James Read
Born
James Christopher Read

(1953-07-31) July 31, 1953
Buffalo, New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materPepperdine University
OccupationActor
Years active1982–present
Known forNorth and South
Charmed
Days of Our Lives
Spouses
Lora Lee
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 1983)​
    ​
    (m. 1988)​
    Children3

    James Christopher Read (born July 31, 1953) is an American actor. He played the role of George Hazard in the North and South television miniseries,[1] and had a recurring role as Victor Bennett on the supernatural series Charmed between 2001 and 2006.

    Early life

    Read was born in Buffalo, New York. His family moved to Niskayuna NY where he and his brother William Read III went to school. He started acting as a student of law at the University of Oregon where he graduated in 1976. He studied acting in New York City and then did several Off-Broadway and regional theaters such as The Denver Center Theatre Company, where he had a couple of leading roles and spent three seasons. In 1998, he earned his Master's degree in psychology from Pepperdine University.

    Career

    Read is best known for his role as George Hazard in the three North and South miniseries (1985, 1986 and 1994) based on the John Jakes trilogy of novels of the same name (his co-star, Patrick Swayze, taught him how to ride a horse), and for his co-starring role in the movie Beaches (1988).

    He had a recurring role on The WB series Charmed as Victor Bennett and was also a regular during the first season of Remington Steele. Recently, he could be seen as Ken Davis on the ABC family drama Wildfire and as ambassador Franklin Fairchild on the 2010 television series Persons Unknown. In 2008, he directed an episode of "Wildfire". In 2009, he performed in Better Angels as Abraham Lincoln at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, California. Since 2014, he has played the role of drug lord Clyde Weston on the soap opera Days of Our Lives.[2] On May 30, 2018, Michael Fairman TV and Soap Opera Digest announced Read joined the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital on June 6, 2018, as Gregory Chase.[3][4]

    Personal life

    Read married Lora Lee in June 1978, and their marriage ended in divorce in 1983. He then married former actress/attorney Wendy Kilbourne in 1988, and the couple has three children: a son, Jackson (b. 1990), and two daughters Willa (b. 1994; stillborn[5]) and Sydney (b. 1995). The family resides in Santa Barbara, California.

    Filmography

    Film

    Year Title Role Notes
    1983 Blue Thunder Policeman at Bridge
    1984 The Initiation Peter
    1988 Eight Men Out Claude "Lefty" Williams
    1988 Beaches Michael Essex
    1992 Love Crimes Stanton Gray
    1997 Walking Thunder Abner Murdock
    2001 Legally Blonde Elle's father
    2001 Not Another Teen Movie Preston's father
    2003 Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde Elle's father
    2005 A Lot Like Love Brent Friehl
    2009 Fame Alice's dad

    Television

    Year Title Role Notes
    1982 Cheers H. W. Sawyer Episode: "Friends, Romans, and Accountants"
    1982–1983 Remington Steele Murphy Michaels Main role (season 1)
    1983 Trapper John, M.D. Ace Bukowski Episode: "The Agony of D'Feet"
    1983 Fantasy Island Eddie Random Episode: "Random Choices/My Mother, the Swinger"
    1983 Hotel Pike Episode: "Christmas"
    1984 Jessie The Streak Episode: "The Lady Killer"
    1984 Matt Houston Fletcher/Jason Haywood Episode: "The High Fashion Murders"
    1985 Robert Kennedy and His Times Ted Kennedy Miniseries
    1985 Lace II Daryl Webster Television movie
    1985 Midas Valley Josh Landau Television movie
    1985 North and South George Hazzard Miniseries
    1986 North and South: Book II George Hazzard Miniseries
    1987 Shell Game Riley/John Reid Recurring role, 6 episodes
    1987 Celebration Family James Marston Television movie
    1987 Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story Cary Grant Television movie
    1990 Columbo Dr. Wesley Corman Episode: "Uneasy Lies the Crown"
    1990 Midnight Caller Richard Clark Episode: "Nighthawk's Got the Blues"
    1990 Lola Peter Baltic Television movie
    1990 Web of Deceit Paul Evanston Television movie
    1990 Back to Hannibal: The Return of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Hugh Television movie; credited as Read James
    1991 Princesses Michael Decrow Episode: "Pilot"
    1992 The President's Child Senator James Guthrie Television movie
    1994 North and South: Book III George Hazzard Miniseries
    1994 Heaven Help Us Max Episode: "The Last Great Hope"
    1995 Murder, She Wrote Boyd Venton Episode: "Death 'N Denial"
    1995 The Other Woman Michael Bryan Television movie
    1995 When the Dark Man Calls Detective Michael Lieberman Television movie
    1996 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Jack Olsen Episode: "The Dad Who Came in from the Cold"
    1996 Harvest of Fire Scott Television movie
    1996 Full Circle Judge Carter Television movie
    1996 Home Improvement Captain Jenkins Episode: "At Sea"
    1997 7th Heaven Bill Sanders Episode: "Brave New World"
    1997 The Cape Jeff Episode: "Just Like Old Times"
    1997 Diagnosis Murder David McReynolds Episode: "Open and Shut"
    1998 Indiscret Zachariah Dodd Television movie
    1999 Profiler James Lofton Episode: "Las Brias"
    2000 Touched by an Angel Nick Episode: "Millennium"
    2001 Star Trek: Voyager Jaffen 2 episodes
    2001–2006 Charmed Victor Bennett Recurring role, 13 episodes
    2002 Becker Dan Episode: "The Ex-Files"
    2002 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Ben Episode: "The Competition"
    2002–2005 American Dreams George Mason Recurring role, 10 episodes
    2005 Crossing Jordan Dean William Hargrave Episode: "Family Affair"
    2005–2008 Wildfire Ken Davis Main role; also: director, episode "The Comeback"
    2006 Pepper Dennis Mr. Brinkman Episode: "Dennis, Bulgari, Big Losers at ACoRNS"
    2008 Cold Case Professor Robert Boreki '08 Episode: "Glory Days"
    2010 In Plain Sight Damon Schmidt Episode: "The Born Identity"
    2010 Persons Unknown Franklin Fairchild Recurring role, 5 episodes
    2010 All Signs of Death Westin Nye Television movie
    2011 Castle Anton McHugh Episode: "Eye of the Beholder"
    2012 CSI: NY Robert Monroe Episode: "Late Admissions"
    2014–2018,
    2021–present    		 Days of Our Lives Clyde Weston Recurring role
    2017 This Is Us Duffy Collins Episode: "Number One"
    2018 NCIS Alan Newhall Episode: "Dark Secrets"
    2018 General Hospital Gregory Chase Episode #1.14096
    2022 The Orville: New Horizons Admiral Paul Christie Episode: "Shadow Realms"

    Theater

    Year Title Role Notes
    2009 Better Angels Abraham Lincoln play at the Colony Theatre in Burbank, California
    2012 King Lear Albany play at the Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts
    2012 The Tempest Antonio play at the Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts

    References

    1. ↑ Armstrong, Lois (May 12, 1986). "Returning in North and South, James Read Steers His Career, and Love Life, in the Right Direction". People. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
    2. ↑ "Days Recap: Four Dollar Haircut". Soaps.com. March 10, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
    3. ↑ Fairman, Michael (May 30, 2018). "James Read to GH as Finn and Chase's Dad". Michael Fairman TV. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
    4. ↑ "James Read to GH". Soap Opera Digest. May 31, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
    5. ↑ Abcarian, Robin (1994-07-17). "When the Perfect Pregnancy Goes Haywire". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
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