James Widdoes
| James Widdoes | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 15, 1953 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor and film and television director |
| Notable work | National Lampoon's Animal House, Delta House, Remington Steele |
James "Jamie" Widdoes (born November 15, 1953 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American actor and film and television director.
Early life
Widdoes graduated from the prestigious Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Connecticut in 1972, and was siting on its Board of Trustees as of late December 2015. He began his acting career during college, starring in a production of The New Amen Show at the Diners Playhouse in Lexington, Kentucky in 1974. He next attended Skidmore College in 1972 and then transferred to New York University's Tisch School of Arts, graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While in New York, he roomed with such soon-to-be famous actors as Michael O'Keefe from Caddyshack and The Great Santini. He then began performing on New York City stages in productions such as the 1977 Equity Library Theatre revival of Wonderful Town and the 1982 Broadway musical Is there life after high school? His role in this last production won him a Theatre World Award.
Career
Widdoes starred as senior student and Fraternity President Robert Hoover alongside John Belushi in the 1978 film National Lampoon's Animal House as well as the 1979 TV series spin-off Delta House. He has guest starred in many TV series episodes since then, including Remington Steele, Night Court, Dave's World, and My Wife and Kids. Widdoes starred as the patriarch of the Pembroke family, Stan, in the 1984-1985 seasons of Charles In Charge.
Beginning in 1998, he produced and/or directed many episodes for various television series. Some of these included Just the Ten of Us, Empty Nest, Anything But Love, Harry and the Hendersons, Boston Common, Brother's Keeper, Reba, 8 Simple Rules (For Dating My Teenage Daughter), The King of Queens, 'Til Death, and The Bill Engvall Show. He directed several episodes of Two and a Half Men during the show's first six seasons, and began directing the series regularly beginning with season seven. He directed all but two episodes of the series' latter six seasons.
Other activities
In addition to being on the Loomis Chaffee School's Board, Widdoes is also active in many other community oriented programs. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Turning Point School, and has been on the Board of Trustees for the California Association of Independent Schools, the Board of Directors/Executive Committee for Camp Dudley-YMCA, and the Executive Advisory Board of The Gordie Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Dallas that "[provides] today's young people with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, binge drinking, peer pressure and hazing." The organization was founded in memory of Lynn Gordon Bailey Jr.
Personal life
Widdoes is married to Brooks Hendrie, and has three children, sons Charles Landauer and Sumner Dickinson, and daughter Margaret Hendrie.