Actor Bio
If he were an ‘80s Lakers player, he’d be A.C. Green: always reliable, the virtual glue of the team.
We’ll explain further…
Aside from his Grey’s role, we all know we’ve seen James Pickens, Jr. elsewhere, but we didn’t realize the scope of his prestigious career.
The Cleveland native started acting at the Karamu House, distinguished as the oldest African-American theater in the U.S. After an impressive theater run that included performing alongside Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson, James moved to the West Coast in 1990 and began an impressive run of film and television performances.
On the big screen, he has been directed by some of the film industry's finest, including Steven Soderbergh in Traffic, Oliver Stone in Nixon and Warren Beatty in Bulworth, and he appeared in four Barry Levinson films—Sleepers, Sphere, Jimmy Hollywood and Liberty Heights. He portrayed slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in Ghosts of Mississippi (directed by Rob Reiner), and he played Angela Bassett's ex-husband in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Other films include Menace II Society, Home Room, Gridlock'd and the upcoming Just Wright, starring Queen Latifah and Common.
James is well known to television audiences for his recurring roles on hit series including NYPD Blue, The X-Files, The Practice, Philly, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Six Feet Under, The West Wing, Rosanne and Beverly Hills 90210. He starred opposite Rob Lowe in The Lyon’s Den (NBC) and also starred with William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman in A Slight Case of Murder (TNT). He has received a Screen Actors Guild Award and four NAACP Image Award nominations for his role on Grey's Anatomy.
A man of wide ranging interests and passions, James came full circle with his beloved Karamu House when he served as executive producer of Otis Sallid’s hit musical revue, “Gospel, Gospel, Gospel,” which opened to rave reviews in Los Angeles. He is a member of the United States Team Roping Championship, roping cattle on horseback at events across the country.
Pickens recently delivered the keynote address to graduates at his alma mater, Bowling Green State University, and was honored by the Cleveland Cavaliers during their annual Black Heritage Celebration.
He and his wife, Gina, a singer, live in the San Fernando Valley. They have a son and a daughter.
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