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James Denton

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For other uses, see James Denton (disambiguation).

James Denton
Denton in 2014
Born (1963-01-20) January 20, 1963 (age 61)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Other namesJamie Denton
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present
Spouses
  • Jenna Lyn Ward
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997; div. 2000)​
  • Erin O'Brien
    ​
    (m. 2002)​
Children2

James Denton (born January 20, 1963)[1] is an American film and television actor. He is best known for playing Mike Delfino on ABC's comedy drama series Desperate Housewives (2004–2012) and Dr. Sam Radford on Hallmark Channel's fantasy comedy drama series Good Witch (2015–2021).[2]

Early life

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Denton was born January 20, 1963, in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in nearby Goodlettsville, the second of three children. His father, J.T. Denton (1930–1993), was a dentist who had served in the military.[3] His mother died of breast cancer in 2002.[4] Denton was raised Southern Baptist and became a Minister of Music at Westmoreland United Methodist Church in Westmoreland, Tennessee.[5]

Denton graduated from Goodlettsville High School, and attended the University of Tennessee, where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He majored in Television/Journalism, and earned a degree in Advertising.[6] Before becoming an actor, he sold advertising for two radio stations. He began acting at the age of 23, at a community theater in Nashville. He eventually moved to California to become a full-time actor. Early in his career, he was sometimes credited as Jamie Denton.

Career

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While living in Chicago, Denton's first role was as "Stanley" in "A Streetcar Named Desire", and his last role was as the terrorist "Bebert" in the French farce, "Lapin Lapin". In the years that came between the two roles, Denton was a company member at The Griffin Theater and at Strawdog Theater Ensemble. He added a steady string of roles and accolades to his quickly growing list of achievements, including one of the leads in the world premiere of "Flesh and Blood", performing in and composing the music for "the Night Hank Williams Died", and his portrayal of Kentucky preacher "C.C. Showers" in "The Diviners" - which gained him a nomination for a Best Actor "Joseph Jefferson Award" (Chicago's only theater award).

After moving to Los Angeles, Denton continued to perform on stage, usually during hiatus from whichever TV series to which he was attached at the time. Several plays and independent films in which Denton has appeared, have been written by his friend, Mike Petty. For example, "In Walked Monk", in which Denton played the role of "Steven" during the summer of 1999 and Locked Up Down Shorty's", in which he played the role of "Danny", during the summer of 2001.

James Denton at 16th Screen Actors Guild Awards

Denton has appeared in several films, including: That Old Feeling (1997), Face/Off (1997), and Primary Colors (1998). He has appeared in various television shows, including: Sliders, Dark Skies, Two Guys and a Girl, Ally McBeal, The West Wing, and JAG, and has had recurring roles in The Pretender, Philly, The Drew Carey Show and Reba. In 2003, he portrayed the lead role of Special Agent John Kilmer in the short-lived crime thriller series Threat Matrix.

In 2004, Denton began portraying Mike Delfino on ABC's comedy-drama television series Desperate Housewives.[7] The show was well received by viewers and critics and it won multiple Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. From the 2004–05 through the 2008–09 television seasons, its first five seasons were rated amongst the top ten most-watched series.[8] In 2007, it was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, with an audience of approximately 120 million[9] and was also reported as the third most watched television series in a study of ratings in twenty countries.[10]

Since first appearing in Desperate Housewives, Denton continued to appear in numerous films, including: Assumption (2006), Beautiful Dreamer (2006), Undead or Alive (2007),[11] Custody (2007),[12] Tortured (2008)[13] and All-Star Superman (2011). Denton also appeared in Dale Watson's music video for "Justice for All" (2007) and Phil Vassar's music video for "Bobbi with an I" (2009).[14]

Denton portrays Dr. Sam Radford, a starring role on Hallmark Channel's fantasy comedy-drama television series Good Witch.[15] The series follows a mother-daughter duo's magical journey as they welcome Dr. Sam Radford (Denton) and his son to town.[16] The New York Times called the series "a gentle, sentimental prime-time fable set in an idealized Middle American small city (not an angsty suburb), is the show you find your parents or grandparents watching when you come home for a visit."[17] In 2019, the show was one of the network's most popular original series, and the Good Witch closed season five in first place among Household rating on Sundays.[18] The success of the series lifted the Hallmark Channel to be the highest-rated and most-watched cable network on the weekends.[18]

In 2016, he had a recurring role as Peter Hudson on Lifetime's comedy-drama series Devious Maids.[19] In 2018, he made a guest appearance as Navy Captain Deckard on CBS' television series NCIS: New Orleans, in the episode "Checkmate, Part 2". In January 2024, Denton was announced as a contestant in the 13th season of dance competition television series Danse avec les stars, the French version of Dancing with the Stars.[20] He sustained an injury early in the competition and was unable to compete in two performances.[21]

Other ventures

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Band from TV performing in November 2018, (left to right: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Adrian Pasdar, Jesse Spencer, Denton, Bob Guiney, Cristine Rose, Jon Lovitz)

Denton plays guitar in the charity cover band Band from TV along with Hugh Laurie, Teri Hatcher, Greg Grunberg among others.[2] They donate the proceeds of their performances and recordings to the charities of their choice. Band from TV has raised almost two million dollars for various causes supported by the band.[2]

He has appeared on the cover of several magazines, including TV Guide, Tango, Orange Coast, Calabasas and Spectrum United,[22] and pictorials for Entertainment Weekly, People, US Weekly and Life & Style.[23] Denton has appeared in television commercials for Buick and Ford Warriors in Pink.[24] Denton modeled for Daniel Hechter's 2012 Spring/Summer advertising campaign.[25]

Personal life

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Denton dated country music singer Deana Carter in high school. He was married to Jenna Lyn Ward from 1997 to 2000. On December 16, 2002, Denton married Erin O'Brien, a personal trainer at Life Time Fitness.[5] They have a son born in 2003 and a daughter born in 2005. The couple previously lived in Glendale, California.[26] After Desperate Housewives ended, the family moved to Chanhassen, Minnesota.[5][27]

Denton has supported the Angel Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Minnesota, serving adults with cancer and their families.[27]

Filmography

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Film and television roles
Year Title Role Notes
1993 Thieves Quartet Ray Higgs
1994 Basic Football The Quarterback Short film
1995 Hunter's Moon Nick
1996 Sliders Jack Bullock Episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Wealthy"
1996 Moloney Rocky Talese Episode: "Friendly Fire"
1996 Dark Skies Robert Winter Episode: "Hostile Convergence"
1996–2003 JAG Lieutenant Commander Bruce Carmichael / Geoffrey Roizman 2 episodes
1997 That Old Feeling Keith Marks
1997 Face/Off Buzz
1997–2000 The Pretender Mr. Lyle 36 episodes
1998 Primary Colors Mitch
2000 Locked Up Down Shorty's Danny
2000 Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place Dr. Howard Zaunaveld Episode: "The Monitor Story"
2000 Ally McBeal Jimmy Bender Episode: "Do You Wanna Dance?"
2000 The West Wing Tom Jordan Episode: "The Midterms"
2001 The Pretender 2001 Mr. Lyle Television film
2001 The Pretender: Island of the Haunted Mr. Lyle Television film
2001–2002 Philly Judge Augustus Ripley 13 episodes
2002 The Drew Carey Show Daryl 2 episodes
2003–2004 Threat Matrix Special Agent John Kilmer 16 episodes
2004 Jumbo Girl Jack Short film
2004–2012 Desperate Housewives Mike Delfino 180 episodes
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2005, 2006)
Nominated –Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2007, 2008, 2009)
Teen Choice award for Best TV actor
2005–2006 Reba Dr. Jack Morgan Episodes: "Date of Mirth" and "The Trouble with Dr. Hunky"
2006 Assumption John Short film
ShockerFest Science Fiction Genre Award for Best Actor Fantasy / Science Fiction
2006 Beautiful Dreamer Dr. Kessler
2007 Ascension Day Brother John
2007 Undead or Alive: A Zombedy Elmer Winslow
2007 Masters of Science Fiction Barney Curran Episode: "The Discarded"
2007 Custody John Sullivan
2008 American Idol Band from TV Episode: "Idol Gives Back"
2008 Tortured Agent Murphy
2010 Group Sex Luke Uncredited
2011 All-Star Superman Superman / Clark Kent Voice
2012 Hot in Cleveland Kerouac Cowboy Episode: "Storage Wars"
2012 Karaoke Man Slim
2013 Grace Unplugged Johnny Trey
2013–2019 Home & Family Himself Guest and guest co-host; 9 episodes
2014 Outnumbered Guest co-host; Episode: "Episode dated 7 October 2014"
2014 Stranded in Paradise Carter
2014 Hunger in America Narrator Documentary film; also co-executive producer
2015–2021 Good Witch Dr. Sam Radford Main cast; 75 episodes
2016 Devious Maids Peter Hudson Recurring role; 7 episodes
2016 For Love & Honor Tom Brennan Television film; also as executive producer
2018 NCIS: New Orleans Navy Captain Deckard Episode: "Checkmate, Part 2"
2018 Wake. Joe Frederickson Film
2020 Selfie Dad Steve
2021 A Kiss Before Christmas Ethan Doyle Television film; also as executive producer
2022 Perfect Harmony Jack Chandeller Television film; also as executive producer
2023 Christmas on Cherry Lane Nelson King Television film
2023 Fantasy Island Dutch Episode: "Paymer vs. Paymer"
2024 Danse avec les stars Himself Contestant on season 13

References

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  1. ^ Rose, Mike (January 20, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 20, 2023 includes celebrities Questlove, Rainn Wilson". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Cast - James Denton - Good Witch". Hallmark Channel. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "James Denton Biography". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on June 23, 2006. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  4. ^ "Dancing with the Stars: James Denton Sidelined by Injury Again, Son Gives Him an Ultimatum – DanceLand". February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Garrison, Greg (September 4, 2012). "Extras line up as movie crew films concert scenes at Alabama Theatre". AL.com. Advance Digital. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  6. ^ "Jamie Denton Biography". www.jamesdenton.com. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  7. ^ "'Desperate Housewives' character death: Exclusive interview". ew.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "The War of 18-49, Desperate Housewives".
  9. ^ "Desperate Housewives On SABC3 Confirmed". TVSA. April 3, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  10. ^ "CSI show 'most popular in world'". BBC News. July 31, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  11. ^ "James Denton and Chris Kattan Are Wanted: Undead or Alive". movieweb.com. April 23, 2006. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  12. ^ "Morrow, Denton have 'Custody' of Lifetime original". hollywoodreporter.com. June 21, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  13. ^ "Jon Cryer and James Denton Join Fishburne for 'Tortured'". AOL Moviefone. May 15, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  14. ^ "CMT Insider: Phil Vassar, James Denton on the Video Set". CMT. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  15. ^ Petski, Denise (June 2, 2016). "'Good Witch' Renewed For Third Season By Hallmark Channel". deadline.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  16. ^ "About Good Witch - The Hallmark Channel Original Series". Hallmark Channel. November 21, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Hale, Mike (June 15, 2017). "Have Your Grandparents Told You About 'Good Witch'?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  18. ^ a b "Hallmark Channel's 'Good Witch' Tops the Charts with Season 5". Slanted. August 24, 2019. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  19. ^ Petski, Denise (January 12, 2016). "'Devious Maids': Eva Longoria & James Denton Reunite In Season 4". deadline.com. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  20. ^ "Un ancien acteur de « Desperate Housewives » au casting de « Danse avec les stars »". Le HuffPost (in French). January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  21. ^ "Dancing with the Stars: James Denton Sidelined by Injury Again, Son Gives Him an Ultimatum – DanceLand". February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  22. ^ "James Denton". IMDb. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  23. ^ "James Denton Magazine Pictorials - List of magazine pictorials featuring James Denton - FamousFix". FamousFix.com. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  24. ^ "Ford Warriors in Pink TV Commercial, 'Donate From Anywhere' Feat. James Denton". iSpot.tv. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  25. ^ "James Denton, the Desperate Housewives star channels his inner model". First Luxe. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
  26. ^ "It's a Girl! - Birth, Desperate Housewives, James Denton". People. April 11, 2005. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  27. ^ a b Carlson Gustafson, Amy (January 24, 2013). "'Desperate Housewives' star James Denton has a new neighborhood -- Chanhassen". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
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Preceded by Host of Miss America
2006 		Succeeded by
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