James Christopher Read was born on July 31, 1953, in Schenectady, New York.
He gained his first experience as an actor in an amateur production while still in high school, but entered the University of Vermont as a forestry major in 1971.
He dropped out of college after a year to work and travel abroad, and eventually resumed his education at the University of Oregon, performing in numerous theatrical productions before graduating in 1976.
He began his professional career in New York City, and then in regional theaters, primarily in Denver, Colorado, before moving to Los Angeles in 1981.
In 1982, James was cast as a series regular in Remington Steele.
He left that show after the first season and appeared in a quick succession of other TV series and movies before landing the starring role of George Hazard in "North and South" (1985),a twelve-hour epic that became one of the most popular and successful mini-series of all time.
During rehearsals on that project, he met and fell in love with Wendy Kilbourne, the actress who was cast to play his love interest in the series.
After marrying for the first time on film, they officially tied the knot in 1988 and remain married today.
Read played Hazard again in the 12-hour sequel, North & South: Book 2, Love & War (1986),and once again in "Heaven and Hell: North & South, Book III" (1994).
James has performed in dozens of other movies and series through his career, notably in "Beaches" (1988),"Eight Men Out" (1988),and as Cary Grant opposite Farrah Fawcett in "Poor Little Rich Girl" (1987).
He recently spent four seasons as a regular on the TV series "Wildfire" (2005-2008),where he also directed for the first time.
James was granted a Master's degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University in 1997.
He and Wendy have a son Jackson (born 1990) and a daughter Sydney (1995). They live in California.
