James Murray | |
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 Murray atGalaxyCon Oklahoma City in May 2025 | |
| Born | James Stephen Murray (1976-05-01)May 1, 1976 (age 49) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Georgetown University (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouses | |
| Website | jamesmurrayofficial |
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James Stephen "Murr" Murray (born May 1, 1976), is an American improvisational comedian, author, and actor from New York. He is a member ofThe Tenderloins, a comedy troupe also consisting ofBrian Quinn,Sal Vulcano, and formerlyJoe Gatto. Along with the other members of The Tenderloins, he stars in the television seriesImpractical Jokers, which premiered in 2011, onTruTV.
James Stephen Murray[1][2][3] was born on May 1, 1976[4][5] inStaten Island,New York City, where he was also raised.[6] He is of Irish and Italian descent.[7] He attendedMonsignor Farrell High School in that borough, meeting his future comedy partnersJoe Gatto,Brian Quinn, andSal Vulcano in their freshman year. He graduated in 1994.[8] Murray later graduated fromGeorgetown University, inWashington, D.C.[9] As a child, he had a model railroad with his father.[10]
In 1998, Murray produced, wrote, and directed a film titledDamned!, starring Jeremy Guskin asJesus in an alternate retelling of theBible. Rather than paying for aFord Taurus, Murray's parents paid for the production of this film at his request.[11]
After being apart for four years, Murray, Gatto, and Vulcano reunited after graduating from college and began practicing improvisation at Gatto's house, going on to tour as an improv & sketch comedy troupe in 1999, and calling themselvesThe Tenderloins.[12]
The Tenderloins began producing comedy sketches together, posting them onYouTube,MySpace, andMetacafe, and subsequently accumulating millions of views online. In 2007, the troupe won the $100,000 grand prize inNBC's "It's Your Show" competition for the sketch "Time Thugs".[13]
Impractical Jokers premiered on December 15, 2011, onTruTV, which was watched by over 32 million viewers in its first season.[14] The show has become the most popular series on TruTV.
Since 2012 Murray has been a part of theImpractical Jokers Live tours.[15]
In October 2019, Murray, along with the other members of The Tenderloins, starred inThe Misery Index, which is hosted byJameela Jamil and is based onAndy Breckman's card game "Shit Happens".
Impractical Jokers: The Movie was released on February 21, 2020.
He made a cameo appearance in the filmClerks III which released in 2022. He served as an executive producer for the 2025 TV specialFoul Play WithAnthony Davis.[16]
Murray worked atNorthSouth Productions, where he was the senior vice president of development, leaving in February 2018.[17] In 2018, he released a sci-fi/horror novel entitledAwakened, which was co-written by Darren Wearmouth, and revolves around the discovery of an intensely hostile race of intelligent,methane-breathing monsters living beneath theNew York City Subway and the sinister Foundation for Human Advancement - an almost equally cruel and ruthless organization dedicated to the destruction of that race throughworld domination. The book became a #1Sunday Times Best Seller.[18] A sequel, calledThe Brink, was released in June 2019.[19] In October 2020, Murray and Wearmouth co-wrote another horror novel,Don't Move, which follows a group of campers being hunted by a giant arachnid.[20][21] In July 2021, they published a thriller,TheStowaway, about a serial killer on board a cruise ship.[22] In March 2022, Murray wrote the middle-grade novelArea 51 Interns: Alien Summer with author Carsen Smith, the first novel in the Area 51 Interns series. The series is about a girl named Viv Harlow, whose parents work atArea 51, and how while she and her friends are here they must stop evil aliens from taking over the world.[23] The second book in the seriesZoned Out was released later that same year, and the 3rd installmentTime Chaserswas released in October of 2023.[24] His most recent workYou Better Watch Out, follows a girl named Jessica and a group of 4 others getting tracked down by a killer.[25]
In 2021, Murray began a solo standup tour, Murr Live. The family-friendly show consists of stories relating to the TV show, videos, and hidden camera challenges along with including audience participation.[26]
On October 21, 2024,The Hollywood Reporter announced Murray’s bookDon't Move, was being adapted into a feature film and wrapped principal photography in Kansas City, MO on October 18, 2024.[27] Murray is a co-producer for the film, and it is set to be released in late 2025.[28]
As of November 2022, Murray resided inPrinceton, New Jersey.[29]
As a result of a triple punishment onImpractical Jokers, Murray has a tattoo of a ferret skydiving as a reference to an earlier punishment. On March 13, 2014, Murray jokingly, yet legally, married Sal Vulcano's sister, Jenna Vulcano, as a result of Vulcano's punishment in the season 3 finale, "Brother-in-Loss"; theyannulled the marriage shortly after.[30]
In July 2019, Murray became engaged to Melyssa Davies, whom he met at his launch party for his bookAwakened.[31][32] The couple married on September 25, 2020 at 7:56 PM EST.[33][34]
Murray has been aKentucky Colonel since June 15, 2016.[35][36] On June 9, 2024 Murray served as theGrand Marshall of the2024 Toyota/Save Mart 350 race.[37]
Although raisedCatholic, Murray indicated in a 2014 interview that he identified as anatheist.[38] Some of Murray’s interests include traveling, hiking, and kayaking.[39]
In 2025, Murray bought a house that hosts amodel railroad club, thePacific Southern Railway. The house hosts Murray's wife's candle business and Alzheimer's charity, while the model train club resides in the basement.[10][40]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Private Parts | Student | Uncredited |
| 1998 | Damned! | Judas Iscariot | Also director, producer, and writer |
| 2017 | Return to Return to Nuke 'Em High AKA Volume 2 | Chuck Flingus | |
| Christmas Time | Dr. Murphy | ||
| 2020 | Impractical Jokers: The Movie | Himself | Also writer |
| 2022 | Clerks III | Auditioner | Cameo |
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| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Tenderloins | Himself | Television film; also writer |
| 2011–present | Impractical Jokers | Himself | Main cast (289 episodes); also executive producer and producer |
| 2015 | Bones | Murray | Episode: "The Senator in the Street Sweeper" |
| 2016 | 12 Monkeys | Desk Clerk | Episode: "Bodies of Water" |
| 2017 | Drunk History: UK | Drunk Storyteller | Episode: "Billy the Kid/Elizabeth I" |
| Impractical Jokers: After Party | Himself | Main cast (26 episodes) | |
| 2018 | The Last Sharknado: It's About Time | Eastwood | Television film[41] |
| 2018–2020 | Gods of Medicine | Todd James | 3 episodes |
| 2019–2021 | The Misery Index | Himself | Main cast (50 episodes) |
| 2020 | MacGyver | Maître d' | Episode: "Mac + Desi + Riley + Aubrey"[42] |
| Loafy | Himself | Voice role, 2 episodes | |
| Nickelodeon's Unfiltered | Himself | Episode: "Hot Dog Dance Party!" | |
| 2020–2021 | Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party | Himself | Main cast (18 episodes) |
| 2021 | Down to Business | Himself | Episode: "Down to Laugh" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Pitch Meeting | Himself | Episode: "Birds of Prey Pitch Meeting" |
Awakened series (with Darren Wearmouth)
Area 51 Interns series (with Carsen Smith)
Other novels
The borough-born and bred dudes from TruTV's 'Impractical Jokers'....
[T]they met during freshman year at Monsignor Farrell High School, where they graduated in 1994.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)