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Jim Meskimen

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Jim Meskimen
Meskimen at the 2014 Annie Awards
Born
James Ross Meskimen

(1959-09-10) September 10, 1959 (age 65)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • impressionist
Years active1984–present
Spouse
Tamra Shockley
​
(m. 1987)​
Children1
Parents
Websitewww.jimmeskimen.com

James Ross Meskimen (born September 10, 1959) is an American actor, comedian and impressionist who has been a fixture in film, TV, animation, games and audiobooks for decades.  He has appeared in films for director Ron Howard, as well as films by Paul Thomas Anderson and Garry Marshall.

Early life

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He attended Taft High in Woodland Hills, CA, where he met his wife, Tamra Shockley.[1] He was the cartoonist for the school newspaper, and also acted in plays.[2]

After high school, he attended the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) and began his college education.[3] Before that first year was over, he returned home for a time and received training in animation at Hanna-Barbera studios in Hollywood, under the apprenticeship of Harry Love.[4]

Shortly after, he began working for producer Doug Wildey, who had created the original Jonny Quest series.[5][6] Jim was assistant storyboard artist to veteran comic book artist Don Rico on the animated series, Jana of the Jungle.

After a season at Hanna-Barbera, in 1978 Jim returned to UCSC to study general subjects, painting, drawing and lithography.[3] He also did parts in plays, but did not take classes in the Drama department, preferring to concentrate on his visual art education.[3]

He studied art history in five courses with Jasper Rose, a fixture at UCSC, who later became the inspiration for an art historian character, Professor Knestor Jackdaws.[7]

He studied painting with Eduardo Carrillo, a Mexican muralist and teacher, and sculpture with Hardy Hanson.[8]

In 1980 he travelled to Galicia, Spain to begin a period of intensive training in classical painting with Argüello and a handful of other students.  He returned in 1981 and resumed studies at UCSC, studying sculpture, printmaking and painting, as well as private training with Miguel, who continued teaching at the university.[3][9]

When not painting, Jim participated in major theatrical productions in Santa Cruz, both at the university and in local theater.[10]

After graduating UCSC In 1982 he returned with Argüello to Galicia, and resumed private studies.[11]

Career

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In 1983, after living for a time in Madrid on his own, he had an encounter with actor Harvey Keitel and he decided to pursue acting, and moved to New York City.[12]

In New York, he worked as a visual artist, doing illustrations, cartoons and commercial art for various companies. He landed a job designing characters for Rankin/Bass's original series Thundercats, then in its first season.  He worked with producer Jules Bass on expanding the story, and contributed to the Thundercats "bible."[13]

While working for Rankin/Bass, Jim visited one of the recording sessions with actors Bob McFadden, Earl Hammond, Peter Newman, Earl Hyman and others, and began working in radio and TV voiceovers.[4]

He did hundreds of radio and television commercials, and became a series regular on the animated show The Comic Strip, produced by his old employer Rankin/Bass.[13]

He became the voice of several brands in the 1980's and 1990's. He was the voice of the channel that became Comedy Central, (then named HA!) and did campaigns for Swatch Watch as Doctor Swatch, a character he created with marketing head Steven Rechtshaffner.[3][14]

He became on-camera spokesman on television and radio commercials for Skaggs Alfa Beta grocery stores in 1986.[15]

He worked as a man-on-the-street interviewer for banks, cars, retail chains and other clients, in spontaneous, off-the-cuff comedic campaigns that won dozens of industry awards. Among these were Schnucks Markets, Food Lion, and Kash & Karry.[16]

During those New York years (1983-1993) Jim studied and performed improv with several companies, chiefly INTERPLAY and did hundreds of live shows at the National Improvisational Theatre on Eighth Avenue, Chelsea.[17]

On the invitation of producers, he and fellow Interplay member Christopher Smith guest starred several times on Britain’s Whose Line Is It, Anyway?[18]

His first film role was in Ron Howard's The Paper, starring Michael Keaton.[19]

In 1993, he moved home to LA with his family to start a career in TV and film, beginning with Fresh Prince of Bel Air and a role in director Ron Howard’s Oscar-nominated Apollo 13.[20] Howard cast Jim in no less than five feature films, including The Grinch and Frost/Nixon.[21][22]

He appeared in an early episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air as professor Jeremy Mansfield, who was loosely modeled after Robin Willams character in the film Dead Poets Society.[20][21]

In early 2003, he met Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, the brothers who founded Jibjab Media. He voiced early hits, including Arnold for President, This Land, and Second Term.[23][24]  He continued to work with the Spiridellis brothers on their Emmy and BAFTA award-winning children's series Ask The Storybots, and other projects.[25]

He has appeared on major television programs; Friends, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, This is Us, SWAT, Hunters, NCIS, Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Young Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory, to name but a few.[26][27]

His character voices have been heard on a number of video games and animated shows including Star Trek: Resurgence, Marvel Avengers Assemble, Batman: Arkham Asylum,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shaggy and Scooby Doo: Get a Clue, Pinky & The Brain, Phineas & Ferb, Legend of Korra, Avatar: the Last Airbender, and two reboots of Thundercats.[28][29]

His viral hit, Shakespeare in Celebrity Voices brought him global attention on YouTube and lead to many opportunities, including performing on America’s Got Talent in 2013, where his improvised celebrity impressions at Radio City Music Hall earned him a standing ovation.[30]

He has performed his live one-man show, JIMPRESSIONS in Hollywood, Australia and the U.K.[31][32]

In 2017, he wrote a screenplay for a short film, which became Son to Son, and won festival awards. He starred in the short, with actor Nick Lane, with Taron Lexton directing.[33][34]

His performance as the troubled, opioid addict father in Son to Son garnered; the UK Film Review said: "Meskimen delivers a tragically believable character in a short space of time to great effect."[33]

He provided the voice of Colonel Harland Sanders for the KFC brand on radio, web and television ads for many years, starting in 2016.[35]

As an audiobook narrator, he has worked on hundreds of titles for all major publishers and received awards for his narration.[36][37]

Directing multi-cast audiobooks for Galaxy Audio was his full time job from 2005 to 2009, when he worked as senior director to complete hundreds of hours of audio of the fiction work of American author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.[36]

The multi-cast production of Battlefield Earth, a Saga of the Year 3000, which Jim directed and performed in won an Audie Award in 2017.[38]

He appeared on America's Got Talent as a celebrity impressionist in 2013 and as a finalist performed at Radio City Music Hall, NYC, receiving a standing ovation.[39][40]

Since 2020, he has played roles on television in Gaslit with Sean Penn and Julia Roberts, Hunters, and as the recurring character of Cary Hubbard in AppleTV+'s The Big Door Prize, opposite Chris O'Dowd.[35]

Personal life

[edit]

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Tamra, who is a co-founder of The Acting Center, an acting school and performance venue in Sherman Oaks, California.[41] They have one daughter, actress, singer and award-winning audio book narrator Taylor Meskimen.[41][42] His mother is Emmy and Golden Globe nominated actress Marion Ross of Happy Days.

Meskimen is a practicing Scientologist.[42]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1995 Gordy Bill Clinton Voice [43]
Apollo 13 TELMU White
1999 My Neighbors the Yamadas Additional voices English dub
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein Mr. Yesman Voice; direct-to-video [43]
2000 Battlefield Earth Blythe
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Officer Wholihan
Our Lips Are Sealed Rick Parker Direct-to-video
2004 The Punisher Accountant
2008 Justice League: The New Frontier Slam Bradley Voice; direct-to-video [43]
Batman: Gotham Knight Deadshot, James Gordon [43]
2010 Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths Red Archer, Captain Super Voice [43]
Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey Ignorance
2011 Transformers: Dark of the Moon John F. Kennedy Voice; uncredited
2012 Justice League: Doom King Voice; direct-to-video [43]
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 1 General Briggs [43]
Big Top Scooby-Doo! Detective, Phil Flaxman [43]
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Pt. 2 Ronald Reagan [43]
2013 I Know That Voice Himself Documentary
2015 Justice League: Gods and Monsters Victor Fries Voice; direct-to-video [43][44]
2019 Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Commissioner Gordon, Scarecrow
2020 Superman: Red Son Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy
2021 All Those Small Things Brian
Bad Detectives Mr. Strathmore
2023 Sweetwater Desk Clerk
Once Upon a Studio Merlin, Eeyore Voice, short film [43]

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1985-1989 ThunderCats Secondary character designer [13]
1997 Superman: The Animated Series Danny the Janitor Voice, episode: "Double Dose" [43]
2002 Justice League Knight Voice, episode: "A Knight of Shadows" [43]
2004 All Grown Up! Skeleton, Dr. Cartunian, Dr. Cartunian Sr. Voice, episode: "The Old & the Restless"
Johnny Bravo Whiny Man, Derek, Waiter #1 Voice, episode: "It's a Magical Life/The Hunk at the End of This Cartoon" [43]
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Quentin Smithee Voice, episode: "Lights! Camera! Danger!"
2005 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Narrator, Old Man, Chubby Employee Voice, episode: "Runaway Pants/Scythe 2.0"
2005-2007 Avatar: The Last Airbender Fire Nation soldier, Jee, How, Avatar Kuruk, additional voices
2007 The Batman Chuck Voice, episode: "Joker Express" [43]
2007-2011 Back at the Barnyard Goraldo Voice, 2 episodes
2010 G.I. Joe: Renegades Norton, News Reporter, S.W.A.T. M.P. Voice, episode: "The Descent: Part 2" [43]
2011-2012 ThunderCats Aburn, Ponzi, Dog Constable, Vendor Voice [43]
2012-2014 Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness Emissary, Master Kweng, Shying Tree, Guardian #1 [43]
2012-2017 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe, General Griffen, EPF Commander #2 [43]
2013-2014 The Legend of Korra Bataar, Daw, Avatar Kuruk [43]
2014-2017 Avengers Assemble Ultron / Crimson Cowl, Arsenal, Super-Adaptoid, Roxxon Guard #3,
Phalanx, Scientist Supreme, Destroyer		 [43][45][46][47][48][49][50]
2015 Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled Ultron Voice, television short [43][51]
2017 The Loud House Ted, Manager, Junkyard Guy, Announcer Voice, 2 episodes [43]
2018 Constantine: City of Demons Beroul Voice, episode #1.5 [52]
Family Guy Ron Howard Voice, episode: "Griffin Winter Games"
The Good Place Bertram Varmin Episode: "Rhonda, Diana, Jake, and Trent"
2019 The Kids Are Alright Johnny Carson Voice, episode 21
2021 Brooklyn Nine-Nine Deputy Chief Williams 2 episodes

Video games

[edit]

Internet

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Music

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ e-yearbook.com (tm). "William H Taft High School - Atinian Yearbook (Woodland Hills, CA), Class of 1975, Cover | E-Yearbook.com has the largest online yearbook collection of college yearbooks, university yearbooks, high school yearbooks, middle school yearbooks, military yearbooks, and naval cruise books | Yearbook pictures | Yearbook photographs | Yearbook photos | Yearbook images". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  2. ^ Blogs, Jo (28 July 2013). "My Other Biggest Fan". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Meskimen Applied Silliness - Jim Meskimen". www.appliedsilliness.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b Blogs, Jo (13 October 2010). ""Thunder, Thunder, THUNDER…"". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  5. ^ Volledige Cast van The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest - Seizoen 2 (1996-1997) - MovieMeter.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 September 2024 – via www.moviemeter.nl.
  6. ^ "Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures". TV Tropes. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  7. ^ "FINDING JASPER ROSE". Jim Ross Meskimen's Blog. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Meet Jim Meskimen". canvasrebel.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  9. ^ Blogs, Jo (27 March 2017). "To Sketch, or Not To Sketch". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Meet Jim Meskimen". canvasrebel.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  11. ^ Stories, Local (25 February 2022). "Life & Work with Jim Meskimen". Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  12. ^ Blogs, Jo. "MEDIA". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Blogs, Jo (13 October 2010). ""Thunder, Thunder, THUNDER..."". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  14. ^ "S2 EP:7- Jim Meskimen on The Hustle of Being an Artist, Actor and Celebrity Impressionist by Undetoured- Navigating The Artist's Journey". Spotify for Podcasters. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  15. ^ Taylor (21 May 2018). "Spokes Jim". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  16. ^ Blogs, Jo (27 July 2013). "LATE BLOOMER". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  17. ^ Stories, Local (19 June 2023). "Check Out Jim Meskimen's Story". Voyage LA Magazine | LA City Guide. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  18. ^ "The Automatic Horse by L. Ron Hubbard, performed by INTERPLAY: Jim Meskimen, Sisu Raiken, Tait Ruppert, Christopher Smith, Tamara Wilcox-Smith, produced by Bridge Audio, Bridge Publications, Inc., 1994 | Special Collections & University Archives Finding Aid Database". archives.sdsu.edu. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  19. ^ Taylor (7 May 2019). "That time I auditioned for Ron Howard". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Jim Meskimen". New West Symphony. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Jim Meskimen". New West Symphony. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  22. ^ BUREAU, EXECUTIVE SPEAKERS BUREAU. "Jim Meskimen". www.executivespeakers.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  23. ^ Taylor (3 December 2018). "From the Other Side of the Glass". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  24. ^ "Jibjab Short Movies featuring Jim Meskimen's Celebrity Voices". www.appliedsilliness.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  25. ^ Taylor (3 December 2018). "From the Other Side of the Glass". Jim Meskimen. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  26. ^ "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Actor and Crew Appearances". comiconomicon. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  27. ^ "JIM MESKIMEN - Resume | Actors Access". resumes.actorsaccess.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  28. ^ "Star Trek: Resurgence Review – Narrative Adventure - Roundtable Co-Op". 12 June 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Jim Meskimen". MobyGames. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Impressionist Jim Meskimen Does Shakespeare in Celebrity Voices - Royal LePage Kelowna". 25 July 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Jim Meskimen's JIMPRESSIONS at the Garry Marshall". Burbank Arts. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  32. ^ "Jim Meskimen makes good 1st, 2nd ... 75th impression with "Jimpressions" one-man show". LAist. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  33. ^ a b Review, UK Film (15 August 2018). "Son to Son short film". UK Film Review. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  34. ^ Occhi (3 November 2018). "Feature: Actor and Writer Jim Meskimen Chats With Us About His Movie 'Son to Son' and Projects". Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  35. ^ a b "#145 The Many Voices of Jim Meskimen – Classic Conversations with Jeff Dwoskin". Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  36. ^ a b "AudioFile Magazine Spotlight on Narrator Jim Meskimen". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  37. ^ "Tantor Media - Jim Meskimen". tantor.com. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  38. ^ Terl (19 March 2020). "Best Sci-Fi Audiobook: Directing Battlefield Earth". battlefieldearth. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  39. ^ "Jimpressions".
  40. ^ "Impressionist Jim Meskimen's 'America's Got Talent' Odyssey". LAist. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  41. ^ a b "'Happy Days' Mom Marion Ross' Look-Alike Son Jim is an Actor and Impressionist". 11 November 2019.
  42. ^ a b SCIENTOLOGY: What I like about it. Jim Ross Meskimen's Blog.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "Jim Meskimen (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 12 June 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  44. ^ Justice League: Gods and Monsters (film). 2015.
  45. ^ "Thanos Triumphant". Avengers Assemble. Season 2. Episode 13. 1 March 2015. Disney XD.
  46. ^ "The Arsenal". Avengers Assemble. Season 2. Episode 1. 28 September 2014. Disney XD.
  47. ^ "Avengers Disassembled". Avengers Assemble. Season 2. Episode 15. 19 April 2015. Disney XD.
  48. ^ "The Ultron Outbreak". Avengers Assemble. Season 2. Episode 18. 17 May 2015. Disney XD.
  49. ^ "Adapting to Change". Avengers Assemble. Season 3. Episode 1. 13 March 2016. Disney XD.
  50. ^ "A Friend in Need". Avengers Assemble. Season 3. Episode 15. 11 September 2016. Disney XD.
  51. ^ "Lego Marvel Super Heroes: Avengers Reassembled". Lego Marvel Super Heroes. 16 November 2015.
  52. ^ "Constantine: City of Demons – The Movie". Archived from the original on 17 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  53. ^ https://www.imdb.com/character/ch0173901/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t11 [dead link] [user-generated source]
  54. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Whose Line UK 4x11 (1/3)". YouTube.
  55. ^ "Armored Core V – PS3 Manual". Namco. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2015.
  56. ^ Rocksteady Studios. Batman: Arkham Knight. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Scene: Credits, 13:05 in, Voiceover & Mocap Talent.
  57. ^ "Destroy All Humans! 2: Make War Not Love (2006 Video Game)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 25 September 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  58. ^ Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo III. Scene: Closing credits, 4:10 in, Voice Over, Additional Voices.
  59. ^ Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. Scene: Closing credits, 5:23 in, Voice Over, Additional Voices.
  60. ^ Square Enix. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Scene: Closing credits, 5 minutes in, Voice Actors, Additional Voices.
  61. ^ Toys for Bob. Skylanders: Trap Team. Scene: Closing credits, 8:40 in Voice Actors.
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