James Sloyan
Encyclopedia
James Joseph Sloyan is an American actor
. He is married to actress Deirdre Lenihan
with whom he has two children, Daniel and Samantha.
. Sloyan's acting career was interrupted in 1962, when he was drafted into the United States Army
during its operations in Vietnam.
and Ryan's Hope
, and guest appearances on such prime-time series as Baywatch
, Quantum Leap, The X-Files
, MacGyver
, Party of Five
, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
, among numerous others. In addition, he appeared in the television movies Billionaire Boys Club and My Son Is Innocent.
Sloyan has also appeared in a number of science fiction
television series, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
, in which he portrayed Barnard "Barney" Smith in the episode "The Plot to Kill a City", as well as several roles in the Star Trek
franchise. In Star Trek: The Next Generation
, he portrayed Alidar Jarok (a defecting Romulan admiral) in "The Defector
", and Alexander Rozhenko (Worf's son) as an adult in the future, in "Firstborn". In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
, he portrayed the Bajoran scientist Mora Pol and Odo's "father" in the episodes "The Begotten" and "The Alternate". The Star Trek: Voyager
episode entitled "Jetrel" featured Sloyan as the title character.
. "Mottola", Sloyan's character, was used to illustrate the concept of a "griftee" in the film, having been "cleaned by two grifters
" who "...tied into [Sloyan's Character] on 47th...played the switch for him, then blew him off to a cab on 49th." Sloyan's character in the movie was eventually murdered by the film's antagonist.
He has also played roles in The Traveling Executioner
(1970), The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
(1971), and Xanadu
(1980).
actor for Sprint Nextel
long distance services, and in film trailers for movies such as Jumper
, The Shadow
and How to Make an American Quilt
.
Sloyan was also "the voice of Lexus", having performed voice-overs in American television advertisements for Lexus
(a division of Toyota Motor Corporation
), since the make's introduction to the American market.
In 2009, he was replaced as the "voice of Lexus" by actor James Remar
. Sloyan now voices ads for Mitsubishi.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is married to actress Deirdre Lenihan
Deirdre Lenihan
Deirdre Lenihan is an American actress. She first appeared in the 1972 film Glass Houses. She has also appeared in numerous television series, such as From Here to Eternity and The Waltons....
with whom he has two children, Daniel and Samantha.
Early years
Sloyan left the United States at an early age to live abroad in Rome, Capri, Milan, Switzerland, and Ireland. Sloyan's career in show-business began upon his return to the United States, in 1957, where Sloyan received a scholarship to The American Academy of Dramatic ArtsAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
. Sloyan's acting career was interrupted in 1962, when he was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during its operations in Vietnam.
Television career
Sloyan's television career has included brief performances on day-time dramas The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
and Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope
Ryan's Hope is an American soap opera, revolving around 13 years of trials and tribulations within a large Irish American family in the Riverside district of New York City. It aired from July 7, 1975 to January 13, 1989 on ABC...
, and guest appearances on such prime-time series as Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, Quantum Leap, The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
, Party of Five
Party of Five
Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
, and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
, among numerous others. In addition, he appeared in the television movies Billionaire Boys Club and My Son Is Innocent.
Sloyan has also appeared in a number of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
, in which he portrayed Barnard "Barney" Smith in the episode "The Plot to Kill a City", as well as several roles in the Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
franchise. In Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
, he portrayed Alidar Jarok (a defecting Romulan admiral) in "The Defector
The Defector (TNG episode)
"The Defector" is the 58th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.-Overview:A Romulan defector demands asylum aboard the Enterprise with vital information about a possible Romulan invasion.-Plot:...
", and Alexander Rozhenko (Worf's son) as an adult in the future, in "Firstborn". In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
, he portrayed the Bajoran scientist Mora Pol and Odo's "father" in the episodes "The Begotten" and "The Alternate". The Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode entitled "Jetrel" featured Sloyan as the title character.
Film career
Sloyan is featured in the opening sequence of The StingThe Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
. "Mottola", Sloyan's character, was used to illustrate the concept of a "griftee" in the film, having been "cleaned by two grifters
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
" who "...tied into [Sloyan's Character] on 47th...played the switch for him, then blew him off to a cab on 49th." Sloyan's character in the movie was eventually murdered by the film's antagonist.
He has also played roles in The Traveling Executioner
The Traveling Executioner
The Traveling Executioner is a 1970 American film starring Stacey Keach, Bud Cort, Stefan Gierasch and Marianna Hill and directed by Jack Smight.-Plot:...
(1970), The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight
The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight is a 1969 novel written by Jimmy Breslin and a film of the same name based on the book and released in 1971 starring Robert De Niro. The novel is a roman à clef of the life of Joey Gallo whose fictional counterpart, Kid Sally Palumbo, is played by Jerry Orbach...
(1971), and Xanadu
Xanadu (film)
Xanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
(1980).
Commercial career
Sloyan has been used as a voice-overVoice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
actor for Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
long distance services, and in film trailers for movies such as Jumper
Jumper (film)
Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction film, loosely based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, and Diane Lane...
, The Shadow
The Shadow
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
and How to Make an American Quilt
How to Make an American Quilt
How to Make an American Quilt is a 1995 movie which was directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse and stars Winona Ryder, Maya Angelou, Ellen Burstyn and Anne Bancroft...
.
Sloyan was also "the voice of Lexus", having performed voice-overs in American television advertisements for Lexus
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
(a division of Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
), since the make's introduction to the American market.
In 2009, he was replaced as the "voice of Lexus" by actor James Remar
James Remar
James Remar is an American actor and voice artist. He has appeared in movies, video games, and TV shows. He is perhaps best known as Richard, the on-off tycoon boyfriend of Kim Cattrall's character in Sex and the City, as Ajax in The Warriors, as the homicidal maniac Albert Ganz in the 1982...
. Sloyan now voices ads for Mitsubishi.