J.E. Smith (1968)

Smith

James was born in Canton, Ohio. From an early age, James found great interest in acting for theater. While attending High School, James was cast in the play "I saved a Winter Just For You" and was subsequently awarded the prestigious Outstanding Actor in a Comedy/ Drama award from the Players Guild for his performance. Before joining the Army, James received rave reviews as 'Charlie' in "What I Did Last Summer" for the Carnation City Players. While stationed in Bamberg, Germany, James continued his theater work as time permitted. He acted in many theater productions both on the military base and off. Some of those include "Deathtrap", "Dracula - The Musical", and playing the Narrator in Stravinsky's "A Soldiers Tale" at the Bamberg Stadt Theater. Upon his return to the states after his enlistment ended, James answered an ad in his hometown paper seeking an actor for a local independent film. James was cast in the role of 'Ross' in the award winning film "9 Days' Wonder". This film was awarded best picture at the Cleveland International Film Festival, and though there was no category for Best Actor, James received an honorable mention for his work in this film. Acting in a string of TV commercials and short and feature length experimental and independent films followed including the award-winning "The Blessing of Prometheus", "Without Warning", and the well received "Nocturne". After landing a duel role in the Hollywood production of "The Oh In Ohio" starring Parker Posie, Mischa Barton, and Paul Rudd, James moved to L.A. to take his acting and film production work to a new level. Upon his arrival in L.A., James began working behind the scenes in many productions to network and to make ends meet. This new environment opened up many doors for him. James worked as a Grip and Lighting tech on many productions while writing feature and short length scripts for his newly formed production company, Bomber Films. James continues acting, producing, and directing both with his own company and with other indi filmmakers. His short action film "Crack" and his experimental music video "William Shatner" for the band 'Legs on Sale' are some of his early L.A. works.