James Remar | |
|---|---|
 Remar at the2010 Screen Actors Guild Awards | |
| Born | William James Remar (1953-12-31)December 31, 1953 (age 72) Boston,Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
William James Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. Highlights of his four decades-long career in film include his portrayals of Ajax inThe Warriors (1979), Albert Ganz in48 Hrs. (1982),Dutch Schultz inThe Cotton Club (1984), and Jack Duff inMiracle on 34th Street (1994). In television, he is best known for playing Richard Wright inSex and the City (2001–2004), andHarry Morgan, the father of the title character, inDexter (2006–2013) andDexter: Resurrection (2025). Since 2009, he has done voice-over work in ads forLexus luxury cars.[1] Remar studied acting at theNeighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre inNew York City.
Remar's more recent roles include Frank Gordon inGotham from 2016 to 2019;Peter Gambi inBlack Lightning from 2018 to 2021; and Secretary of WarHenry L. Stimson inOppenheimer in 2023.
William James Remar was born inBoston, Massachusetts, on December 31, 1953. He is the son of Elizabeth (née Boyle), who worked in mental health affairs for the state of Massachusetts, and Roy Remar, who was an attorney.[2][3] His father was ofRussian-Jewish descent, while his mother was a native ofEngland and ofIrish descent. He has three sisters and two brothers.[4] Remar grew up with his family inNewton, Massachusetts.[5]
Remar dropped out of high school when he was 15, although he attended what he described as "kind of an alternative school" for a year afterwards. He then traveled around the United States, briefly playing guitar in a rock band. Eventually, he returned home and went back to high school, although he decided not to attend college after graduating. Remar has said he decided to become an actor when he was 20; after he was laid off from his job as aroofer, he remembered a previous job performing at a summer camp, and said he would give himself three years to attempt an acting career before he would try something else.[3]
InFlorida, Remar earned a role in a state production ofCross and Sword.[3] Afterwards, he studied at theNeighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, but was not asked back after his first year, which he described as "a devastating experience". Remar continued searching for other acting jobs, eventually landing the part of Kenickie in a touring production ofGrease, and also performed at theEnsemble Studio Theatre, before making his film debut inOn the Yard.[6]
Remar has spent the majority of his film career playing villains. He portrayed the violent gang member Ajax in the cult filmThe Warriors (1979),[7] and the murderingsociopath Albert Ganz in the hit48 Hrs. (1982). Both films were directed byWalter Hill. Remar also played real-life 1930s-era gangsterDutch Schultz inThe Cotton Club (1984).[8]
In contrast to these roles, Remar starred in the filmWindwalker (1980) as the young Cheyenne Windwalker, for which he spoke his lines in the Cheyenne language.[9] He also portrayed a gay man in the filmCruising (1980). That same year, Remar had a cameo in the WesternThe Long Riders (1980) in a bar fight scene withDavid Carradine.
He was the star of the filmQuiet Cool (1986) and was cast as Corporal Hicks in the science-fiction/horror filmAliens (1986), but was replaced byMichael Biehn shortly into filming after being arrested for drug possession.[10] At least one piece of footage featuring Remar made it into the final version of the film: when the Marines enter the processing station and the camera tilts down from the Alien nest, though Remar is not seen in close-up.[11] He is also filmed from the back as the Marines first enter the compound on LV-426 and when "Hicks" approaches the cocooned woman, again filmed from the rear so the viewer is unable to tell it is Remar and not Michael Biehn.[12]
He played Quill, one of the main villains inThe Phantom (1996).[13] In 1994 he played a supporting role in the filmRenaissance Man, then appeared inMortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), the sequel to the filmMortal Kombat (1995), taking over the role of Raiden fromChristopher Lambert. He then followed this with a role in the direct-to-video science fiction filmRobo Warriors (1996). Other films includePsycho (1998), in which he played the patrolman,[14]Drugstore Cowboy (1989),Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990),Wedlock (1991),Boys on the Side (1995),The Quest (1996),Rites of Passage (1999),Hellraiser: Inferno (2000),2 Fast 2 Furious (2003),Fear X (2003),Blade: Trinity (2004), andThe Girl Next Door (2004). He played a brief role as General Bratt in the prologue ofPineapple Express (2008). He also had a role in the horror filmThe Unborn (2009), alongsideC.S. Lee, who portraysVince Masuka inDexter. He also played the father of Olivia Grey inFeed (2017).
Remar appeared in the filmX-Men: First Class (2011) and voiced theAutobotSideswipe in the filmTransformers: Dark of the Moon (2011), replacingAndré Sogliuzzo.[15] He was also cast in the heist filmSetup (2011) and starred in the filmArena (2011).
Remar played two different, unrelated characters inQuentin Tarantino's filmDjango Unchained (2012): Ace Speck and Butch Pooch.[16] He starred, alongsideEmma Roberts,Lucy Boynton, andLauren Holly, in the thriller filmThe Blackcoat's Daughter (2015).[17]
Remar's television appearances include the seriesMiami Vice,Hill Street Blues,Sex and the City (as the on-again, off-againboyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character),[18]Tales from the Crypt,Jericho,Third Watch,Justice League Unlimited, andBattlestar Galactica.[19] He also appeared as a possessed mental patient inThe X-Files ninth-season episode "Dæmonicus".[20] He starred as Tiny Bellows on the short-lived television seriesThe Huntress (2000–2001).[21] He appeared in the miniseriesThe Grid (2004) as Hudson "Hud", the love interest ofJulianna Margulies's character.[22] He had a recurring guest role in the 2006 television seriesJericho on CBS. Remar guest-starred in the CBS crime dramaNumbers, playing a weapons dealer who later turns good and helps the FBI.
From 2006 to 2013, Remar co-starred inDexter on Showtime. He was nominated for aSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal ofDexter Morgan's adoptive father,Harry Morgan.[23]
In 2010, he played guest roles as Giuseppe Salvatore inThe CW seriesThe Vampire Diaries[24] and as James Ermine, a general for Jericho, ablack-ops military contractor, onFlashForward.
He also voiced Vilgax in the animated television seriesBen 10: Alien Force andBen 10: Ultimate Alien, replacingSteve Blum. He guest-starred inPrivate Practice in 2010, playing a physician named Gibby, who works withDoctors Without Borders.[25] On July 23, 2017, Remar was cast as Peter Gambi on the superhero dramaBlack Lightning.[26] The series would run for four seasons from January 2018 to May 2021, Remar's Gambi a series regular for its entirety.[27] He would then be cast in a recurring role onThe Rookie as Tom Bradford, Tim’s father.[28] He was later cast as General Shaw inIt: Welcome to Derry, a television series prequel to the 2017 supernatural horror filmIt, which released onHBO in 2025.[29] In December 2024, it was reported that he would reprise his role as Harry Morgan inDexter: Resurrection, which premiered in 2025.[30][31]
In 1984, he married Atsuko Remar.[32] They have two children.[33][34] He speaks conversational Japanese.[35]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues | Cooper | Episode: "Rites of Spring" | [37] |
| 1984 | The Mystic Warrior | Pesla | Television film | [36][37] |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Robbie Cann | Episode: "Buddies" | [37] |
| 1987 | The Equalizer | Tremayne | Episode: "High Performance" | |
| The Hitchhiker | Ron | Episode: "Homebodies" | ||
| Crime Story | Smilin' Jack | Episode: "Blast from the Past" | ||
| 1989 | Desperado: The Outlaw Wars | John Sikes | Television film | [36][37] |
| 1990 | Kojak: None So Blind | Wolfgang Reiger | [36] | |
| Night Visions | Sergeant Thomas Mackey | [36][37] | ||
| 1991 | Session Man | McQueen | ||
| Tales from the Crypt | Red Buckley | Episode: "Dead Wait" | [37] | |
| Brotherhood of the Gun | Frank Weir | Television film | [36][37] | |
| 1992 | Strangers | Bernard | ||
| Indecency | Mick Clarkson | |||
| 1996 | Cutty Whitman | Cutty Whitman | ||
| 1997 | Total Security | Frank Cisco | 13 episodes | [37] |
| 1998 | Inferno | Dr. Coleman West | Television film | [36][37] |
| 1999 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Keith Bolt | Episode: "The Principal" | [37] |
| 2000 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Mitch Davis / "Gabriel" | Episode: "Wages of Sin" | |
| 2000–2001 | The Huntress | Tiny Bellows | 28 episodes | [36][37] |
| 2001 | Nash Bridges | Mark Lee Page | Episode: "Fair Game" | [37] |
| 7th Heaven | James Carver | 2 episodes | ||
| Strong Medicine | Guy Falls | Episode: "Systemic" | ||
| The X-Files | Professor Josef Kobold | Episode: "Dæmonicus" | ||
| Justice League | LeadManhunter | Voice, episode: "In Blackest Night" | [37][38] | |
| 2001–2004 | Sex and the City | Richard Wright | 12 episodes | [37] |
| 2002 | The Twilight Zone | Alois Hitler | Episode: "Cradle of Darkness" | |
| Third Watch | Detective Madjanski | 4 episodes | ||
| 2003 | Peacemakers | Cole Hawkins | Episode: "Legend of the Gun" | |
| Without a Trace | Lucas Vohland | Episode: "Confidence" | ||
| 2004 | The Grid | Hudson "Hud" Benoit | Miniseries | [36][37] |
| The Survivors Club | Roan Griffin | Television film | [36] | |
| Ike: Countdown to D-Day | GeneralOmar Bradley | [36][37] | ||
| Meltdown | Colonel Boggs | |||
| North Shore | Vincent Colville | 21 episodes | [37] | |
| 2005 | Battlestar Galactica | Meier | 2 episodes | |
| 2005–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Hawkman,Shadow Thief | Voice, 2 episodes | [37][38] |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Capt. Quentin Taylor | Episode: "Open Water" | [37] |
| Thief | Agent Patterson | Miniseries | ||
| 2006–2007 | Jericho | Jonah Prowse | 5 episodes | |
| 2006–2008 | The Batman | Black Mask | Voice, 3 episodes | [38] |
| 2006–2013 | Dexter | Harry Morgan | 96 episodes | [37] |
| 2007 | Sharpshooter | Dillon | Television film | [36][37] |
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Salinsky | Episode: "Praying for Time" | [37] |
| 2009 | The Unit | Reece | Episode: "Hero" | |
| Criminal Minds | Tom Benton | Episode: "Demonology" | ||
| The Spectacular Spider-Man | Walter Hardy | Voice, episode: "Opening Night" | [38] | |
| The Christmas Hope | Mark Addison | Television film | [36][37] | |
| 2009–2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold | Harvey Dent / Two-Face | Voice, 2 episodes | [38] |
| Ben 10: Alien Force | Vilgax | Voice, 7 episodes | ||
| 2010 | D.R.E.A.M. Team | Shawn Murphy | Television film | [37] |
| Numb3rs | Randall Priest | Episode: "Arm in Arms" | ||
| FlashForward | James Ermine | Episode: "Blowback" | ||
| The Vampire Diaries | Giuseppe Salvatore | 2 episodes | ||
| Private Practice | Gibby | Episode: "Playing God" | ||
| 2011 | Human Target | Warden Cole | Episode: "Cool Hand Guerrero" | |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Elliott Connor | Episode: "Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau" | ||
| Young Justice | Joar Mahkent / Icicle Sr., Wilcox | Voice, episode: "Terrors" | [37][38] | |
| Pound Puppies | Sarge | Voice, episode: "The K9 Kid" | [38] | |
| 2011–2012 | Ben 10: Ultimate Alien | Vilgax | Voice, 5 episodes | |
| 2012 | Hatfields & McCoys | Joe Hatfield | Miniseries | |
| 2013–2014 | Beware the Batman | Silver Monkey | Voice, 3 episodes | [38] |
| The Legend of Korra | Tonraq | Voice, 14 episodes | [37][38] | |
| Grey's Anatomy | James Evans | 6 episodes | [37] | |
| Wilfred | Henry Newman | 5 episodes | ||
| 2014 | From Dusk till Dawn: The Series | Ray Gecko | Episode: "Boxman" | |
| 2014–2015 | State of Affairs | Syd Vaslo | 9 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Shannara Chronicles | Cephalo | 7 episodes | |
| 2017 | Gotham | Frank Gordon | 3 episodes | |
| NCIS: Los Angeles | Admiral Sterling Bridges | 3 episodes | ||
| The Path | Kodiak | 9 episodes | ||
| 2018–2021 | Black Lightning | Peter Gambi | 58 episodes Main role | |
| 2018–2023 | Magnum P.I. | Captain Buck Greene | 6 episodes | |
| 2019 | Animal Kingdom | Detective Andre | 4 episodes | |
| City on a Hill | Richy Ryan | 5 episodes Recurring role | [37][43] | |
| 2021 | Creepshow | Raymond Bateman | Episode: "Skeletons in the Closet" | [44] |
| The Rookie | Tom Bradford | Episode: "Breakdown" | [28] | |
| 2022 | Yellowstone | Kyle Fremont | Episode: "The Sting of Wisdom" | [37] |
| 2023 | Paul T. Goldman | Lieutenant Newman | 2 episodes | |
| 2024 | Dexter: Final Cut | Himself | Aftershow Episode: "Dexter: Original Sin 104Jamie Chung & James Remar" | |
| 2025 | Dexter's Kill Room | Episode: "Harry's Code Begins — James Remar Revisits Popping Cherry" | ||
| Dexter: Resurrection | Harry Morgan | 10 episodes Main role | [30][31] | |
| It: Welcome to Derry | General Francis Shaw | 7 episodes Main role | [45][29] | |
| 2026 | Trinity | President Paul Barnard | [46] |
| Year | Title | Role | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Warriors | Ajax | [38] |
| 2010 | Batman: The Brave and the Bold – The Videogame | Harvey Dent/Two-Face | |
| 2011 | Killzone 3 | Captain Jason Narville | |
| 2014 | Destiny | Executor Hideo, New Monarchy Merchant | [47] |
| 2017 | Destiny 2 | ||
| 2022 | Destiny 2: The Witch Queen |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Television Actor | Dexter | Nominated |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesShared withPreston Bailey,Julie Benz,Jennifer Carpenter,Valerie Cruz,Kristin Dattilo,Michael C. Hall,Desmond Harrington,C. S. Lee,Jason Manuel Olazabal,David Ramsey,Christina Robinson,Jimmy Smits, Luna Lauren Velez andDavid Zayas | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesShared with Preston Bailey, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter,Brando Eaton,Courtney Ford, Michael C. Hall, Desmond Harrington, C. S. Lee,John Lithgow,Rick Peters, Christina Robinson, Luna Lauren Velez and David Zayas | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesShared with Jennifer Carpenter,April Lee Hernández, Michael C. Hall, Desmond Harrington,Maria Doyle Kennedy, C. S. Lee,Jonny Lee Miller,Julia Stiles, Luna Lauren Velez,Peter Weller and David Zayas | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | San Diego Film Critics Society Award | Best Ensemble PerformanceShared withLeonardo DiCaprio,Samuel L. Jackson,Jonah Hill,Christoph Waltz,Jamie Foxx,Kerry Washington,Zoë Bell,Don Johnson,Walton Goggins andBruce Dern | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| Saturn Award | The Life Career Award | N/a | Won | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesShared withBilly Brown, Jennifer Carpenter,Josh Cooke,Aimee Garcia, Michael C. Hall,Colin Hanks, Desmond Harrington,Rya Kihlstedt, C. S. Lee,Edward James Olmos, Luna Lauren Velez and David Zayas | Dexter | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Gold Derby Award | Ensemble CastShared withDennis Christopher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Walton Goggins, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington | Django Unchained | Nominated |
| 2014 | Behind the Voice Actors Award | People's Choice Voice Acting AwardShared withJanet Varney,Dee Bradley Baker,David Faustino,P.J. Byrne,J. K. Simmons,Mindy Sterling,Seychelle Gabriel,Aubrey Plaza,Aaron Himelstein,John Michael Higgins, Adrian LaTourelle,Richard Riehle andLisa Edelstein | The Legend of Korra | Won |
| Television Voice Acting AwardShared with Janet Varney, Dee Bradley Baker, David Faustino, P.J. Byrne, J. K. Simmons, Mindy Sterling, Seychelle Gabriel, Aubrey Plaza, Aaron Himelstein, John Michael Higgins, Adrian LaTourelle, Richard Riehle and Lisa Edelstein | Nominated | |||
| Prism Award | Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline | Grey's Anatomy | Nominated | |
| 2026 | Saturn Awards | Best Guest Star in a Television Series[48] | It: Welcome to Derry | Pending |
2024 won SAG award for best ensemble Oppenheimer
