A veteran character actor who spent two busy but anonymous decades in the biz before hitting it big as the chief of staff on the medical drama
Grey's Anatomy, Pickens Jr. began his career on the New York stage in the '80s, appearing in critically hailed productions like Roundabout Theatre Company's 25th anniversary revival of
A Raisin in the Sun and Negro Ensemble Company's legendary mounting of
A Soldier's Play opposite Denzel Washington and Samuel L. Jackson. His theater chops served him well on the big and small screen in the '90s, where Pickens Jr. usually played noble men of authority like detectives, judges, doctors or slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers in
Ghosts of Mississippi. Recurring roles on
Beverly Hills, 90210, The Practice, The X Files and
Roseanne made him a familiar face to tube viewers, but the fiftysomething finally became a bold-faced name when he landed his
Grey's gig, bringing dignity and integrity to the fictional hospital Seattle Grace as its stern but warm leader.
James Pickens Jr. Fast Facts:
- Originally aspired to be an illustrator or cartoonist.
- Has competed in roping and rodeo events across the country.
- Appeared in four films directed by Barry Levinson: Jimmy Hollywood (1994), Sleepers (1996), Sphere (1998) and Liberty Heights (1999), which costarred Pickens' Grey's Anatomy cast mate Justin Chambers.
- James Pickens Jr. Relationships:
- Carl Pickens - Son
- Gina Pickens - Wife
- Marie Walker - Sister
- Marlin Pickens - Brother
- College:
- Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH
