James Kiriyama-Lem
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
James was born in Toronto, Canada to a Japanese mother and a Chinese
father who raised him in a Caucasian suburban neighborhood. James will
always be a man with one foot in each world; the conscientious
hard-worker of his parent's Asian culture and the fearless risk-taker
of his western homeland.
It's this duality that has given James the ability to bring depth, perspective and humor to his work as an actor and an innate compassion to a wide range of characters. Like many successful actors, James never intended to act. He studied architecture in college and came to work with an interior design firm doing their architectural drawings.
It wasn't until he accompanied a girlfriend to an interview at a commercial agency, and was the one that left with a contract, that he decided to give acting a try. He soon became one of the top male models and commercial actors in Toronto; his face ubiquitous throughout the city. In particular, he became famous for having his image plastered across the facade of the Musee Des Beaux-Arts in Montreal, Canada in a full-fledged 12th century Samurai Warrior outfit. This is when James decided to flee Toronto, and make a commitment to an acting career in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles brought James steady commercial work, but also opened up the world of television and film to him. He's been proud to work with great actors like George Clooney, William H. Macy, Jamie Kennedy, Dennis Haysbert, and directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Simon West, and Betty Thomas, just to name a few.
And this is just the beginning as the industry evolves, allowing ethnic actors to play a broad range of roles, including leading men who don't practice martial arts (one of the few things James doesn't do). James feels confident that with the current trend, being Asian will not define him or his work, but will simply be one more asset he can bring to the mix.
Recently in 2014, James remarried and lives in Culver City with his 14 year old son, his wife and stepdaughter.
It's this duality that has given James the ability to bring depth, perspective and humor to his work as an actor and an innate compassion to a wide range of characters. Like many successful actors, James never intended to act. He studied architecture in college and came to work with an interior design firm doing their architectural drawings.
It wasn't until he accompanied a girlfriend to an interview at a commercial agency, and was the one that left with a contract, that he decided to give acting a try. He soon became one of the top male models and commercial actors in Toronto; his face ubiquitous throughout the city. In particular, he became famous for having his image plastered across the facade of the Musee Des Beaux-Arts in Montreal, Canada in a full-fledged 12th century Samurai Warrior outfit. This is when James decided to flee Toronto, and make a commitment to an acting career in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles brought James steady commercial work, but also opened up the world of television and film to him. He's been proud to work with great actors like George Clooney, William H. Macy, Jamie Kennedy, Dennis Haysbert, and directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Simon West, and Betty Thomas, just to name a few.
And this is just the beginning as the industry evolves, allowing ethnic actors to play a broad range of roles, including leading men who don't practice martial arts (one of the few things James doesn't do). James feels confident that with the current trend, being Asian will not define him or his work, but will simply be one more asset he can bring to the mix.
Recently in 2014, James remarried and lives in Culver City with his 14 year old son, his wife and stepdaughter.
