Jim Hackett is a classically trained actor who earned his degree in 1967 from the esteemed American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he had the privilege of studying alongside notable talents such as Danny DeVito and Cleavon Little.
As a means of avoiding the draft and to appease his father, a World War II Marine veteran, Hackett enlisted in the US Marine Corps and completed two combat tours in Vietnam, earning the prestigious Purple Heart honor in the process.
Following his honorable discharge from the military in 1970, Hackett returned to New York and had the opportunity to work off-Broadway with renowned director Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival.
In addition to his stage work, Hackett signed with the esteemed Abrams/Rubaloff Talent Agency and went on to perform in over 40 national commercials and voice-overs, including notable spots such as Folgers Coffee with Mrs. Olsen, Skippy Peanut Butter with Annette Funicello, and the award-winning Ray Jay Johnson/Anheuser Busch beer commercials with Norm Crosby. He also had the distinction of serving as the spokesman for prominent brands such as AM/PM Mini Mart, Bounce Fabric Softener, and Oreo Cookies.
Throughout the 1980s, Hackett made numerous guest appearances on popular television series, including Love Boat, Benson, Dallas, Growing Pains, A Family for Joe with Robert Mitchum, and Life with Lucy opposite Lucille Ball and Audrey Meadows.
As acting roles began to slow in the 1990s, Hackett redirected his focus and founded Visual Systems, a company that provided computer and presentation services to writers and producers at Paramount Studios. This venture ultimately led to a contract with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he played a crucial role in supporting the first successful Mars Lander project.
After the acquisition of Visual Systems by Lockheed Martin in 2014, Hackett returned to his acting roots and has since appeared in a variety of feature films and television shows, including Guillotine, Blood Before Bitcoin, The Lady Makers, 72 Hours, and the Tubi TV series Spilled Paint.
