# James Read
**James Read** (full name James Christopher Read) is an American film and television actor and director, best known for playing George Hazard in the 1980s Civil War miniseries *[North and South](https://www.edgepedia.org/north-and-south-miniseries)* and, more recently, the villain Clyde Weston on the daytime serial *Days of Our Lives*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1953 in Buffalo, New York; raised in Schenectady, New York[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) |
| Breakout role | George Hazard in *North and South* (1985), a twelve-hour miniseries described as one of the most popular and successful of the 1980s[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) |
| Early series role | Murphy Michaels, a series regular on *Remington Steele* (1982), left after the first season[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) |
| Long-running soap role | Clyde Weston on *Days of Our Lives*, 2014–2024, 252 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) |
| Family | Married his *North and South* co-star Wendy Kilbourne in 1988; son Jackson (born 1990) and daughter Sydney (born 1995)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) |
| Education | Graduated from the University of Oregon in 1976; master's degree in psychology from Pepperdine University[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-read/bio/3030057783/) |
| Directing | Member of the Directors Guild of America; first directed on the series *Wildfire* (2005–2008)[3](https://sbiff.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Mentors-v2.pdf) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) |
## Early life and education
Read was born in [Buffalo, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-new-york), in 1953 and raised in Schenectady[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/). His first acting experience came in an amateur production while he was still in high school, but he did not initially plan a performing career. In a 1986 interview with *People* magazine he said he had originally wanted to become a forester[4](https://www.tz.de/stars/fackeln-im-sturm-so-geht-es-james-read-heute-zr-94166954.html). He entered the [University of Vermont](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-vermont) as a forestry major in 1971, dropped out after a year to work and travel abroad, and then resumed his education at the [University of Oregon](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-oregon), where he performed in numerous theatrical productions before graduating in 1976[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/).
Accounts differ on what he studied in Oregon: his IMDb biography describes a return to college and theater work, while TV Insider and Rotten Tomatoes say he developed an interest in acting while studying law there[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-read/). After graduating he began his professional career in New York City, appearing in several [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) productions, then spent several years in regional theater, primarily in Denver, Colorado, including three seasons with the Denver Center Theatre Company[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [6](https://www.afterbuzztv.com/james-read-a-lot-like-love-interview-afterbuzz-tvs-spotlight-on/). He moved to Los Angeles in 1981[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/).
## Television career
**Remington Steele and early roles.** Within about a year of arriving in Los Angeles, Read landed a supporting role on the sitcom *Cheers* and was then cast as a series regular, detective agency employee Murphy Michaels, on *Remington Steele* (1982), the caper series starring [Pierce Brosnan](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierce-brosnan) and [Stephanie Zimbalist](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephanie-zimbalist)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-read/). He later said the part confirmed that he could make a career of acting, calling it his first time in front of a camera and his first decent money[7](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-james-read-interview/). He left the show after its first season and appeared in a succession of other series and television movies, including *Fantasy Island* and the miniseries *Robert Kennedy and His Times* (1984–1985)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/james-read/umc.cpc.1gxwff8zcf64e6ys3pzv1ca7s).
**North and South.** Read's breakthrough came as George Hazard, the wealthy son of a Pennsylvania steel owner who befriends Orry Main, played by [Patrick Swayze](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-swayze), in the ABC miniseries *North and South* (1985), adapted from John Jakes's novels and set in the nineteenth century[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [4](https://www.tz.de/stars/fackeln-im-sturm-so-geht-es-james-read-heute-zr-94166954.html). The twelve-hour production became one of the most popular and successful miniseries of the 1980s, and TV Insider credits his performance with helping make it one of the highest-rated miniseries ever[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-read/). He reprised the role in the twelve-hour sequel *North and South: Book II, Love and War* (1986) and again in *Heaven and Hell: North & South, Book III* (1994)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/).
**Later series work.** Through the following decades Read held regular and recurring roles on several primetime series, including Victor Bennett on *Charmed* (2001–2006, 15 episodes) and Ken Davis on *Wildfire* (2005–2008), where he also directed for the first time[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [9](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5414). Guest appearances include *Castle*, *In Plain Sight*, *The Orville* (2022) and *Station 19* (2023)[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/47384/james-read). From 2023 to 2025 he played RHD Capt. Rick Seals in nine episodes of *Bosch: Legacy*[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/47384/james-read).
## Days of Our Lives
In 2014 Read joined *Days of Our Lives* as Clyde Weston, the father of Ben Weston, and played the role through 2024 across 252 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/). He has said the part was intended as a six-to-eight-month gig but found firm ground and grew[11](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/james-read-on-his-return-to-days/). Much of the character's screen time was spent in prison, which Read joked about in interviews, saying he expected to be wearing orange whenever the show called[11](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/james-read-on-his-return-to-days/). Storylines later paired Clyde with Nancy Wesley, played by Patrika Darbo, giving the character a romantic-comedy register that Read said he enjoyed exploring[7](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-james-read-interview/).
## Film work
Read's feature credits include *The Initiation* (1983) and *Blue Thunder* (1983), the baseball drama *Eight Men Out* (1988), in which he played pitcher Claude "Lefty" Williams in the story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox World Series fix, the [Bette Midler](https://www.edgepedia.org/bette-midler) drama *Beaches* (1988), *Not Another Teen Movie* (2001), *Legally Blonde* (2001) as Elle's father, *Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde* (2003), and *A Lot Like Love* (2005)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-read/) • [8](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/james-read/umc.cpc.1gxwff8zcf64e6ys3pzv1ca7s). He also played [Cary Grant](https://www.edgepedia.org/cary-grant) opposite [Farrah Fawcett](https://www.edgepedia.org/farrah-fawcett) in the television movie *Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story* (1987)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/).
## Directing and psychology
As a member of the [Directors Guild of America](https://www.edgepedia.org/directors-guild-of-america), Read has directed episodic television, commercials, and documentary films, including a short film about a family visit to the Hadzabe tribe of hunter-gatherers in Tanzania[3](https://sbiff.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Mentors-v2.pdf). Outside acting he earned a master's degree in psychology from [Pepperdine University](https://www.edgepedia.org/pepperdine-university); his IMDb biography dates it to 1997, while [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) and an AfterBuzz TV interview give 1998[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/) • [2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-read/bio/3030057783/) • [6](https://www.afterbuzztv.com/james-read-a-lot-like-love-interview-afterbuzz-tvs-spotlight-on/). He told Soap Opera Digest that psychology had interested him since high school and that he could imagine practicing it if he ever stopped acting[7](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-james-read-interview/).
## Personal life
During rehearsals for *North and South*, Read met and fell in love with Wendy Kilbourne, the actress cast as his character's love interest; the characters married on film before the actors did, officially tying the knot in 1988[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/). They have a son, Jackson (born 1990), and a daughter, Sydney (born 1995), and live in California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/). Read became a grandfather for the first time during a break from *Days of Our Lives*, a change he described as a very big deal[11](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/james-read-on-his-return-to-days/).
## References
1. [James Read (II), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0713832/)
2. [James Read Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-read/bio/3030057783/)
3. [James Read – Directing Mentor, Santa Barbara International Film Festival (10-10-10 Mentors PDF)](https://sbiff.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-Mentors-v2.pdf)
4. [„Fackeln im Sturm": So geht es James Read heute, tz.de](https://www.tz.de/stars/fackeln-im-sturm-so-geht-es-james-read-heute-zr-94166954.html)
5. [James Read – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-read/)
6. [James Read (A Lot Like Love) Interview, AfterBuzz TV](https://www.afterbuzztv.com/james-read-a-lot-like-love-interview-afterbuzz-tvs-spotlight-on/)
7. [ICYMI James Read Interview, Soap Opera Digest](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/icymi-james-read-interview/)
8. [James Read Films and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/gb/person/james-read/umc.cpc.1gxwff8zcf64e6ys3pzv1ca7s)
9. [James Read, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=5414)
10. [James Read, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/47384/james-read)
11. [James Read On His Return To DAYS, Soap Opera Digest](https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/james-read-on-his-return-to-days/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Q to Ri*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license