresh Prince of Bel Air. He then appeared in director Ron Howard’s Oscar-nominated film Apollo 13. Ron Howard cast Jim in five of his movies, including The Grinch and Frost/Nixon.

Jim has appeared in many popular TV shows. These include Friends, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, This is Us, NCIS, Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Young Sheldon, and The Big Bang Theory.

Voice Acting and Impressions

Jim Meskimen is well-known for his voice acting. In 2003, he started working with JibJab Media, voicing characters in their popular animated videos. He also worked on their Emmy and BAFTA award-winning children's series Ask The Storybots.

His character voices have been featured in many video games and animated shows. Some of these include Star Trek: Resurgence, Marvel Avengers Assemble, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pinky and the Brain, and Phineas and Ferb. He also voiced characters in Legend of Korra and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Jim's video Shakespeare in Celebrity Voices became very popular online. This led to him performing on America’s Got Talent in 2013. His celebrity impressions earned him a standing ovation at Radio City Music Hall. He has also performed his live one-man show, JIMPRESSIONS, in Hollywood, Australia, and the U.K.

From 2016, he provided the voice of Colonel Harland Sanders for KFC ads. Jim is also an audiobook narrator and has won awards for his work. He directed many multi-cast audiobooks, including Battlefield Earth, which won an Audie Award in 2017.

More recently, since 2020, Jim has appeared in TV shows like Gaslit and The Big Door Prize on Apple TV+.

Personal Life

Jim Meskimen lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Tamra. Tamra is a co-founder of The Acting Center, an acting school. They have one daughter, Taylor Meskimen, who is an actress, singer, and award-winning audiobook narrator. Jim's mother is the famous actress Marion Ross, known for her role in Happy Days.

Filmography

Film

Television

• 3rd Rock from the Sun – Alan (Season 2 Episode 4)
• Anger Management – Daniel
• Community – Christopher Walken/Tommy Lee Jones impersonator (Season 3 Episode 11)
• Friends – Bill (Season 10 Episode 2)
• Even Stevens – Dr. Dean
• Good Omens – George H. W. Bush (voice)
• Hot in Cleveland – Professor Zucker
• Kickin' It – Principal Bucket (Season 2, Episode 9)
• Mad – Gandalf, Droopy, Benedict Arnold, additional voices
• Malcolm in the Middle – Waiter
• NCIS – Dr. Farrel Emerson
• Parks and Recreation – Martin Housely
• Phineas and Ferb – Additional voices
• Random! Cartoons – Thom Cat, Neighbor John, Stumpy ("Thom Cat" short)
• Robot Chicken – Frank, Jon Corzine, Heimlich's Father, Sorting Hat
• Rock, Paper, Scissors – Abraham Lincoln
• Rules of Engagement – Mr. Wrigley
• Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! – Agent 1, Robi
• The Big Bang Theory – Doctor, Man (voice), Las Vegas Wedding Chapel Minister
• The Boondocks – Bill O'Reilly, Chris Hansen, Additional voices
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air – Prof. Jeremy Mansfield (Season 4 Episode 3), Werner (Season 6 Episodes 2 and 3 and 11)
• The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest – Additional voices
• Time Squad – George W. Bush, George H. W. Bush
• Two and a Half Men – Gangster #2 (voice)
• Whose Line Is it Anyway? – Himself
• Family Matters – Mission Controller (Season 9 Episodes 21 and 22)

Video games

• Armored Core V – Jack Batty, Men of Honor Unit B, Zodiac No. 8
• Baldur's Gate – Edwin Odesseiron, Jebadoh, Khalid, Thaldorn
• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn – Edwin Odesseiron
• Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal – Edwin Odesseiron, Khalid
• Batman: Arkham City – Officer Tom Miller
• Batman: Arkham Knight – Additional voices
• Batman: Arkham Origins – SWAT Officers, Cops
• Call of Duty: Black Ops – John F. Kennedy
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – Secretary of Defense David Petraeus
• Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight – Various
• Destroy All Humans! 2 – Additional voices
• Diablo III – Additional voices
• Diablo III: Reaper of Souls – Additional voices
• Disney Infinity 3.0 – Ultron
• Disney Think Fast – Genie
• Disney Speedstorm – Genie
• Epic Mickey – Voice
• Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two – Mad Doctor
• EverQuest II – Guild Patron Volarian, Baron Zafimus, Sergeant-at-Arms Ironcast, Commission Deputy Halford, Naturalist Tummyfill, Borthen, Amren Talbot, Morte Winghammer, Green Hood Trap Master, Banker Izark, Ubani, Overseer Travog
• Fantastic 4 – Doctor Doom, Additional voices
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Additional voices
• Five Nights at Freddy's: Secret of the Mimic - Edwin Murray, Mr. Helpful, Sleepy Moon, M2 / The Mimic (mimicking Edwin)
• Gothic 3 – Additional voices
• Hitman: Blood Money – Additional voices
• Kinect Disneyland Adventures – Genie
• Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix – Genie (Kingdom Hearts Re:coded cinematics)
• Lego Jurassic World – Additional voices
• Lego The Lord of the Rings – Various
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII – Additional voices
• Madagascar: The Video Game – Albino Crocodile, Guard, Jogger, Sailor
• Marvel Dimension of Heroes – Ultron
• Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite – Ultron, Ultron Sigma, Ultron Omega
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order – Ultron, Ultimo
• Marvel Rivals - Ultron
• MAG – SVER Executive
• Minecraft Story Mode – Milo
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl – Nigel Thornberry (voiceover added in the June 2022 update)
• Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 – Nigel Thornberry
• Robots – Ratchet, Additional voices
• Shark Tale: The Video Game – Lino, Additional Tenant Fish
• Shrek the Third - Captain Hook, Attendant 2, Geek
• Skylanders: Trap Team – Additional voices
• Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom – Genie
• Syndicate – Additional voices
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan – Wingnut, Stone Warriors
• The Lego Movie Videogame – Batman, Additional voices
• The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II – Elven King Thranduil
• The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king – King Thranduil
• Ultimate Spider-Man – Additional voices

Internet

• Jib Jab – George W. Bush

Music

• Bugs Bunny and Friends Sing The Beatles – Elmer Fudd

See also

In Spanish: Jim Meskimen para niños