Profile Text
Birth Name: James Christopher Read
Place of Birth: Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Date of Birth: July 31, 1953
Ethnicity: English, German, along with Scots-Irish/Northern Irish, Swiss-German, and Irish, some Dutch, more distant French, Cornish, and Belgian
James Read is an American actor. His roles include the shows Remington Steele , Shell Game , Star Trek: Voyager , Charmed , American Dreams , Wildfire , Persons Unknown , Days of Our Lives , and Bosch: Legacy ; the mini-series Robert Kennedy and His Times , North and South , North and South: Book II , and North and South: Book III ; the made-for-tv movies Lace II , Celebration Family , Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story , Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn , The Other Woman (1995), When the Dark Man Calls , Harvest of Fire , Full Circle (1996), and All Signs of Death ; and the films Blue Thunder , The Initiation (1984), Eight Men Out , Beaches (1988), Love Crimes , Walking Thunder , Legally Blonde , and its sequel; Not Another Teen Movie , A Lot Like Love , and Fame (2009).
James was partly raised in Niskayuna, New York. He is married to actress and attorney Wendy Kilbourne, with whom he has had three children.
James’ paternal grandfather was William Richard Read (the son of William Wallace Read and Laura Matilda Snook). James’ grandfather William was born in Buffalo, New York. James’ great-grandfather William was the son of Fayette Read and Mary Submit Tucker, and had deep roots in the U.S. Laura was the daughter of Richard Snook, who was English, from Bridgwater, Somerset; and of Margaret Clenchy, who was Irish.
James’ paternal grandmother was Janet Lincoln Mayer (the daughter of Edmond Ferdinand Mayer and Sara Elizabeth Gordon). Janet was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Edmond was the son of Ferdinand Maier, who was German, from Mühlhausen, Thuringia; and of Anna Elise Matthey, who was Swiss-German, born in Le Locle, Neuchâtel. James’ great-grandmother Sara was the daughter of Irish Protestant immigrants, Samuel Thomas Gordon and Jane Irwin.
James’ maternal grandfather was Ernest Groves Hassler (the son of Adolph A. Hassler and Nellie Alice Groves). Ernest was born in Attica, Ohio. Adolph was the son of German emigrants, Joseph Hässler and Mary Catherine Hess, who was from Teningen, Baden. Nellie was the daughter of Sampson Towne Groves and Mabel Greene Ticknor, and had deep American roots.
James’ maternal grandmother was Ola Marie Smith (the daughter of Daniel F. Smith and Mary Gray). Ola was born in Republic, Ohio, and had partly deep roots in the U.S. Daniel was the son of David Smith and Susan Neikirk, whose mother was German, from Darmstadt. Mary was the daughter of Samuel Baker Gray and Jane Stryker.