James Arrington is an American stage actor, director, playwright and scholar. His plays are about the people or the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

Arrington studied at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco and has a masters degree from Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

. He is currently the Department Chair for the Department of Theatrical Arts for Stage and Screen at Utah Valley University. Arrington is the son of LDS Historian Leonard J. Arrington

Leonard J. Arrington

Leonard James Arrington was an author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his many influential contributions to the field.-Biographical background:Arrington was born in Twin Falls,...

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Arrington's plays include one man shows on LDS Church leaders Brigham Young

Brigham Young

Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...

, J. Golden Kimball

J. Golden Kimball

Jonathan Golden Kimball was a prominent and well known leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving as a member of the First Council of the Seventy from 1892 until his death in 1938. He is considered one of the most colorful and beloved of the Church's General Authorities...

 and Wilford Woodruff

Wilford Woodruff

Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...

. Here's Brother Brigham, in which Arrington wrote and performs, is a two-hour, two act play in which Brigham Young reads letters, reminisces about his past and has conversations with other people. By 2001, Arrington had performed the play almost 700 times.

He has written and produced a large number of plays around the fictional Farley Family. One to four actors play up to 20 different members of the Farley family. The play is also performed by other actors including a U.S. Army performance company in Iraq and Afghanistan. The play has spawned a book entitled, Aunt Pearl's Family Reunion Book: Personal Pointers on "How to 'Farley-Up Your Family Reunion" Reunion Book.

Arrington has also lent his voice talents to animated film productions, including The Swan Princess

The Swan Princess

The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo...

. He also was one of the lead voice talents in the animated film "Samuel the Boy Prophet" and several other Bible themed animated features produced by Richard Rich

Richard Rich (director)

Richard Rich is an American film director, producer and writer known for his work in animation. He is president of Crest Animation Productions. Unlike most animation directors Rich has never worked as animator on a film....

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Arrington is the uncle to actress Eliza Dushku

Eliza Dushku

Eliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...

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Works

• Here's Brother Brigham (1976)
• Farley Family Reunion (1980)
• J. Golden (1982)
• Wilford Woodruff: God's Fisherman (with Tim Slover, 1987)
• Farley Family Reunion II: The Next Gyration (1993)
• The Prophet (1995)
• Trail of Dreams (with Marvin Payne and Steven Kapp Perry, 1997)
• Farley Family Xmas (1997)
• Tumuaki! Matthew Cowley of the Pacific (1997)
• The M.A.K.E.R. (2001)
• Youtahneeks (2001)
• March of the Salt Soldiers (with Mahonri Stewart, 2008)