James Healy Jr. was born and raised in Texas, where he began his acting career at the tender age of 15 by performing in local theatre productions and securing his first theatrical agent.
He went on to study theatre in college, where he met his future wife Claire Barney-Healy, whom he married in 1984.
However, James' pursuit of a career in acting was put on hold when he needed to secure a 9-to-5 job to support his young family. He decided to become a police officer in 1983, a career that would span over 30 years.
During his time in law enforcement, James held various positions, including patrol officer, SWAT team member, detective, and sergeant. He eventually rose to the rank of Chief of Police in 2008, a position he held until his retirement in 2016.
Before retiring from law enforcement, James moved to Los Angeles in 1995 to pursue his acting career full-time. He quickly booked several roles, including an ABC after-school special, a small part on the TV show "News Radio", and guest roles on shows such as "The District", "That's So Raven", "The Division", "Will & Grace", and "Judging Amy". He also landed a recurring role on the Disney Channel show "Even Stevens", starring Shia Labeouf.
James' educational background includes a master's degree in Criminal Justice, which he put to good use by teaching at the University of Texas at Arlington and serving as an instructor at the Regional Police Academy. In 2006, he was hired by the Department of State to train Afghan police command staff and officers after the war, a role he fulfilled for a year in Afghanistan.
After retiring from law enforcement, James returned to acting full-time and has since booked numerous roles, including "Dust" with Sarah Paulson, "Killers of the Flower Moon" with Robert De Niro, directed by Martin Scorsese, "Law and Order SVU", "Leverage", "Billions", "East NY", "Bull", "Manhunt", and six episodes of the limited series "A Thousand Tomorrows".
James is a devoted family man and has one daughter, Virginia (Jenny) Rose Healy, born in 2003. He also has a son, James Healy III, who tragically passed away in 1986.
