Acting always seemed to strike a chord with Jim, ever since he did Shakespeare in the Park in St. Louis when he was 15. He studied acting at Boston University and St. Louis University.
Jim broke into the TV market in 1987 acting in and singing a song he
had written for the NBC miniseries "Hands of a Stranger". "Wiseguy",
filmed in Vancouver, Canada, premiered later that year. He was featured
in Highlander: The Series, (syndicated, 1992-98) and Highlander: The
Raven (1998). He hosted 26 installments of "The Jim Byrnes Show", a
syndicated variety series that ran across Canada in 1998-99.
In addition to acting, Jim has also done voices for the animated series
"Dragon Warrior" (syndicated, 1990) and "Megaman" (syndicated, 1996),
appeared in the short-lived syndicated series "Neon Rider" (1990) and
performed blues songs on an episode of the HBO series "The Hitchhiker".
Jim has co-starred in numerous TV movies, beginning with "The Red Spider" (CBS, 1988). He had strong moments playing a war veteran in the award-winning "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story" (NBC, 1995) and reprised the role of Lifeguard for a "Wiseguy" reunion movie (ABC, 1996).
Jim's feature film work has been more limited, although he earned good notices as a musician in "Harmony Cats" (1993) and is a police lieutenant in "Under the Gun" (1995). There were two Highlander movies produced: Endgame (2000) and Highlander: The Source (2007). The films feature Jim as blues bar owner Joe Dawson.
In 1993, he was nominated for a Genie for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his work in "Harmony Cats", and in 1996 won the Leo for Best Actor in a TV Drama for his work in Highlander.
His most recent projects include filming episodes of "The Twilight Zone", "The Dead Zone", and "Just Cause" and doing voice work for both commercials and cartoons.
Film (including movies for TV)
Snow Queen, The (2002) (TV) (voice) .... Polar Bear
Madeline: My Fair Madeline (2002) (TV) (voice) .... Mayor of Paris
Due East (2002) (TV) .... Father Berkely
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: The Movie - Endless Waltz (2000) (TV) .... Dekim Barton
Highlander: Endgame (2000) .... Joe Dawson
Becoming Dick (2000) (TV) .... Bartender
Monster Mash (2000) (V) (voice)
Animated Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The (1998) (V) (voice) .... Pop
Mummies Alive! The Legend Begins (1998) (V) (voice) .... Additional Voices
Final Descent (1997) (TV) .... Duke Houston
Drive, She Said (1997) .... Dr. Glen Green
Masterminds (1997) (uncredited) .... Larry Millard
Lost Treasure of Dos Santos (1997) (TV) .... Doc Humphries
Starlight (1996/I) .... Rod MacArthur
For Hope (1996) (TV) (uncredited) .... Date #1
Bloodhounds II (1996) (TV) .... Lt. Jim McMahon
Wiseguy (1996) (TV) .... Lifeguard
Dream Man (1995) .... Lt. Jim 'The Loot' Garrity
Sliders (1995) (TV) .... Announcer
Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story (1995) (TV) .... Vet
Suspicious Agenda (1994) .... Lt. Rayburn
Whale Music (1994) .... Dewey Moore
Harmony Cats (1993) .... Frank Hay
Invader (1992) (scenes deleted) .... Engineer Powell
Dirty Work (1992) (TV) .... Stan
Christmas on Division Street (1991) (TV) .... Benedetti
Omen IV: The Awakening (1991) (TV) .... Noah
In the Best Interest of the Child (1990) (TV) .... Kurt
Red Spider, The (1988) (TV) .... Jack Fine
Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV) (uncredited) .... Band Leader
Out of the Blue (1980) (as Jim Byrne) .... Party Singer
Television Series
Stargate: Infinity (2002) (voice)
Ultimate Book of Spells (2001)
X-Men: Evolution (2000) (voice) .... Nick Fury
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (2000) .... Duke Dermail
Higher Ground (2000) .... Frank Markasian
Beast Machines: Transformers (1999) (voice) .... Thrust
Walking After Midnight (1999) .... Host
The Jim Byrnes Show (1998) .... Jim Byrnes, owner of Blue Byrnes Bar
Shadow Raiders (1998) (voice) .... Grand Vizier
Beast Wars: Transformers (1996) (voice) .... Inferno (1997-1999)
Hurricanes (1996) (voice)
Stone Protectors (1996) (voice) .... Additional Voices
Final Fight (1995) .... Belger/J
G.I. Joe Extreme (1995) (voice) .... Nelson
Mega Man (1995) (voice) .... Dr. Thomas Light
Highlander (1992) .... Joe Dawson (1993-1998)
Conan and the Young Warriors (1994) (voice) .... Additional Voices
Double Dragon (1993/I) (voice) .... Shadow Master
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice (1992) (voice) .... Merlin
Madeline (1990) (voice) .... Chef Flambé/Mr. Moneybags/Metro Train Conductor/Mayor
Fiorello LaGuardia/Buffalo Ben/Additional Voices
Neon Rider (1990) .... Kevin
G.I. Joe (1990) (voice)
Wiseguy (1987) TV Series .... Dan 'Lifeguard' Burroughs
Guest Appearances
Just Cause (2001) in episode: Fading Star
The Outer Limits (1995) playing Merlin in episode: The Tipping Point
The Dead Zone (2002) playing Vic Goodman in episode: Unreasonable Doubt
X-Men: Evolution (2000) playing Nick Fury in episode: Operation: Rebirth
Mysterious Ways (2000) playing Ramp in episode: Spirit Junction
Show of Hearts (1967) TV Series .... Himself (1999)
First Wave (1998) playing Tyler Greer in episode: Shadowland
Cold Squad (1998) in episode: Deadly Games: Part 2
The Net (1998) playing Mr. Olivier in episodes: Zero, Pay the Line,
Sample, Pandora's Box, Diamonds Aren't Forever, Harvest, Go Like You
Know, Kill the Buddha, Bulls and Bears
Highlander: The Raven (1998) playing Joe Dawson in episode: A Matter
of Time
Murder Call (1997) playing Guy Hanson in episode: More Than Meets the
Eye
Mummies Alive! (1997) (additional voice)
The Outer Limits (1995) playing Gary Latimer in episode: The Joining
Two (1996) playing Col. Maxwell Foley in episode: The Reckoning
StreetFighter: The Animated Series (1997) playing Guy (voice) in episode:
Final Fight
The Commish (1991) playing Brett Shrager in episode: The Kid
The Final Cut (1995) (music performer: "That River")
Sliders (1995) playing "Announcer" (uncredited) in episode:
Pilot
Mega Man (1995) playing Governor Marshall Deacon in episode: Bro-Bots
The Hat Squad (1992) playing Carl Drake in episode: Dead Man Walking
Out of This World (1987) playing Jim in episode: Should Old Acquaintance
Be Forgot?
