James Naughton

James Naughton
Naughton on the set of Planet of the Apes in 1974
Born	(1945-12-06) December 6, 1945 (age 80) Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Brown University (BA) Yale University (MFA)
Occupations	Actor director
Years active	1971–present
Spouse	Pamela Parsons ​ ​ (m. 1967; died 2013)​
Children	2
Relatives	David Naughton (brother) Kelli O'Hara (daughter-in-law)

James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is a two-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performances as Stone in City of Angels (1990), and Billy Flynn in Chicago (1997). He is one of nine actors to have won the award twice. On television he is best known as astronaut Pete Burke in Planet of the Apes (1974), and as socialite William van der Bilt on Gossip Girl (2009–2012).

Early life

Naughton was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Rosemary (née Walsh) and Joseph Naughton, both of whom were teachers. He is the elder brother of actor David Naughton. His family is Irish American. He graduated from Conard High School. Jim began singing during his years at Conard "with the high school band and at parties."

Career

Naughton graduated from Brown University and Yale School of Drama. His acting career began when he appeared in a series of Broadway dramas and musicals. He has since become an accomplished actor in both starring and supporting film and television roles.

He won the Theatre World Award for his breakthrough off-Broadway performance in Long Day's Journey into Night in 1971. He starred with Geneviève Bujold in Antigone, later made into a film in 1974. He starred in I Love My Wife in 1977 and in Whose Life is it Anyway? in 1980. He won his first Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1990 for City of Angels. In 1997, he won a second Tony Award with his portrayal of lawyer Billy Flynn in the musical Chicago. He played the role of Willy Brandt in Democracy on its U.S. première in 2004. His films include The Paper Chase and The First Wives Club. In 2006, he appeared in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. In 2006, he played Fuzzy Sedgwick in Factory Girl.

Television and commercials

On television, he starred in Faraday & Company with Dan Dailey and Sharon Gless (1973–1974). He also starred with Roddy McDowall and Ron Harper in the 1974 television series Planet of the Apes, a spin-off of the original film. He starred in Making the Grade and Trauma Center in the early 1980s. He starred in the short-lived series Raising Miranda in 1988. From 1991 to 1993, he played Lt. Patrick Monahan on the series Brooklyn Bridge. From 1994 to 1995, he co-starred with Bill Cosby in The Cosby Mysteries. He appeared with Gless 20 years later, this time as her husband in Cagney and Lacey: The Return (1993) and Cagney and Lacey: Together Again (1995). He appeared on Damages with Glenn Close. Naughton had a recurring role on Gossip Girl as William van der Bilt, grandfather of main character Nate Archibald. In 1998 he hosted and narrated the Court TV series The Greatest Trials of All Time.

He has appeared in television commercials promoting the drugs Cialis, Nexium and Nasalcrom. Naughton has also been the official voice of Audi in the U.S. since 2007, heard in its national TV and radio spots. He is also a frequent narrator on television's Nature series.

Personal life

His family is Irish American. He and his first wife, Pamela Parsons, have two children: Keira and Greg, both actors. Greg is a founding member of the band The Sweet Remains and is married to Broadway actress Kelli O'Hara. Pamela Parsons died from pancreatic cancer in 2013.

Stage credits

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• James Naughton at IMDb
• James Naughton at the Internet Broadway Database
• James Naughton at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (archived)