American actor (born 1953)
James Remar
Born William James Remar
(1953-12-31 ) December 31, 1953 (age 70) Occupation Actor Years active 1978–present Spouse
Children 2
William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40-year career, most notably Ajax in The Warriors (1979), Albert Ganz in 48 Hrs. (1982), Dutch Schultz in The Cotton Club (1984), Jack Duff in Miracle on 34th Street (1994), Richard Wright in Sex and the City (2001–2004), and Harry Morgan , the father of the title character, in Dexter (2006–2013). Since 2009 he has done voice-over work in ads for Lexus luxury cars.[ 1] Remar studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City .
Remar's more recent roles include Frank Gordon in Gotham from 2016 to 2019; Peter Gambi in Black Lightning from 2018 to 2021; and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson in Oppenheimer in 2023.
Early life
William James Remar was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 31, 1953. He is the son of Elizabeth (née Boyle), who worked in mental health affairs for the state of Massachusetts, and Roy Remar, who was an attorney.[ 2] [ 3] His father was of Russian Jewish descent, while his mother was a native of England and of Irish descent. He has three sisters and two brothers.[ 4] Remar grew up with his family in Newton, Massachusetts .[ 5]
Remar dropped out of high school when he was 15, although he attended what he described as "kind of an alternative school" for a year afterwards. He then traveled around the United States, briefly playing guitar in a rock band. Eventually, he returned home and went back to high school, although he decided not to attend college after graduating. Remar has said he decided to become an actor when he was 20; after he was laid off from his job as a roofer , he remembered a previous job performing at a summer camp, and said he would give himself three years to attempt an acting career before he would try something else.[ 3]
In Florida , Remar earned a role in a state production of Cross and Sword .[ 3] Afterwards, he studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre , but was not asked back after his first year, which he described as "a devastating experience". Remar continued searching for other acting jobs, eventually landing the part of Kenickie in a touring production of Grease , and also performed at the Ensemble Studio Theatre , before making his film debut in On the Yard .[ 6]
Career
Films
Remar has spent the majority of his film career playing villains. He portrayed the violent gang member Ajax in the cult film The Warriors (1979),[ 7] and the murdering sociopath Albert Ganz in the hit 48 Hrs. (1982). Both films were directed by Walter Hill . Remar also played real-life 1930s-era gangster Dutch Schultz in The Cotton Club (1984).[ 8]
In contrast to these roles, Remar starred in the film Windwalker (1980) as the young Cheyenne Windwalker, for which he spoke his lines in the Cheyenne language.[ 9] He also portrayed a gay man in the film Cruising (1980). That same year, Remar had a cameo in the Western The Long Riders (1980) in a bar fight scene with David Carradine .
He was the star of the film Quiet Cool (1986) and was cast as Corporal Hicks in the science-fiction/horror film Aliens (1986), but was replaced by Michael Biehn shortly after filming began. At least one piece of footage featuring Remar made it into the final version of the film: when the Marines enter the processing station and the camera tilts down from the Alien nest, though Remar is not seen in close-up.[ 10] He is also filmed from the back as the Marines first enter the compound on LV-426 and when "Hicks" approaches the cocooned woman, again filmed from the rear so the viewer is unable to tell it is Remar and not Michael Biehn.[ 11]
He played Quill, one of the main villains in The Phantom (1996).[ 12] In 1994 he played a supporting role in the film Renaissance Man (1994) appeared in Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), the sequel to the film Mortal Kombat (1995), taking over the role of Raiden from Christopher Lambert . He then followed this with a role in the direct-to-video science fiction film Robo Warriors (1996). Other films include Psycho (1998), in which he played the patrolman,[ 13] Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990), Wedlock (1991), Boys on the Side (1995), The Quest (1996), Rites of Passage (1999), Hellraiser: Inferno (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Fear X (2003), Blade: Trinity (2004), The Girl Next Door (2004). He played a brief role as General Bratt in the prologue of Pineapple Express (2008). He also had a role in the horror film The Unborn (2009), alongside C.S. Lee , who portrays Vince Masuka in Dexter . He also played the father of Olivia Grey in Feed (2017).
Remar appeared in the film X-Men: First Class (2011) and voiced the Autobot Sideswipe in the film Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), replacing André Sogliuzzo .[ 14] He was also cast in the heist film Setup (2011) and starred in the film Arena (2011).
Remar played two different, unrelated characters in Quentin Tarantino 's film Django Unchained (2012): Ace Speck and Butch Pooch.[ 15] He starred, alongside Emma Roberts , Lucy Boynton , and Lauren Holly , in the thriller film The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015).[ 16]
Television
Remar's television appearances include the series Miami Vice , Hill Street Blues , Sex and the City (as the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character ),[ 17] Tales from the Crypt , Jericho , Third Watch , Justice League Unlimited , and Battlestar Galactica .[ 18] He also appeared as a possessed mental patient in The X-Files ninth-season episode "Dæmonicus ".[ 19] He starred as Tiny Bellows on the short-lived television series The Huntress (2000–2001).[ 20] He appeared in the miniseries The Grid (2004) as Hudson "Hud", the love interest of Julianna Margulies 's character.[ 21] He had a recurring guest role in the 2006 television series Jericho on CBS. Remar guest-starred in the CBS crime drama Numbers , playing a weapons dealer who later turns good and helps the FBI.
From 2006 to 2013, Remar co-starred in Dexter on Showtime. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dexter Morgan 's adoptive father, Harry Morgan .[ 22]
In 2010, he played guest roles as Giuseppe Salvatore in The CW series The Vampire Diaries [ 23] and as James Ermine, a general for Jericho, a black-ops military contractor, on FlashForward .
He also voiced Vilgax in the animated television series Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien , replacing Steve Blum . He guest-starred in Private Practice in 2010, playing a physician named Gibby, who works with Doctors Without Borders .[ 24] On July 23, 2017, Remar was cast as Peter Gambi on the superhero drama Black Lightning .[ 25] The series would run for four seasons from January 2018 to May 2021, Remar's Gambi a series regular for its entirety.[ 26] He would then be cast in a recurring role on The Rookie as Tom Bradford, Tim’s father.[ 27] He was later cast in It: Welcome to Derry , an upcoming television series prequel to the 2017 film, It , set to debut on Max in 2025.[ 28]
Personal life
In 1984, he married Atsuko Remar.[ 29] They have two children.[ 30] [ 31] He speaks conversational Japanese.[ 32]
In 1985, Remar was fired from the cast of Aliens after being arrested for drug possession.[ 33]
Filmography
Film
Television
Year
Title
Role
Notes
Reference(s)
1981
Hill Street Blues
Cooper
Episode: "Rites of Spring"
1984
The Mystic Warrior
Pesla
Television film
[ 34] [ 35]
1985
Miami Vice
Robbie Cann
Episode: "Buddies"
[ 35]
1987
The Equalizer
Tremayne
Episode: "High Performance"
The Hitchhiker
Ron
Episode: "Homebodies"
Crime Story
Smilin' Jack
Episode: "Blast from the Past"
1989
Desperado: The Outlaw Wars
John Sikes
Television film
[ 34] [ 35]
1990
Kojak: None So Blind
Wolfgang Reiger
[ 34]
Night Visions
Sergeant Thomas Mackey
[ 34] [ 35]
1991
Session Man
McQueen
[ 34] [ 35]
Tales from the Crypt
Red Buckley
Episode: "Dead Wait"
[ 35]
Brotherhood of the Gun
Frank Weir
Television film
[ 34] [ 35]
1992
Strangers
Bernard
[ 34] [ 35]
Indecency
Mick Clarkson
[ 34] [ 35]
1996
Cutty Whitman
Cutty Whitman
1997
Total Security
Frank Cisco
13 episodes
[ 35]
1998
Inferno
Dr. Coleman West
Television film
[ 34] [ 35]
1999
Walker, Texas Ranger
Keith Bolt
Episode: "The Principal"
[ 35]
2000
18 Wheels of Justice
Mitch Davis / "Gabriel"
Episode: "Wages of Sin"
2000–2001
The Huntress
Tiny Bellows
28 episodes
[ 34] [ 35]
2001
Nash Bridges
Mark Lee Page
Episode: "Fair Game"
[ 35]
7th Heaven
James Carver
2 episodes
Strong Medicine
Guy Falls
Episode: "Systemic"
The X-Files
Professor Josef Kobold
Episode: "Dæmonicus "
[ 35]
Justice League
Lead Manhunter
Voice, episode: "In Blackest Night"
[ 35] [ 36]
2001–2004
Sex and the City
Richard Wright
12 episodes
[ 35]
2002
The Twilight Zone
Alois Hitler
Episode: "Cradle of Darkness"
[ 35]
Third Watch
Detective Madjanski
4 episodes
[ 35]
2003
Peacemakers
Cole Hawkins
Episode: "Legend of the Gun"
Without a Trace
Lucas Vohland
Episode: "Confidence"
[ 35]
2004
The Grid
Hudson "Hud" Benoit
Miniseries
[ 34] [ 35]
The Survivors Club
Roan Griffin
Television film
[ 34]
Ike: Countdown to D-Day
General Omar Bradley
[ 34] [ 35]
Meltdown
Colonel Boggs
[ 34] [ 35]
North Shore
Vincent Colville
21 episodes
[ 35]
2005
Battlestar Galactica
Meier
2 episodes
[ 35]
2005–2006
Justice League Unlimited
Hawkman , Shadow Thief
Voice, 2 episodes
[ 35] [ 36]
2006
CSI: Miami
Capt. Quentin Taylor
Episode: "Open Water "
[ 35]
Thief
Agent Patterson
Miniseries
[ 35]
2006–2007
Jericho
Jonah Prowse
5 episodes
[ 35]
2006–2008
The Batman
Black Mask
Voice, 3 episodes
[ 36]
2006–2013
Dexter
Harry Morgan
96 episodes
[ 35]
2007
Sharpshooter
Dillon
Television film
[ 34] [ 35]
2008
Eli Stone
Salinsky
Episode: "Praying for Time"
[ 35]
2009
The Unit
Reece
Episode: "Hero"
[ 35]
Criminal Minds
Tom Benton
Episode: "Demonology"
[ 35]
The Spectacular Spider-Man
Walter Hardy
Voice, episode: "Opening Night"
[ 36]
The Christmas Hope
Mark Addison
Television film
[ 34] [ 35]
2009–2010
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Voice, 2 episodes
[ 36]
Ben 10: Alien Force
Vilgax
Voice, 7 episodes
[ 36]
2010
D.R.E.A.M. Team
Shawn Murphy
Television film
[ 35]
Numb3rs
Randall Priest
Episode: "Arm in Arms"
FlashForward
James Ermine
Episode: "Blowback "
The Vampire Diaries
Giuseppe Salvatore
2 episodes
[ 35]
Private Practice
Gibby
Episode: "Playing God"
[ 35]
2011
Human Target
Warden Cole
Episode: "Cool Hand Guerrero"
[ 35]
Hawaii Five-0
Elliott Connor
Episode: "Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau"
[ 35]
Young Justice
Joar Mahkent / Icicle Sr., Wilcox
Voice, episode: "Terrors"
[ 35] [ 36]
Pound Puppies
Sarge
Voice, episode: "The K9 Kid"
[ 36]
2011–2012
Ben 10: Ultimate Alien
Vilgax
Voice, 5 episodes
[ 36]
2012
Hatfields & McCoys
Joe Hatfield
Miniseries
2013–2014
Beware the Batman
Silver Monkey
Voice, 3 episodes
[ 36]
The Legend of Korra
Tonraq
Voice, 14 episodes
[ 35] [ 36]
Grey's Anatomy
James Evans
6 episodes
[ 35]
Wilfred
Henry Newman
5 episodes
[ 35]
2014
From Dusk till Dawn: The Series
Ray Gecko
Episode: "Boxman"
2014–2015
State of Affairs
Syd Vaslo
9 episodes
[ 35]
2016
The Shannara Chronicles
Cephalo
7 episodes
[ 35]
2017
Gotham
Frank Gordon
3 episodes
[ 35]
NCIS: Los Angeles
Admiral Sterling Bridges
3 episodes
[ 35]
The Path
Kodiak
9 episodes
2018–2021
Black Lightning
Peter Gambi
58 episodes Main role
[ 35]
2018–2023
Magnum P.I.
Captain Buck Greene
6 episodes
[ 35]
2019
Animal Kingdom
Detective Andre
4 episodes
City on a Hill
Richy Ryan
5 episodes Recurring role
[ 35] [ 40]
2021
Creepshow
Raymond Bateman
Episode: "Skeletons in the Closet"
[ 41]
The Rookie
Tom Bradford
Episode: "Breakdown"
[ 27]
2022
Yellowstone
Kyle Fremont
Episode: "The Sting of Wisdom"
2023
Paul T. Goldman
Lieutenant Newman
2 episodes
[ 35]
2025
It: Welcome to Derry †
TBA
[ 28]
Video games
Awards and nominations
Year
Award
Category
Work
Result
2007
Saturn Award
Best Supporting Television Actor
Dexter
Nominated
2009
Screen Actors Guild Award
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared with Preston Bailey , Julie Benz , Jennifer Carpenter , Valerie Cruz , Kristin Dattilo , Michael C. Hall , Desmond Harrington , C. S. Lee , Jason Manuel Olazabal , David Ramsey , Christina Robinson , Jimmy Smits , Luna Lauren Velez and David Zayas
Nominated
2010
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared with Preston Bailey, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, Brando Eaton , Courtney Ford , Michael C. Hall, Desmond Harrington, C. S. Lee, John Lithgow , Rick Peters , Christina Robinson, Luna Lauren Velez and David Zayas
Nominated
2011
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared with Jennifer Carpenter, April Lee Hernández , Michael C. Hall, Desmond Harrington, Maria Doyle Kennedy , C. S. Lee, Jonny Lee Miller , Julia Stiles , Luna Lauren Velez, Peter Weller and David Zayas
Nominated
2012
San Diego Film Critics Society Award
Best Ensemble Performance Shared with Leonardo DiCaprio , Samuel L. Jackson , Jonah Hill , Christoph Waltz , Jamie Foxx , Kerry Washington , Zoë Bell , Don Johnson , Walton Goggins and Bruce Dern
Django Unchained
Nominated
Saturn Award
The Life Career Award
—
Won
Screen Actors Guild Award
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared with Billy Brown , Jennifer Carpenter, Josh Cooke , Aimee Garcia , Michael C. Hall, Colin Hanks , Desmond Harrington, Rya Kihlstedt , C. S. Lee, Edward James Olmos , Luna Lauren Velez and David Zayas
Dexter
Nominated
2013
Gold Derby Award
Ensemble Cast Shared with Dennis Christopher , Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Walton Goggins, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington
Django Unchained
Nominated
2014
Behind the Voice Actors Award
People's Choice Voice Acting Award Shared with Janet Varney , Dee Bradley Baker , David Faustino , P.J. Byrne , J. K. Simmons , Mindy Sterling , Seychelle Gabriel , Aubrey Plaza , Aaron Himelstein , John Michael Higgins , Adrian LaTourelle, Richard Riehle and Lisa Edelstein
The Legend of Korra
Won
Television Voice Acting Award Shared with Janet Varney, Dee Bradley Baker, David Faustino, P.J. Byrne, J. K. Simmons, Mindy Sterling, Seychelle Gabriel, Aubrey Plaza, Aaron Himelstein, John Michael Higgins, Adrian LaTourelle, Richard Riehle and Lisa Edelstein
Nominated
Prism Award
Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline
Grey's Anatomy
Nominated
2024 won SAG award for best ensemble Oppenheimer
References
^ Barry, Keith (March 16, 2009). "Lexus Pursues a New Pitchman" . Wired . Retrieved February 7, 2017 .
^ "James Remar" . Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved November 1, 2023 .
^ a b c Egan, Sean (January 2022). Can You Dig It: The Phenomenon of The Warriors . BearManor Media. p. 58.
^ "Remar, Robert: Part 1" . Rutgers University Oral History Archives . Retrieved November 1, 2023 .
^ "James Remar in town during 'Hatfields' shoot" . The Boston Globe . Retrieved November 1, 2023 .
^ Egan, Sean (January 2022). Can You Dig It: The Phenomenon of The Warriors . BearManor Media. p. 59.
^ Maslin, Janet (February 10, 1979). "Movie: 'Warriors' Creates Visual Style That Is Stark:The Cast" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 1, 2014 .
^ Gussow, Mel (March 22, 1984). "PARTING FILM SHOTS:COPPOLA AND DUTCH" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Maslin, Janet (March 13, 1981). "PLAINS WARRIOR REUNITES WITH HIS SON" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Making of Aliens . 2003. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
^ Laskin, Nicholas (November 14, 2014). "Rare Pics Of James Remar In James Cameron's 'Aliens' Before He Was Fired" . IndieWire . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Petrakis, John (June 7, 1996). "HIGH-FLYING 'PHANTOM' A THROWBACK TO COMIC-STRIP INNOCENCE" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Johnson, Malcolm (December 5, 1998). "ANALYZING 'PSYCHO' " . Hartford Courant . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Trumbore, Dave (May 28, 2013). "TRANSFORMERS 4 Autobot Images" . Collider . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Sneider, Jeff (November 9, 2011). "Thesps line up for 'Django Unchained' " . Variety . Retrieved November 11, 2011 .
^ "James Remar Gets Possessed In 'February' " . Bloody Disgusting . February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015 .
^ Shaw, Gabbi (March 23, 2018). "WHERE ARE THEY NOW: The cast of 'Sex and the City' 20 years later" . Insider . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ " 'Grey's Anatomy' Taps James Remar For Season 10 Role" . HuffPost . August 18, 2013. Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Schneider, Michael (April 19, 2004). "Remar moves to 'Shore' " . Variety . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Wertheimer, Ron (July 26, 2000). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Mama Is a Bounty Hunter, Just Making an Honest Living" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ Martin, Denise (February 11, 2004). " 'The Grid' locates thesp" . Variety . Retrieved February 27, 2019 .
^ "Paleyfest 2010: Dexter Panel Reveals a Few Clues for Season Five" . Retrieved March 5, 2010 .
^ Keck, William (November 20, 2009). "Dexter's Dad Does Vampire Diaries" . TV Guide Magazine . Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2010 .
^ "James Remar to star in Private Practice season 4" . Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010 .
^ Petski, Denise (July 23, 2017). " 'Black Lightning' Casts James Remar & Damon Gupton As Series Regulars, Watch Trailer – Comic-Con" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 26, 2017 .
^ Madden Toby, Mekeisha (May 25, 2021). "Black Lightning Series Finale Recap: The Passing of the Torch — Grade It!" . TVLine . Retrieved November 2, 2021 .
^ a b Mitovich, Matt Webb (November 2, 2021). "The Rookie Casts Peyton List as Tim's Sister, James Remar as Their Father" . TVLine . Retrieved November 2, 2021 .
^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 5, 2023). "HBO Max 'It' Prequel Series 'Welcome To Derry' Sets Taylour Paige, Jovan Adepo, James Remar & Chris Chalk" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved April 5, 2023 .
^ "James Remar Has Been Secretly Married For 36 Years But Who Is His Wife Atsuko Remar" . fabiosa.com . Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021 .
^ "Lisa Remar | 'Still Good' EP Centered On Overcoming Isolation" . Flaunt Magazine . Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021 .
^ "Jason Remar" . IMDb . Retrieved July 19, 2021 .
^ "James Remar Speaks Japanese, Interviewer Kaoru Koike" . August 12, 2015.
^ "Aliens: The Colonial Marines | | Empire | www.empireonline.com" . March 12, 2012. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2024 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn "James Remar" . Turner Classic Movies . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl "James Remar List of Movies and TV Shows" . TV Guide . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 .
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "James Remar (visual voices guide)" . Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved August 28, 2024 . A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
^ Lincoln, Ross A. (May 18, 2016). " 'The Night Watchmen' Trailer: Killer Clowns From Beyond The Grave" . Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 .
^ Squires, John (April 5, 2023). " "Welcome to Derry" – James Remar, Taylour Paige and More Cast in Pennywise Prequel Series" . Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 .
^ Grobar, Matt (August 31, 2022). " 'Megalopolis': Shia LaBeouf & Jason Schwartzman Among Six New Additions To Francis Ford Coppola Epic" . Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 .
^ Hipes, Patrick (February 26, 2019). " 'City On A Hill': James Remar & Gloria Reuben To Recur On Showtime Series" . Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 26, 2019 .
^ Andrew, Stephen (October 1, 2021). " 'Creepshow' Season 3: Greg Nicotero and James Remar Praise Working Together on 'Skeletons in the Closet' Episode (Exclusive)" . PopCulture . Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 .
^ Destiny - End Credits - IGN Video . IGN Video. September 11, 2014. Archived from the original on September 16, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014 .
Sources
External links
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