American actor, poet, filmmaker and playwright James Morrison was born on April 21, 1954 in Bountiful, Utah. Raised in Anchorage, Alaska, he began his acting career as a clown and wire walker for a local circus, and served his theatrical apprenticeship at the Alaska Repertory Theater. He has since gone on to become a renowned stage actor, appearing in plays directed by the likes of Emily Mann, Jack O’Brien, Des McAnuff, Charles Nelson Reilly, and his acting teacher, Harry Mastrogeorge.
As a stage actor, Morrison has won numerous accolades, including honors from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and the Drama-Logue Awards. Morrison has also written several plays, which has been exhibited in venues across the country. He has also dabbled on poetry and writing radio plays which were aired around the world.
Morrison also has an accomplished career on screen. He began acting for television in 1984, and has since appeared in different shows portraying numerous guest roles. It was in 1995 when he got his first regular television role, playing Lt. Col. T.C. McQueen’s character in the short-lived science fiction series Space: Above and Beyond. In 2005, he got another regular television role, appearing in the popular action series 24 as steady-handed CTU head Bill Buchanan.
Morrison has also appeared in numerous films, his first being the independent release Unfinished Business in 1987, and moving on to star in notable releases such as Desert Cross, Shadow of Doubt, The One, Catch Me If You Can and Jarhead. He has also produced and directed his own film, Parking, which appeared in several film festivals in 1996. The short film has won the Audience Award in that year’s Slamdance Film Festival in Utah. He also co-wrote and co-produced his wife Riad Galayini’s directorial debut, Nude Descending, which was released in 1997.