James Reynolds

It is not many acting hopefuls who get the chance to personally quiz the likes of Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas, and Peter Fonda on how to make it "big" in Hollywood, so when James Reynolds got the opportunity, he took it. Having studied journalism in college, Reynolds spent time as a film critic for the Topeka Daily Capitol and interviewed a number of Hollywood's brightest talents.

His research has paid off as fans of NBCs Days of our Lives and Generations will attest. After nine years as the stalwart Abe Carver on Days of our Lives, Reynolds briefly moved to Generations where he was rewarded with an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of entrepreneur Henry Marshall. When Generations ceased productions, Reynolds rejoined the cast of Days of our Lives, and is now celebrating his 11th year on the show with the best storyline he has ever had. Reynolds character is a police officer that has risen to the rank of Commander, but not at the cost of his political awareness.

According to Reynolds, "The idea is for Abe to become concerned with the people he has left behind in his rise to power."

In real life, Reynolds still finds time to be president of La Famile Films, a film and television production company, and frequently tour colleges in his one man show I, Too, America, a commentary on the African-American experience.

Reynolds was raised in the small farming community of Askaloosa, Kansas. "It was great growing up in a small town," he recalls. "The town's entire population was only eight hundred and the lifestyle was generally one of peace and quiet. My grandparents told me of the time they were held together overnight by an escaped convict from nearby Leavenworth Federal Prison, but that, of course," he adds with a smile, "was the exception to the rule. That was the biggest news event in Askaloosa in decades."

In a school with such a small student body there was never a shortage of extracurricular activities. In addition to performing in several school plays, Reynolds became very active in sports, playing football, basketball, and track.

Following graduation from high school, Reynolds joined the Marines. After boot camp he was assigned to the Information Service Office where, first stationed in Hawaii, he became a writer for the service newspaper, The Windward Marine. Later he was sent to Vietnam and served for almost a year with a variety of units in and around Chu Lai, adding battlefield reporting to his combat duties until a wound resulted in his discharge.

Returning stateside, Reynolds enrolled in Topeka's Washburn University, majoring in pre-law and journalism. Advised that the best place on campus to meet girls was the theater department, he began auditioning and performing in plays. In addition to his much-improved social life, Reynolds reaped another unexpected benefit - he discovered a passion for acting. He went on to appear not only in regular campus productions of musicals and dramatic plays, but with local theater groups as well.

Reynolds enjoyed campus life, but after his first real taste of travel in the service, became restless and took periodic breaks from his studies in order to travel the country. Working the docks of Houston, the orange groves of Southern California, or hopping freight trains in between, Reynolds got a unique look at the U.S. before deciding to leave school once and for all and head to San Francisco where he worked as an actor for a time.

A few months after landing in San Francisco, Reynolds' life took another turn. Finding it necessary for family reasons to return to Kansas, he used his background in journalism to land a post with the Topeka Daily Capitol, covering theater, film and music. It was here, over a period of almost two years, that he interviewed stars such as Jack Nicholson, Michael Douglas and Peter Fonda, among others, and it was here that he resolved to pursue a professional career in acting.

A couple of years later, James auditioned for and was accepted into a new repertory group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he played major roles in a number of productions until, barely among their first season, the company went broke. Undaunted, Reynolds simply walked into the offices of the Colorado Springs Sun and landed another newspaper job as critic and feature writer while investigating other acting jobs in the area. Soon he also landed his first television commercial and a featured role in the film Mr. Majestyk, which starred Charles Bronson.

Finally, Reynolds moved to Los Angeles and amassed an impressive list of television credits. In addition to guest spots on such series as Highway to Heaven, 227, Different Strokes, Hart to Hart, and The Dukes of Hazzard, he co-starred, with Vincent Price, in the CBS series Time Express and appeared in a number of feature films including The Magic of Lassie, The Foundation, and Hotline. Anxious to continue his stage work, Reynolds also found time in his busy schedule to found the Los Angeles Repertory Theater, which he operated for seven years.

Reynolds and his wife, actress Lissa Layng, are owners of Classes Unlimited a learning center located in South Pasadena and Sherman Oaks, California.

James is very active in charities. He has been involved in fund raising activities for more than three hundred charities in the last ten years. Annually, he hosts a bowl-a-thon in Los Angeles for the National Asthma Center and a celebrity basketball game in Pasadena for the Foothill YMCA. With his family, Reynolds recently started the Big Men T-shirt with sayings like "Big men don't hit, they hug" and "Big men don't conspire, they inspire." The profits from the T-shirt sales go to a number of charities that deal with children

Reynolds is still an active sportsman, enjoying basketball and racquetball on his days off. He and his wife, and son, Jed, live in the Los Angeles area.