John James (actor)
John James is an American actor and producer best known to television audiences for playing the character of Jeff Colby in both the prime-time soap opera "Dynasty" and its spin-off series "The Colbys" throughout the 1980s. Career. James is a veteran of daytime soaps, first appearing in "Search for Tomorrow" in the late 1970s. In 1981, he won the role of Jeff Colby in "Dynasty", appearing in the very first episode, "Oil", and remaining on the soap opera until the final episode, "Catch 22" in 1989. James played the same role in "The Colbys" between  1985 and 1987, and one last time in the 1991 TV movie, "". James was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role in "Dynasty" in 1985 and appeared at the 1986 ceremony. The Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film went to Edward James Olmos. James returned to the genre playing Rick Decker on "As the World Turns" in 2003–2004. In May 2006, he was cast in the role of Dr. Jeff Martin (the first husband of Erica Kane played by series star Susan Lucci) on the ABC daytime soap opera "All My Children . He began appearing the following month. On July 15, 2008, James returned to As the World Turns", reprising the role of demented Dr. Rick Decker. In film, James starred in "Icebreaker" (2000) with Sean Astin, Bruce Campbell, and Stacy Keach; in "The Cursed" aka "Peril" (2001) with Morgan Fairchild and Michael Pare; in "Lightning: Fire from the Sky" (2001) with Jesse Eisenberg, Stacy Keach and John Schneider and in "Chronology" (2015) with William Baldwin and Danny Trejo, all of which were directed by David Giancola. He produced and starred in "Illegal Aliens" (2007). In 2012, James starred in the Giancola  documentary, "Addicted to Fame" (2012), about the making of their film "Illegal Aliens". In 2016, James produced and starred in another Giancola film — the sci-fi action adventure, "Axcellerator" which reunited him with "The Colbys" co-star Maxwell Caulfield while James' daughter Laura played one of the roles. Personal life. James was born in 1956 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as one of the three children of radio broadcaster Herb Oscar Anderson (1928—2017) and his first wife. His brother, Herb Oscar Anderson II, is an actor. In 1989, James married Denise Ellen Coward (born 1955 in Australia), a model and 2nd Runner -up for Miss World 1978. They have two children. In 2012, James' daughter, Laura, won America's Next Top Model, Cycle 19. His son Phillip is serving in the United States Air Force. In 2014, James considered running as a Republican for New York's 21st congressional district.