James Leland Walters Jr. (born June 13, 1969) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles on ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...

'' and '' The Heights'' and singing lead vocal on " How Do You Talk to an Angel".

Career

Walters was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and grew up in

Marblehead, Massachusetts Marblehead is a coastal New England town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, along the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore. Its population was 20,441 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The town lies on a small peninsu ...

. After graduating from high school, he attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and studied film for two years and studied acting at The Actors Space in New York City. While attending college, he was discovered at a bank by a casting agent who placed him in three high-profile commercials for Levi's 501 Jeans. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting and musical career. He played a bit role on '' Everyday Heroes''. His film debut came in 1991 with the movie '' Shout'', alongside

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

, Heather Graham, and

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...

. Walters performed the song "Rockin' the Pad" on the ''Shout'' soundtrack album. In 1992, Aaron Spelling cast Walters as the lead on the Fox series '' The Heights'', in which he also sang the theme song " How Do You Talk to an Angel?." The single reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on November 14, 1992. It was also nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics". (The award went to

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli has received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, ...

.) The show was canceled by Fox, but it launched his music career when

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

took an interest in Walters and signed him to a recording contract. In October 1994, he started playing Ray Pruit on ''

''; he was the musician-boyfriend of Donna (played by

Tori Spelling Victoria Davey Spelling (born May 16, 1973) is an American actress. Her first major role was Donna Martin (character), Donna Martin on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', from 1990 to 2000. She has appeared in made-for-television films, including ''A Fri ...

), a role he played for one season. On September 20, 1994, Walters released his self-titled debut album '' Jamie Walters''. The first single from the album, "Hold On", peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 76 in Australia. The album sold over 1 million copies and was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

. In 1997, he released his second album '' Ride''. It was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

. A third album, '' Believed'', followed in 2002. In 2009, he appeared in the

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

reality show '' Confessions of a Teen Idol'', in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers. He became a firefighter and paramedic in 2002.

Personal life

Walters began dating actress

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, talk show host, and businesswoman. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she has received multiple List of awards and nominations received by Drew Barrymore, awards a ...

, then 17 years old, in March 1992, and became engaged that June. They broke off their engagement and split in 1993. In 2002, Walters married Patricia Walters; they have three children. She filed for divorce in 2015.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Jamie Walters'' (1994) *'' Ride'' (1997) *'' Believed'' (2002)

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walters, Jamie 1969 births Living people American male film actors American male singers American male television actors People from Marblehead, Massachusetts Musicians from Los Angeles County, California Actors from Los Angeles County, California Male actors from Massachusetts 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Singers from Massachusetts 21st-century American firefighters