James Read

James Christopher Read was born on July 31, 1953 and was raised in Schenectady, New York. He gained his first experience as an actor in an amateur production while still in high school, but entered the University of Vermont as a forestry major in 1971. He dropped out of college after a year to work and travel abroad, and eventually resumed his education at the University of Oregon performing in numerous theatrical productions before graduating in 1976. He began his professional career in New York City, and then in regional theaters (primarily Denver, Colorado) before moving in Los Angeles in 1981. In 1982 James was cast as a series regulars in Remington Steele (1982). He left that show after the first season and appeared in a quick succession of other tv series and movies before landing the starring role of George Hazard in "North and South" (1985), a twelve-hour epic which became one of the most popular and successful mini-series of all time. During rehearsals on that project,... [Details Intro]