James Naughton

Last updated
James Naughton
Planet of the Apes cast 1974 James Naughton.jpg
Naughton in 1974
Born (1945-12-06) December 6, 1945 (age 78)
Education Brown University (BA)
Yale University (MFA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • director
Years active1971–present
Spouse
Pam Parsons
(m. 1967;died 2013)
Children2
Relatives David Naughton (brother)

James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on Who's the Boss? (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season television adaptation of Planet of the Apes .

Contents

Early life

Naughton was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Rosemary (née Walsh) and Joseph Naughton, both of whom were teachers. [1] He is the elder brother of actor David Naughton. His family is Irish-American. He graduated from Conard High School. [2] Jim began singing during his years at Conard High School "with the high school band and at parties." [3]

Career

Naughton graduated from Brown University and Yale School of Drama. His acting career began when he appeared in a series of Broadway dramas and musicals. He has since become an accomplished actor in both starring and supporting film and television roles. [4]

His largest fame and first love has been the legitimate theater. He won the Theatre World Award for his performance in Long Day's Journey into Night in 1971. He starred with Geneviève Bujold in Antigone , later made into a film in 1974. He starred in I Love My Wife in 1977 and in Whose Life is it Anyway? in 1980. He won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1990 for City of Angels . In 1997, he won a second Tony Award with his portrayal of lawyer Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago . He played the role of Willy Brandt in Democracy on its U.S. première in 2004. His films include The Paper Chase and The First Wives Club . In 2006, he appeared in the movie The Devil Wears Prada . In 2006, he played Fuzzy Sedgwick in Factory Girl .

Television and commercials

On television, he starred in Faraday & Company with Dan Dailey and Sharon Gless (1973–1974). He also starred with Roddy McDowall and Ron Harper in the 1974 television series Planet of the Apes , a spin-off of the original film. He starred in Making the Grade and Trauma Center in the early 1980s. He starred in the short-lived series Raising Miranda in 1988. From 1991 to 1993 he played Lt. Patrick Monahan on the series Brooklyn Bridge . He co-starred with Bill Cosby in The Cosby Mysteries in 1995. He appeared with Gless 20 years later, this time as her husband in Cagney and Lacey: The Return (1993) and Cagney and Lacey: Together Again (1995). He appeared on Damages with Glenn Close. Naughton had a recurring role on Gossip Girl as William van der Bilt, grandfather of main character Nate Archibald. In 1998 he hosted and narrated the CourtTV series The Greatest Trials of All Time .

He has appeared in television commercials promoting the drugs Cialis, Nexium and Nasalcrom. Naughton has also been the official voice of Audi in the U.S. since 2007, heard in its national TV and radio spots. He is also a frequent narrator on television's Nature series. [5]

Director

He has directed several plays in New York City, including the 2002 revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town , starring his friend Paul Newman, filmed for cable TV in 2003. He appears in cabarets in New York City, including Manhattan Theatre Club and Caroline's Comedy Club. [6]

Personal life

His family is Irish American. [7] He and his first wife, Pam Parsons, have two children: Keira and Greg, both actors. Greg is married to actress Kelli O'Hara. [8] Pam Parsons died from pancreatic cancer in 2013. [9]

Stage productions

Filmography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Albertson</span> American actor (1907–1981)

Harold "Jack" Albertson was an American actor, comedian, dancer and singer who also performed in vaudeville. Albertson was a Tony, Oscar, and Emmy winning actor, which ranks him among a rare stature of 24 actors who have been awarded the "Triple Crown of Acting".’

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roddy McDowall</span> British actor (1928–1998)

Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall was a British-American actor, whose career spanned over 270 screen and stage roles across over 60 years. Born in London, he began his acting career as a child in his native England, before moving to the United States at the outbreak of World War II. He achieved prominence for his starring roles in How Green Was My Valley (1941), My Friend Flicka (1943), and Lassie Come Home (1943). Unlike many of his contemporaries, McDowall managed to transition his child stardom into adulthood, and began to appear on Broadway as well as in films, winning a Tony Award for his performance in Jean Anouilh's The Fighting Cock. For portraying Octavian in the historical epic Cleopatra (1963), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Danza</span> American actor (born 1951)

Tony Danza is an American actor and retired professional boxer. He is known for co-starring in the television series Taxi (1978–1983) and Who's the Boss? (1984–1992), for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards. In 1998, Danza won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series for his work on the 1997 sitcom The Tony Danza Show. He has also appeared in films such as The Hollywood Knights (1980), Going Ape! (1981), She's Out of Control (1989), Angels in the Outfield (1994), Crash (2004), and Don Jon (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Walker</span> American actress (1922–1992)

Nancy Walker was an American actress and comedian of stage, screen, and television. She was also a film and television director. During her five-decade-long career, she may be best remembered for her long-running roles as Mildred on McMillan & Wife and Ida Morgenstern, who first appeared on several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and later became a prominent recurring character on the spinoff series Rhoda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Grey</span> American actor, singer, dancer, director, and photographer (born 1932)

Joel Grey is an American actor, singer, dancer, photographer, and theatre director. He is best known for portraying the Master of Ceremonies in the musical Cabaret on Broadway and in Bob Fosse's 1972 film adaptation. He has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award. He earned the Lifetime Achievement Tony Award in 2023.

<i>Cagney & Lacey</i> American police procedural television series (1982–1988)

Cagney & Lacey is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very different lives: Christine Cagney is a career-minded single woman, while Mary Beth Lacey is a married working mother. The series is set in a fictionalized version of Manhattan's 14th Precinct. The pilot movie had Loretta Swit in the role of Cagney, while the first six episodes had Meg Foster in the role. When the show was revived for a full-season run, Gless portrayed the role for six consecutive years. Each year during that time, one of the two lead actresses won the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Drama, a winning streak matched only once since in any major category by a show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyne Daly</span> American actress (born 1946)

Ellen Tyne Daly is an American actress. Over her six decade career she is known for her leading roles on stage and screen. She has won six Emmy Awards for her television work, a Tony Award, and is a 2011 American Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Naughton</span> American actor and singer

David Walsh Naughton is an American actor and singer known for his starring roles in the horror film An American Werewolf in London (1981) and the Disney comedy Midnight Madness (1980), as well as for a long-running "Be a Pepper" ad campaign for beverage maker Dr Pepper. He also starred in the short-lived sitcom Makin' It and sang its hit theme song "Makin' It", giving him a Top 5 hit on the Billboard charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Gless</span> American actress (born 1943)

Sharon Marguerite Gless is an American actress known for her television roles. She portrayed Maggie Philbin on Switch (1975–78), Sgt. Christine Cagney in the police procedural drama series Cagney & Lacey (1982–88), and played the title role in The Trials of Rosie O'Neill (1990–92). She was Debbie Novotny in the Showtime cable television series Queer as Folk (2000–2005) and Madeline Westen on Burn Notice (2007–2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Winter (actor)</span> American actor (1937-2001)

Edward Dean Winter was an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role, Colonel Samuel Flagg, in the television series M*A*S*H from 1973 to 1979.

Frederick U. Conard High School is a public high school in West Hartford, in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It opened in 1957, and was named after Frederick Underwood Conard, president of Niles-Bement-Pond Company and chairman of the local Board of Education when plans for the school were approved. Conard is one of two West Hartford public high schools, the other being Hall High School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Ewell</span> American actor

Tom Ewell was an American film, stage and television actor, and producer. His most successful and most identifiable role was that of Richard Sherman in The Seven Year Itch, a character he played in the Broadway production (1952–1954) and reprised for the 1955 film adaptation. He received a Tony Award for his work in the play and a Golden Globe Award for his performance in the film. Although Ewell preferred acting on stage, he accepted several other screen roles in light comedies of the 1950s, most notably The Girl Can't Help It (1956). He appeared in the film version of the musical State Fair (1962) and in a small number of additional ones released between the early 1960s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Patrick Kelly</span> American actor

David Patrick Kelly is an American actor, musician and lyricist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is best known for his role as the main antagonist Luther in the cult film The Warriors (1979). Kelly is also known for his collaborations with Spike Lee, in the films Malcolm X (1992), Crooklyn (1994), and Chi-Raq (2015), and with David Lynch, appearing in Wild at Heart (1990) as well as Twin Peaks (1990–91) and its 2017 revival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Sierra</span> American actor (1937–2021)

Gregory Joseph Sierra was an American actor known for his roles as Detective Sergeant Chano Amengual on Barney Miller, Julio Fuentes, the Puerto Rican neighbor of Fred G. Sanford on Sanford and Son, and as Marruja in The Castaway Cowboy (1974).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Chase</span> American actor and singer (born 1970)

Frank William Chase is an American actor, director, and singer, best known for his work on Broadway and for his role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC's Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelli O'Hara</span> American actress and singer (born 1976)

Kelli Christine O'Hara is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian d'Arcy James</span> American actor and musician

Brian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician. He is known primarily for his Broadway roles, including Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!, King George III in Hamilton, and The Baker in Into the Woods. He has received five Tony Award nominations for his work. On-screen, he is known for his recurring role as Andy Baker on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, Officer Krupke in West Side Story, and reporter Matt Carroll in Spotlight.

Steven Pasquale is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the New York City Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician Sean Garrity in the series Rescue Me. He made his television debut on the HBO series Six Feet Under, playing a love interest for David. He has also starred in the film Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, and as Scott in American Son, on both stage and screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colman Domingo</span> American actor, playwright and director(born 1969)

Colman Jason Domingo is an American actor, playwright and director of Belizean and Guatemalan descent. Prominent on both screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2024.

Jake Lucas is an American child actor with credits in musical theatre, film and television. After appearances in the children's chorus of the Metropolitan Opera and in other musicals on and off-Broadway, he appeared as Louis Leonowens in the 2015 Broadway revival of The King and I, which won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

References

  1. "James Naughton Biography". filmreference. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  2. Gerber, Joseph (March 25, 2011). "Notable people from West Hartford". West Hartford News.
  3. Klein, Alvin (June 14, 1998). "Theater; Solo Act; Jeep Voice as Well". The New York Times . Retrieved 2007-01-17.
  4. "Legendary James Naughton at Edison". The Record. Washington University in St. Louis. September 23, 1999. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
  5. "Living Volcanos". Nature. February 20, 2019. PBS. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  6. Simonson, Robert; Jones, Kenneth (December 14, 1998). "James Naughton At OB's Promenade to Be Limited Run & Different From MTC Gig". Playbill . Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  7. Kelly, Mary Pat (October–November 2008). "Broadway's Irish Colleen: Kelli O'Hara". Irish America . ISSN   0884-4240.
  8. Quealy, Gerit (26 August 2007). "Kelli O'Hara and Greg Naughton". The New York Times.
  9. "Obituaries: Pamela Parsons Naughton". Hartford Courant . April 21, 2013.