| James Remar | |
| Birth Name: | William James Remar |
| Birth Date: | 31 December 1953 |
| Birth Place: | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actor |
| Years Active: | 1978–present |
| 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 in The Warriors (1979), Albert Ganz in 48 Hrs. (1982), Dutch Schultz in The Cotton Club (1984), and Jack Duff in Miracle on 34th Street (1994). In television, he is best known for playing Richard Wright in Sex and the City (2001–2004), and Harry Morgan, the father of the title character, in Dexter (2006–2013) and (2025). Since 2009, he has done voice-over work in ads for Lexus luxury cars.[1] Remar studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City.
Remar's more recent roles include Frank Gordon in Gotham from 2016 to 2019; Peter Gambi in Black Lightning from 2018 to 2021; Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson in Oppenheimer in 2023 and General Francis Shaw in It: Welcome to Derry (2025).
William James Remar was born in Boston, 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 of Russian-Jewish descent, while his mother was a native of England and of Irish descent. He has three sisters and two brothers.[4] Remar grew up with his family in Newton, 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 a roofer, 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]
In Florida, Remar earned a role in a state production of Cross and Sword.[3] Afterwards, he studied at the Neighborhood 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 of Grease, and also performed at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, before making his film debut in On the Yard.[6]
Remar has spent the majority of his film career playing villains. He portrayed the violent gang member Ajax in the cult film The Warriors (1979),[7] and the murdering sociopath Albert Ganz in the hit 48 Hrs. (1982). Both films were directed by Walter Hill. Remar also played real-life 1930s-era gangster Dutch Schultz in The Cotton Club (1984).[8]
In contrast to these roles, Remar starred in the film Windwalker (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 film Cruising (1980). That same year, Remar had a cameo in the Western The Long Riders (1980) in a bar fight scene with David Carradine.
He was the star of the film Quiet Cool (1986) and was cast as Corporal Hicks in the science-fiction/horror film Aliens (1986), but was replaced by Michael 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 in The Phantom (1996).[13] In 1994 he played a supporting role in the film Renaissance Man, then appeared in Mortal Kombat Annihilation (1997), the sequel to the film Mortal Kombat (1995), taking over the role of Raiden from Christopher Lambert. He then followed this with a role in the direct-to-video science fiction film Robo Warriors (1996). Other films include Psycho (1998), in which he played the patrolman,[14] Drugstore Cowboy (1989), (1990), Wedlock (1991), Boys on the Side (1995), The Quest (1996), Rites of Passage (1999), (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), Fear X (2003), (2004), and The Girl Next Door (2004). He played a brief role as General Bratt in the prologue of Pineapple Express (2008). He also had a role in the horror film The Unborn (2009), alongside C.S. Lee, who portrays Vince Masuka in Dexter. He also played the father of Olivia Grey in Feed (2017).
Remar appeared in the film (2011) and voiced the Autobot Sideswipe in the film (2011), replacing André Sogliuzzo.[15] He was also cast in the heist film Setup (2011) and starred in the film Arena (2011).
Remar played two different, unrelated characters in Quentin Tarantino's film Django Unchained (2012): Ace Speck and Butch Pooch.[16] He starred, alongside Emma Roberts, Lucy Boynton, and Lauren Holly, in the thriller film The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015).[17]
Remar's television appearances include the series Miami Vice, Hill Street Blues, Sex and the City (as the on-again, off-again boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character),[18] Tales from the Crypt, Jericho, Third Watch, Justice League Unlimited, and Battlestar Galactica.[19] He also appeared as a possessed mental patient in The X-Files ninth-season episode "Dæmonicus".[20] He starred as Tiny Bellows on the short-lived television series The Huntress (2000–2001).[21] He appeared in the miniseries The Grid (2004) as Hudson "Hud", the love interest of Julianna Margulies's character.[22] He had a recurring guest role in the 2006 television series Jericho on CBS. Remar guest-starred in the CBS crime drama Numbers, playing a weapons dealer who later turns good and helps the FBI.
From 2006 to 2013, Remar co-starred in Dexter on Showtime. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dexter Morgan's adoptive father, Harry Morgan.[23]
In 2010, he played guest roles as Giuseppe Salvatore in The CW series The Vampire Diaries[24] and as James Ermine, a general for Jericho, a black-ops military contractor, on FlashForward.
He also voiced Vilgax in the animated television series and , replacing Steve Blum. He guest-starred in Private Practice in 2010, playing a physician named Gibby, who works with Doctors Without Borders.[25] On July 23, 2017, Remar was cast as Peter Gambi on the superhero drama Black 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 on The Rookie as Tom Bradford, Tim’s father.[28] He was later cast as General Shaw in It: Welcome to Derry, a television series prequel to the 2017 supernatural horror film It, which released on HBO in 2025.[29] In December 2024, it was reported that he would reprise his role as Harry Morgan in , 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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | On the Yard | Larson | [36] [37] | ||
| 1979 | The Warriors | Ajax | |||
| 1980 | Cruising | Gregory | |||
| The Long Riders | Sam Starr | ||||
| Windwalker | Young Windwalker | ||||
| 1982 | Partners | Edward K. Petersen | |||
| 48 Hrs. | Albert Ganz | ||||
| 1984 | The Cotton Club | Dutch Schultz | |||
| 1986 | The Clan of the Cave Bear | Creb | |||
| Band of the Hand | Nestor | ||||
| Quiet Cool | Officer Joe Dylanne | ||||
| 1987 | Rent-A-Cop | Dancer | |||
| 1989 | The Dream Team | Gianelli | |||
| Drugstore Cowboy | Gentry | ||||
| 1990 | Preston | Segment: "Lover's Vow" | |||
| 1991 | White Fang | "Beauty" Smith | |||
| Wedlock | Sam | ||||
| 1992 | The Tigress | Andrei | |||
| 1993 | Fatal Instinct | Max Shady | |||
| Blink | Thomas Ridgely | ||||
| 1994 | Renaissance Man | Captain Tom Murdoch | |||
| Miracle on 34th Street | Jack Duff | ||||
| 1995 | Boys on the Side | Alex | |||
| The Surgeon | Dr. Benjamin Hendricks | ||||
| Judge Dredd | Monroe, Block Warlord | Uncredited | |||
| Wild Bill | Donnie Lonigan | ||||
| 1996 | The Quest | Maxie Devine | |||
| The Phantom | Quill | ||||
| 1997 | Mortal Kombat Annihilation | Lord Raiden | |||
| 1998 | Psycho | Highway Patrolman | |||
| 1999 | Rites of Passage | Frank Dabbo | |||
| 2000 | Blowback | John Matthew Whitman / Schmidt | |||
| What Lies Beneath | Warren Feur | ||||
| Dr. Paul Gregory | |||||
| 2003 | Fear X | Peter | |||
| 2 Fast 2 Furious | United States Customs Agent Markham | ||||
| Duplex | Chick | ||||
| 2004 | The Girl Next Door | Hugo Posh | |||
| FBI Agent Ray Cumberland | |||||
| 2007 | Ratatouille | Larousse | Voice | [38] | |
| 2008 | Pineapple Express | General Bratt | |||
| 2009 | The Unborn | Gordon Beldon | |||
| 2B | Tom Mortlake | ||||
| Endless Bummer | Sam Kramer | ||||
| 2010 | Gun | Detective Rogers | |||
| Red | Gabriel Singer | ||||
| 2011 | The FP | Narrator | Voice | ||
| United States General | |||||
| Sideswipe | Voice | ||||
| Setup | William Long | ||||
| Arena | Agent Sam McCarty / Sam Lord | ||||
| Vs | Rickshaw | ||||
| 2012 | Django Unchained | "Ace" Speck, Butch Pooch | |||
| 2013 | Horns | Derrick Perrish | |||
| 2014 | Persecuted | John Luther | |||
| Lap Dance | Patrick Moore | ||||
| 2015 | The Blackcoat's Daughter | Bill | |||
| Eden | Coach DaFoe | ||||
| Santo Trafficante Jr. | |||||
| 2016 | Rear Admiral William S. Parnell | ||||
| 2017 | The Night Watchmen | Randall | [39] | ||
| The Saint | Arnold Valecross | ||||
| Feed | Tom Grey | ||||
| 2018 | Speed Kills | Meyer Lansky | |||
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | "Ugly Owl" Hoot | Scene deleted | ||
| 2020 | Dead Reckoning | Agent Richard Cantrell | |||
| 2022 | The Noel Diary | Scott Turner | |||
| 2023 | Oppenheimer | Henry L. Stimson | [40] | ||
| 2024 | Drugstore June | Arnold | |||
| Megalopolis | Charles Cothope | [41] | |||
| Transformers One | Zeta Prime | Voice | |||
| 2026 | Post-production | [42] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Reference(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues | Cooper | Episode: "Rites of Spring" | ||
| 1984 | The Mystic Warrior | Pesla | Television film | ||
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Robbie Cann | Episode: "Buddies" | ||
| 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 | ||
| 1990 | Kojak: None So Blind | Wolfgang Reiger | |||
| Night Visions | Sergeant Thomas Mackey | ||||
| 1991 | Session Man | McQueen | |||
| Tales from the Crypt | Red Buckley | Episode: "Dead Wait" | |||
| Brotherhood of the Gun | Frank Weir | Television film | |||
| 1992 | Strangers | Bernard | |||
| Indecency | Mick Clarkson | ||||
| 1996 | Cutty Whitman | Cutty Whitman | |||
| 1997 | Total Security | Frank Cisco | 13 episodes | ||
| 1998 | Inferno | Dr. Coleman West | Television film | ||
| 1999 | Walker, Texas Ranger | Keith Bolt | Episode: "The Principal" | ||
| 2000 | 18 Wheels of Justice | Mitch Davis / "Gabriel" | Episode: "Wages of Sin" | ||
| 2000–2001 | The Huntress | Tiny Bellows | 28 episodes | ||
| 2001 | Nash Bridges | Mark Lee Page | Episode: "Fair Game" | ||
| 7th Heaven | James Carver | 2 episodes | |||
| Strong Medicine | Guy Falls | Episode: "Systemic" | |||
| The X-Files | Professor Josef Kobold | Episode: "Dæmonicus" | |||
| Justice League | Lead Manhunter | Voice, episode: "In Blackest Night" | |||
| 2001–2004 | Sex and the City | Richard Wright | 12 episodes | ||
| 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 | ||
| The Survivors Club | Roan Griffin | Television film | |||
| General Omar Bradley | |||||
| Meltdown | Colonel Boggs | ||||
| North Shore | Vincent Colville | 21 episodes | |||
| 2005 | Battlestar Galactica | Meier | 2 episodes | ||
| 2005–2006 | Justice League Unlimited | Hawkman, Shadow Thief | Voice, 2 episodes | ||
| 2006 | Capt. Quentin Taylor | Episode: "Open Water" | |||
| Thief | Agent Patterson | Miniseries | |||
| 2006–2007 | Jericho | Jonah Prowse | 5 episodes | ||
| 2006–2008 | The Batman | Black Mask | Voice, 3 episodes | ||
| 2006–2013 | Dexter | Harry Morgan | 96 episodes | ||
| 2007 | Sharpshooter | Dillon | Television film | ||
| 2008 | Eli Stone | Salinsky | Episode: "Praying for Time" | ||
| 2009 | The Unit | Reece | Episode: "Hero" | ||
| Criminal Minds | Tom Benton | Episode: "Demonology" | |||
| The Spectacular Spider-Man | Walter Hardy | Voice, episode: "Opening Night" | |||
| The Christmas Hope | Mark Addison | Television film | |||
| 2009–2010 | Harvey Dent / Two-Face | Voice, 2 episodes | |||
| Vilgax | Voice, 7 episodes | ||||
| 2010 | D.R.E.A.M. Team | Shawn Murphy | Television film | ||
| 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" | |||
| Pound Puppies | Sarge | Voice, episode: "The K9 Kid" | |||
| 2011–2012 | Vilgax | Voice, 5 episodes | |||
| 2012 | Hatfields & McCoys | Joe Hatfield | Miniseries | ||
| 2013–2014 | Beware the Batman | Silver Monkey | Voice, 3 episodes | ||
| The Legend of Korra | Tonraq | Voice, 14 episodes | |||
| Grey's Anatomy | James Evans | 6 episodes | |||
| Wilfred | Henry Newman | 5 episodes | |||
| 2014 | 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 | ||
| 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 | [43] | ||
| 2021 | Creepshow | Raymond Bateman | Episode: "Skeletons in the Closet" | [44] | |
| The Rookie | Tom Bradford | Episode: "Breakdown" | |||
| 2022 | Yellowstone | Kyle Fremont | Episode: "The Sting of Wisdom" | ||
| 2023 | Paul T. Goldman | Lieutenant Newman | 2 episodes | ||
| 2024 | Dexter: Final Cut | Himself | Aftershow Episode: " 104 Jamie Chung & James Remar" | ||
| 2025 | Dexter's Kill Room | Episode: "Harry's Code Begins — James Remar Revisits Popping Cherry" | |||
| Harry Morgan | 10 episodes Main role | ||||
| It: Welcome to Derry | General Francis Shaw | 7 episodes Main role | [45] | ||
| 2026 | Trinity | President Paul Barnard | [46] |
| Year | Title | Role | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Warriors | Ajax | |
| 2010 | Harvey Dent/Two-Face | ||
| 2011 | Killzone 3 | Captain Jason Narville | |
| 2014 | Destiny | Executor Hideo, New Monarchy Merchant | [47] |
| 2017 | Destiny 2 | ||
| 2022 |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Television Actor | Dexter | ||
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared with Preston 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 and David Zayas | |||
| 2010 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared 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 | ||||
| 2011 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared 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 | ||||
| 2012 | San Diego Film Critics Society Award | Best Ensemble Performance Shared with Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Jonah Hill, Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Zoë Bell, Don Johnson, Walton Goggins and Bruce Dern | Django Unchained | ||
| Saturn Award | The Life Career Award | ||||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Shared with Billy 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 | |||
| 2013 | Gold Derby Award | Ensemble Cast Shared with Dennis Christopher, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Walton Goggins, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Johnson, Christoph Waltz and Kerry Washington | Django Unchained | ||
| 2014 | Behind the Voice Actors Award | People's Choice Voice Acting Award Shared 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 | The Legend of Korra | ||
| Television Voice Acting Award Shared 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 | |||||
| Prism Award | Male Performance in a Drama Series Multi-Episode Storyline | Grey's Anatomy | |||
| 2026 | Saturn Awards | Best Guest Star in a Television Series[48] | It: Welcome to Derry |
