John James

ON SOAP OPERA DIGEST AND WEEKLY ONLINE

SOAP STAR STATS

John James (Rick, ATWT)

Vital Statistics

THE 411

John James, whose mother was a film editor and whose father, Herb Oscar Anderson, is a seminal and legendary rock 'n' roll DJ, was raised in Connecticut and got into acting at the kind urging of a beloved high school teacher. SEARCH FOR TOMORROW was his big break; there, in addition to making lifelong friends like current AS THE WORLD TURNS Executive Producer Christopher Goutman (ex-Mark), James got the confidence to try his luck in Hollywood. "In those days, if you did soaps, you couldn't do prime-time; if you did prime-time, you couldn't do movies," he notes. "It's not like that anymore, which is wonderful."

It wasn't long after his move to California that he hit professional paydirt, landing the role of Jeff Colby in the original cast of DYNASTY. He was with the show (and its spin-off, THE COLBYS) for its entire run, which ended in 1989. That same year, James got married, and tired of the glitz and glamour of L.A. "I needed to decompress from a high-profile, high-pressure existence, which I'd had for many years being in television," he explained. He and his bride relocated to upstate New York, where they bought a farmhouse, started a family and enjoyed a primarily glam-free existence. James worked here and there, but his focus was on family.

When Goutman took over the ATWT reigns, he tried to lure James to the show, but the actor begged off, unwilling to miss out on key parts of his kids' upbringing to take such a demanding job. But when Goutman came calling a few years later and offered James the short-term role of Rick, he accepted. And with both of his children now in high school, James was ready to go back to work full-time, accepting AMC's invitation to reinvent the long-absent Jeff Martin. In addition to his on-screen work, James worked on a film that he produced and in which he co-stars, Illegal Aliens, a Hollywood spoof starring Anna Nicole Smith and Joanie Laurer (previously known as Chyna the wrestler).

ET CETERA

Five Random Facts
—Kevin Kline was one of James's roommates at SEARCH FOR TOMORROW.
—In the James household, only three programs are on the TiVo: AMERICAN IDOL, AS THE WORLD TURNS and ALL MY CHILDREN.
— The actor declined to participate in the recent DYNASTY reunion special because, he notes, "I think it's best to let the people remember us as we were, not as we are."
—James's wife is a former Miss Australia.
—Susan Lucci (Erica) played James's wife in an NBC teleflick called HAUNTED BY HER PAST.

OTHER ROLES

Former Soap Roles
Tom Bergman, SEARCH FOR TOMORROW, 1976-79
Jeff Colby, DYNASTY, 1981-85, 1986, 1987-89
Jeff Colby, THE COLBYS, 1985-87
Rick Decker, AS THE WORLD TURNS, 2003-04
Jeff Martin, ALL MY CHILDREN, 2006-2007

Regular TV Roles
THE LOVE BOAT: THE NEXT WAVE (Ray, 1998)
TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL (Sam, 1998)
FINDER OF LOST LOVES (Father Michael Bretton, 1984)
THE LOVE BOAT (Dr. van Damme, 1982)

TV Movie Roles
LIGHTNING: FIRE FROM THE SKY (Porter Randall, 2001)
PARTNERS 'N LOVE (Carey Mays, 1992)
PERRY MASON: THE CASE OF THE RUTHLESS REPORTER (Brett Huston, 1991)
HAUNTED BY HER PAST (Eric Beckett, 1987)
HE'S NOT YOUR SON (Ted Barnes, 1984)

Film Roles
Icebreaker (Will Langley, 2000)
Peril (Scott, 2000)

SAY, SAY, SAY

Here are memorable excerpts from James's past Digest interviews.

"I did a lot of partying. That I will admit. I was in my 20s, making good money, and single. But I was a good boy; I wasn't a druggie." — on his DYNASTY days, Soap Opera Digest, 5/20/03

"It's like being the B side of a hot song; who wants to be on the flip side?" — on why he initially resisted the idea of a DYNASTY spin-off, Digest, 12/17/85

"You know how it is ... I'm kind of young to settle down!" — on his love life, Digest, 11/78

AWARDS

James also received a Golden Globe nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in 1986 for his work on DYNASTY, and was twice nominated with Emma Samms (ex-Fallon) for the Soap Opera Digest Award for Favorite Supercouple on a prime-time soap.

JOHN JAMES'S ACTOR'S PAGE >>

RELATED RESOURCES