Introduction
James Leland Walters Jr. (born June 13, 1969) is an American actor and singer, best known for his roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and The Heights and his number one single "How Do You Talk to an Angel".
Career
Walters was born in Boston, Massachusettsand grew up in Marblehead, Massachusetts. After graduating from high school, Jamie Walters attended New York University 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, Heather Graham, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Walters performed the song "Rockin' the Pad" on the Shout soundtrack album.
In 1992, Aaron Spelling cast Jamie 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 #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 14, 1992 knocking Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" from the top spot. It was also nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music and Lyrics". (The award went to Liza Minnelli.) The show was canceled by Fox, but it launched Jamie's music career when Atlantic Records took an interest in Walters and signed him to a recording contract.
In October 1994, he started playing Ray Pruit on Beverly Hills, 90210; he was the musician-boyfriend of Donna (played by Tori Spelling), a role he played for one season.
On September 20, 1994, Jamie released his self-titled debut album Jamie Walters. The first single from the album "Hold On" peaked at no. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, and no. 76 in Australia. The album sold over 1 million copies and was certified platinum.
In 1997, Jamie released his second album 'Ride'. The album was certified gold. A third album, Believed, followed in 2002.
In 2009, Walters appeared in the VH1 reality show Confessions of a Teen Idol, in which former teen idols attempt to resurrect their careers.
Personal life
In 2002, Walters married Patricia Walters; they have three children. In 2015 Patty filed for divorce.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Everyday Heroes | Erik Linderman | TV Movie |
| 1991 | Bed & Breakfast | Mitch | |
| 1991 | Shout | Jesse Tucker | |
| 1994 | Vanishing Son II | Reggie Valmont | TV Movie |
| 1994 | Vanishing Son IV | Reggie Valmont | TV Movie |
| 1995 | Burnzy's Last Call | Shannon | |
| 1996 | God's Lonely Man | Hustler | |
| 2000 | The Mumbo Jumbo | Thomas Doubting |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 1992 |
Quantum Leap | Young Max Al 'Bingo' Calavicci |
Episode: "Genesis: Part 1" Episode: "A Leap for Lisa" |
| 1991-1992 | The Young Riders | Frank James | Episode: "The Initiation" Episodes: "'Til Death Do Us Part: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1992 | The Heights | Alex O'Brien | |
| 1994-1996 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Ray Pruit | 40 episodes |
| 1999 | To Serve and Protect | Jeremy | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Dead Last | Vance Harmon | Episode: "To Live and Amulet Die" |
| 2019 | BH90210 | Himself | Episode: "Picture's Up" |
Discography
Studio albums
- Jamie Walters (1994)
- Ride (1997)
- Believed (2002)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUT | CAN | GER | NED | NZ | NOR | SWE | US | |||||||
| 1994 | "Hold On" | 18 | 9 | 83 | 41 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 16 | Jamie Walters | ||||
| 1995 | "Why" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 105 | |||||
| "Perfect World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1996 | "I'd Do Anything for You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Ride | ||||
| "Reckless" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||