# James Morrison (actor)

James Paige Morrison (born April 21, 1954) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of CTU Director Bill Buchanan on 24.

## Life and career

Morrison was born in Bountiful, Utah, the son of an office manager, and was raised in Anchorage, Alaska. A professional theater actor, Morrison has been on the professional stage since the early 1980s and has won awards such as the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Performance. He has also directed theater productions. Morrison is a published poet, yoga teacher, and a singer-songwriter. He has composed two albums to date, which can be heard and purchased on his official website.
On television, Morrison has guest-starred in series such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Frasier, Quantum Leap, The X-Files, The West Wing and Six Feet Under. Morrison frequently works with producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, and was a main cast member of their 1995 series Space: Above and Beyond. He also worked with Wong in the movie The One as hero Jet Li's best friend.
He portrayed CTU Director Bill Buchanan on 24. He began as a guest star midway through the fourth season (2005), and was a main cast member in the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons (2006, 2007, 2009).
His plays have been developed by the Sundance Institute (Idle Wheels) and the Ojai Playwrights Conference (his one-man play, Leave Your Fears Here).
Morrison and his wife, Riad Galayini, co-directed and produced the feature documentary Showing Up. The documentary examines the audition process, with working actors reflecting on the process and how it affects them, including: Kristin Chenoweth, Richard Griffiths, Zoe Kazan, Nathan Lane, Chris Messina, Sam Rockwell, Bill Irwin and Eli Wallach.

## Filmography
### Actor

| Year | Title | Format | Role |
| 1984 | Automan | TV | Gary Baxley |
| 1984 | Fatal Vision | TV movie | Green Beret |
| 1986 | North and South, Book II | Miniseries | Bradley |
| 1987 | Werewolf | TV | |
| 1987 | Unfinished Business | Film | Jonathan |
| 1989 | Monsters | TV | Steven Rose, PhD |
| 1989 | Houston Knights | TV | Steven Kayden |
| 1990 | Good Cops, Bad Cops | TV movie | Lt. Brill |
| 1990 | An Enemy of the People | TV movie | Captain Horster |
| 1990 | Last Flight Out | TV movie | Elliot |
| 1990 | Capital News | TV | |
| 1991 | Quantum Leap | TV | Joe Deever |
| 1991 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | TV | Mr. Stevens, father of Will |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | TV | Walter Phelps |
| 1993 | Falling Down | Film | Construction Sign Man by Bus Stop |
| 1993 | Bob | TV | |
| 1994 | Desert Cross | Short Film | Jeremy |
| 1994 | Frasier | TV | Brian |
| 1994 | Without Warning | TV movie | Paul Whitaker |
| 1994 | Walker, Texas Ranger | TV | Ned Travis |
| 1994 | Where Are My Children? | TV movie | Handsome Man |
| 1995 | White Dwarf | TV movie | Peter |
| 1995 | The Marshal | TV | A.D.A. Chet Fields |
| 1995–1996 | Space: Above and Beyond | TV | Lt. Col. Tyrus Cassius 'T.C.' McQueen/Col. Tyrus Cassius 'T.C.' McQueen |
| 1996 | Millennium | TV | Jim Horn |
| 1997 | Brooklyn South | TV | Paul Ingelmann |
| 1998 | Seven Days | TV | Agent Carter |
| 1998 | Profiler | TV | Will Cook |
| 1998 | Shadow of Doubt | Film | Paul Saxon |
| 1998 | Diagnosis: Murder | TV | Lloyd Nichols |
| 1998 | Prey | TV | Lewis |
| 1998 | Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | TV | William Corzine |
| 1999 | The Wonder Cabinet | TV movie | Dr. Gordon Wayne |
| 1999 | Nash Bridges | TV | Pete Callan |
| 1999 | Abilene | Film | Bernie |
| 2000 | The Others | TV | Simeon Nye/Troy Manheim |
| 2000 | The X-Files | TV | Dr. Robert Wieder (Episode: "Theef") |
| 2000–2001 | Freedom | TV | Colonel Tim Devon |
| 2001 | The One | Film | LAPD Officer Bobby Aldrich/'A' World Inmate No. 1 |
| 2002 | Catch Me If You Can | Film | Pilot |
| 2002 | JAG | TV | Maj. Gen. Lucas West |
| 2002 | Six Feet Under | TV | Swinger Husband |
| 2002 | The Division | TV | Robert |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | TV | Charles Jeunet |
| 2003 | 10-8: Officers On Duty | TV | Mark Lowry |
| 2003 | The West Wing | TV | Colonel Jesse Weiskopf |
| 2004 | Cold Case | TV | Carson Finch |
| 2004 | Wilderness Survival For Girls | Film | Ed |
| 2004 | NCIS | TV | CIA Director Roper |
| 2005 | Jarhead | Film | Mr. Swofford |
| 2005 | American Gun | Film | St Anthony's Principal |
| 2005 | Point Pleasant | TV | Kingston Nickson |
| 2005–2009 | 24 | TV | Bill Buchanan |
| 2006 | The Key | Short Film | Raymond |
| 2006 | Crossing | Short Film | Dad |
| 2007 | Leo | Short Film | Acting Teacher |
| 2007 | Numb3rs | TV | Cmdr. Chris Frederickson |
| 2008 | Reflections | Film | Dr. Paul Wolley |
| 2009 | Eli Stone | TV | Dan Buckley |
| 2009–2010 | Private Practice | TV | William White |
| 2009–2011 | HawthoRNe | TV | John Morrissey |
| 2010 | Law & Order: LA | TV | Gray Campbell |
| 2010 | The Mentalist | TV | Warner Vander Hoek |
| 2010 | Raspberry Magic | Film | Henry Hooper |
| 2010 | The Deep End | TV | Jonathan Mather |
| 2011 | Suits | TV | Jerome Jensen |
| 2011 | Finding Hope | Film | U.S. Attorney Peter Gwynn |
| 2011 | Charlie's Angels | TV | Jon Cartwright |
| 2011 | Seeds of Destruction | TV movie | Frame Marcos |
| 2012 | I Am I | Film | Keith |
| 2012 | Blue | Web Series | Olsen |
| 2012 | Revenge | TV | Gordon Murphy |
| 2012 | The Exes | TV | Jonathan Hubner/Mr. Hubner |
| 2013 | The Slippery Slope | Short Film | Mr. Penzance |
| 2014 | The Jazz Funeral | Film | Nick |
| 2014 | The Switch | Film | Boss 2 |
| 2014 | Swiped | Short Film | Hamilton/Hank |
| 2014 | Those Who Kill | TV | Commander Frank Bisgaard |
| 2015 | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | TV | Dan Yaeger |
| 2016 | Castle | TV | Deputy Commissioner Malone |
| 2017 | Call of the Void | Film | Peter |
| 2017 | Pray for Rain | Film | Patrick Waring |
| 2017 | The Meanest Man in Texas | Film | Sheriff Kilborn |
| 2017 | NCIS | TV | CIA Senator Phillips |
| 2017 | Twin Peaks | TV | Warden Dwight Murphy |
| 2017 | The Orville | TV | Kemka, If the Stars Should Appear |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | TV | Bob Jeff (voice; in "The Blue Scorpion") |
| 2020 | Intersect | Film | Bill Marshall |
| 2020-2021 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | TV | Jim Rollins |

### Producer

| Year | Title | Format |
| 1997 | Nude Descending | Short Film |
| 2006 | Crossing | Short Film |
| 2014 | Showing Up | Documentary Feature Film |

### Director

| Year | Title | Format |
| 1996 | Parking | Short Film |
| 2014 | Showing Up | Documentary Feature Film |

### Writer

| Year | Title | Format |
| 1996 | Parking | Short Film |
| 1997 | Nude Descending | Short Film |

## Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations :
| Year | Event | Film/Series | Award | Result |
| 1996 | Slamdance Film Festival | Parking | Best Short | Winner |
| 2006 | Primetime Emmy Awards | 24 | Outstanding Drama Series | Winner |
| 2007 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | 24 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominee |
| 2009 | Maverick Movie Awards | Reflections | Best Supporting Actor | Nominee |