Happy Birthday Jim Beaver!
Junk man, lawman, soldier, pie! Happy Birthday, Jim Beaver! Your SPNFamily celebrates your life today!
From J.R. Ewing’s Dallas to Deadwood,
Jim as Whitney Ellsworth in Deadwood
from Silkwood to Supernatural,
Jim first appeared in Supernatural as Bobby Singer in 1.22 “Devil’s Trap”
and from The Young And The Restless to The Boys,
The Boys snapshot courtesy of The-Boys.fandom.com
Jim Beaver has demonstrated an impressive range as an actor in a career spanning more than forty years! He’s also been a writer, producer and director plus an author of a bestselling memoir.
I’m always impressed when someone is brave enough to keep trying new things. Jim’s made a career of going in different directions!
Supernatural fans know that John Winchester was a Marine in Vietnam, but did you know that Jim Beaver was actually in Vietnam, with the First Marine Division?
Jim as a Marine (from his Facebook page)
When Jim came home, he went to college (theater degree), acted on stage—including dinner theater—and wrote plays. Before long, Jim put writing aside to focus on acting, working with stars including Bruce Willis, Edward Asner, and Mark Harmon.
An early headshot of Jim (from his Facebook page)!
His roles have varied greatly, from being a detective, mechanic, veteran, lawyer, priest, sheriff, cop, prospector and salvage yard owner all the way to being the Secretary of Defense and a Starfleet admiral!
Jim in Starfleet (courtesy of memory-alpha.fandom.com)
He continues to act in both the theater and on television.
Jim as Sheridan Whiteside, December 2019-January 2020 (from Jim’s Facebook page)
In a risk-averse industry where people are often pressured to ‘pick a lane’ and stick with one focus, Jim’s been willing to risk learning new skills in front of and behind the camera, reinventing himself as an actor with varied roles, following his interests, and not playing it safe.
San Diego Comic Con 2012 (by Alice Jester)
Here are a few more things I bet you didn’t know about Jim:
- He played a gunfighter at an Old West theme park, and performed Shakespeare on stage
- He really does speak some Japanese (and German)
- He’s a Leo
- His dad was a minister
- He was born in Laramie, Wyoming and grew up in Irving, Texas
- His book ‘Life’s That Way’ is a no-punches-pulled look at his grief over the death of his wife, Cecily.
- He originally wanted to be a baseball player
- He’s also written a biography of actor John Garfield, whose refusal to testify in the McCarthy Trials of the 1950s resulted in being blackballed
- He has one daughter
- Jim’s on-going, long-term project is researching and writing a biography of TV Superman, George Reeves.
San Diego Comic Con 2012
So happy birthday, Jim! Here’s a toast to many more years filled with creativity and curiosity. Much as we appreciate your diverse roles, you’ll always have a place as Bobby Singer in our hearts, because we know (as you said in your iconic line), “Family don’t end with blood.”
Celebrate all that Jim has given Supernatural for the past 15 years! Read more about Bobby Singer in:
Nightsky’s character profile, “A Tribute to Bobby Singer: Creating, Expanding and Enriching Bobby’s Character”
Bookdal’s beautiful tribute, “A Hunter’s Wake: Remembering A Salvaged Man” and
Ardeospina’s advice, “Top 10 Things Ghost Bobby Should Do”
For fun, Enjoy Alice’s 2011 list “Top 10 Bobby Singer’s Scenes”, Karen’s updated list (2020) “Bobby Singer’s Top 10 Supernatural Episodes/Moments“,
and Tigershire’s “Bobby Singer Word Search“!
Share your favorite memories of Jim and birthday wishes for him below!
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