James Troesh, also known as Jim Troesh (November 12, 1956 – October 1, 2011) was an actor, screenwriter and entertainment industry disability advocate.

Career

He was a writer and actor for the TV series ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred its creator and co-director Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth to help peo ...

'' (1984–89). Other TV appearances include ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...

'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, to Decem ...

'', and the TV movie '' Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story''. He was one of few quadriplegic actors to be successful in the entertainment industry and the first quadriplegic actor to ever join the

Screen Actors Guild The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...

Personal life

He was paralyzed at the age of 14 following an accident at his home, which rendered him

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of Motor control, motor and/or Sense, sensory function in the Cervical vertebrae, cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weak ...

for the remainder of his life. He died from respiratory failure in 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Troesh, James 1956 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers Male actors from Whittier, California American actors with disabilities American male television actors American male television writers American television writers People with tetraplegia American wheelchair users American writers with disabilities