- Born
- Birth nameJoseph Michael Straczynski
- Nicknames
- JMS
- Joe
- Height6′ 3½″ (1.92 m)
- J. Michael Straczynski was born on July 17, 1954 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Babylon 5 (1993), Changeling (2008) and Jeremiah (2002). He was previously married to Kathryn M. Drennan.
- SpouseKathryn M. Drennan(1983 - 2000) (divorced)
- Science fiction stories
- Use of mystical objects as plot devices
- Receding hairline.
- Launches Babylon5scripts.com and starts releasing all 92 scripts he wrote for Babylon 5. First TV writer in history to ever publish all their scripts for a show. When done it will total 14 volumes and 6,000+ pages of material.
- Once spotted a young man dressed as a Narn at a science fiction convention. Straczynski was so impressed at the craftsmanship of the costume that he remarked, "You came out of my head, but I know for a fact that you don't work for me.".
- He is a very big fan of Neil Gaiman and named an Alien species after him in Babylon 5.
- In 2003, Straczynski rescued a Maine Coon (a breed of cat) kitten that had fallen into a landscaping drain in his yard; a 16-hour operation which ultimately involved digging up large portions of the yard and calling out the fire department and a number of plumbers. Buddy is now doing well, and rules the Straczynski household with a velvet paw.
- Has a degree in clinical psychology and one in sociology.
- On the Babylon 5 theatrical film, The Memory of Shadows: "The only thing I can say is that phase one of the new project is a go, hence the furious writing schedule at this end of things... I've been writing my little brains out. I wouldn't go on about something in this way if it wasn't a significant development."
- The loss of Richard Biggs kind of took the wind out of our sails and it's taken a while for me to feel up to saying anything about B5. This has also had the effect of slowing up anything to do with B5:TMoS (which as some of you have guessed or inferred does indeed stand for The Memory of Shadows), because in the writing we/I never imagined he wouldn't be here to be a part of it.
- On casting Michael O'Hare as Jeffrey Sinclair on Babylon 5: "He's a classically trained actor, a graduate of Juliard, who just knocked us out when he came in to audition. He has a tremendous presence, and a voice vaguely reminiscent of Clint Eastwood at times. His face has a curiously haunted look, but at the same time is (I'm told by the women who go "yum" whenever he enters the room) quite appealing."
- On the cancellation of the Babylon 5 feature film, The Memory of Shadows: "This was not the first time someone's taken a run at a B5 feature film, and it will not be the last. Eventually it will happen, because such things are simply inevitable. If they can do a Brady Bunch movie, you can be sure that sooner or later, somebody's going to do a B5 movie."
- On the prospect of future Babylon 5 feature film projects: "The only thing I can say without equivocation is that when that day comes, as the rights-holder, I will make darned sure that it's done right, because I'd rather have no B5 movie than one that doesn't live up to what fans and I myself would want to see. To that end...I can wait."
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content