James Read

Last updated
James Read
Born
James Christopher Read

(1953-07-31) July 31, 1953 (age 70)
Buffalo, New York, United States
Nationality American
Alma mater Pepperdine University
Occupation Actor
Years active1982–present
Known for North and South
Charmed
Days of Our Lives
Spouses
Lora Lee
​
​
(m. 1978;div. 1983)​
​
(m. 1988)​
Children3

James Christopher Read (born July 31, 1953) is an American actor. He played the role of George Hazard in the North and South television miniseries, [1] and had a recurring role as Victor Bennett on the supernatural series Charmed between 2001 and 2006.

Contents

Early life

Read was born in Buffalo, New York. His family moved to Niskayuna NY where he and his brother William Read III went to school. He started acting as a student of law at the University of Oregon where he graduated in 1976.[ citation needed ] He studied acting in New York City and then did several Off-Broadway and regional theaters such as The Denver Center Theatre Company , where he had a couple of leading roles and spent three seasons. In 1998, he earned his Master's degree in psychology from Pepperdine University.

Career

Read is best known for his role as George Hazard in the three North and South miniseries (1985, 1986 and 1994) based on the John Jakes trilogy of novels of the same name (his co-star, Patrick Swayze, taught him how to ride a horse), and for his co-starring role in the movie Beaches (1988).

He had a recurring role on The WB series Charmed as Victor Bennett and was also a regular during the first season of Remington Steele . Recently, he could be seen as Ken Davis on the ABC family drama Wildfire and as ambassador Franklin Fairchild on the 2010 television series Persons Unknown . In 2008, he directed an episode of "Wildfire". In 2009, he performed in Better Angels as Abraham Lincoln at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, California. Since 2014, he has played the role of drug lord Clyde Weston on the soap opera Days of Our Lives . [2] On May 30, 2018, Michael Fairman TV and Soap Opera Digest announced Read joined the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital on June 6, 2018, as Gregory Chase. [3] [4]

Personal life

Read married Lora Lee in June 1978, and their marriage ended in divorce in 1983. He then married former actress/attorney Wendy Kilbourne in 1988, and the couple has two children: a son, Jackson (b. 1990), and a daughter Sydney (b. 1995). Another daughter, Willa, was stillborn in 1994. [5] The family resides in Santa Barbara, California.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1983 Blue Thunder Policeman at Bridge
1984 The Initiation Peter
1988 Eight Men Out Claude "Lefty" Williams
1988 Beaches Michael Essex
1992 Love Crimes Stanton Gray
1997 Walking Thunder Abner Murdock
2001 Legally Blonde Elle's father
2001 Not Another Teen Movie Preston's father
2003 Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde Elle's father
2005 A Lot Like Love Brent Friehl
2009 Fame Alice's dad

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1982 Cheers H. W. SawyerEpisode: "Friends, Romans, and Accountants"
1982–1983 Remington Steele Murphy MichaelsMain role (season 1)
1983 Trapper John, M.D. Ace BukowskiEpisode: "The Agony of D'Feet"
1983 Fantasy Island Eddie RandomEpisode: "Random Choices/My Mother, the Swinger"
1983HotelPikeEpisode: "Christmas"
1984JessieThe StreakEpisode: "The Lady Killer"
1984 Matt Houston Fletcher/Jason HaywoodEpisode: "The High Fashion Murders"
1985 Robert Kennedy and His Times Ted Kennedy Miniseries
1985 Lace II Daryl WebsterTelevision movie
1985Midas ValleyJosh LandauTelevision movie
1985 North and South George HazzardMiniseries
1986 North and South: Book II George HazzardMiniseries
1987 Shell Game Riley/John ReidRecurring role, 6 episodes
1987 Celebration Family James MarstonTelevision movie
1987 Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story Cary GrantTelevision movie
1990 Columbo Dr. Wesley CormanEpisode: "Uneasy Lies the Crown"
1990 Midnight Caller Richard ClarkEpisode: "Nighthawk's Got the Blues"
1990LolaPeter BalticTelevision movie
1990Web of DeceitPaul EvanstonTelevision movie
1990 Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn HughTelevision movie; credited as Read James
1991 Princesses Michael DecrowEpisode: "Pilot"
1992The President's ChildSenator James GuthrieTelevision movie
1994 North and South: Book III George HazzardMiniseries
1994 Heaven Help Us MaxEpisode: "The Last Great Hope"
1995 Murder, She Wrote Boyd VentonEpisode: "Death 'N Denial"
1995 The Other Woman Michael BryanTelevision movie
1995 When the Dark Man Calls Detective Michael LiebermanTelevision movie
1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Jack OlsenEpisode: "The Dad Who Came in from the Cold"
1996 Harvest of Fire ScottTelevision movie
1996Full CircleJudge CarterTelevision movie
1996 Home Improvement Captain JenkinsEpisode: "At Sea"
1997 7th Heaven Bill SandersEpisode: "Brave New World"
1997 The Cape JeffEpisode: "Just Like Old Times"
1997 Diagnosis Murder David McReynoldsEpisode: "Open and Shut"
1998IndiscretZachariah DoddTelevision movie
1999 Profiler James LoftonEpisode: "Las Brias"
2000 Touched by an Angel NickEpisode: "Millennium"
2001 Star Trek: Voyager Jaffen2 episodes
2001–2006 Charmed Victor Bennett Recurring role, 13 episodes
2002 Becker DanEpisode: "The Ex-Files"
2002 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch BenEpisode: "The Competition"
2002–2005 American Dreams George MasonRecurring role, 10 episodes
2005 Crossing Jordan Dean William HargraveEpisode: "Family Affair"
2005–2008 Wildfire Ken DavisMain role; also: director, episode "The Comeback"
2006 Pepper Dennis Mr. BrinkmanEpisode: "Dennis, Bulgari, Big Losers at ACoRNS"
2008 Cold Case Professor Robert Boreki '08Episode: "Glory Days"
2010 In Plain Sight Damon SchmidtEpisode: "The Born Identity"
2010 Persons Unknown Franklin FairchildRecurring role, 5 episodes
2010 All Signs of Death Westin NyeTelevision movie
2011 Castle Anton McHughEpisode: "Eye of the Beholder"
2012 CSI: NY Robert MonroeEpisode: "Late Admissions"
2014–2018,
2021–present		 Days of Our Lives Clyde Weston Recurring role
2017 This Is Us Duffy CollinsEpisode: "Number One"
2018 NCIS Alan NewhallEpisode: "Dark Secrets"
2018 General Hospital Gregory ChaseEpisode #1.14096
2022 The Orville: New Horizons Admiral Paul ChristieEpisode: "Shadow Realms"

Theater

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009Better Angels Abraham Lincoln play at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, California
2012 King Lear Albanyplay at the Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts
2012 The Tempest Antonioplay at the Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts

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References

  1. ↑ Armstrong, Lois (May 12, 1986). "Returning in North and South, James Read Steers His Career, and Love Life, in the Right Direction". People . Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Days Recap: Four Dollar Haircut". Soaps.com . March 10, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ Fairman, Michael (May 30, 2018). "James Read to GH as Finn and Chase's Dad". Michael Fairman TV . Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  4. ↑ "James Read to GH". Soap Opera Digest . May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  5. ↑ Abcarian, Robin (1994-07-17). "When the Perfect Pregnancy Goes Haywire". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-07-18.
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