Jim Parsons

Actor

• Born: March 24, 1973
• Place of Birth: Houston, Texas

Contribution: Jim Parsons is best known for his Emmy Award-winning role as Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory and his narration of its spin-off, Young Sheldon.

Background

Jim Parsons was born on March 24, 1973, in Houston, Texas. His mother was a schoolteacher, and his father was the president of a plumbing company. He has a younger sister, Julie.

Parsons acted in his first play when he was in the first grade, playing the kolokolo bird in his class’s production of Rudyard Kipling’s short story "The Elephant’s Child." He fell in love with acting and studied the rhythms of the actors on the sitcom Three’s Company. Still, for a while, he dreamed of becoming a meteorologist because he was fascinated by hurricanes.

Parsons attended Klein Oak High School, where he played Frederick Fellowes in a school production of Michael Frayn’s 1982 farce Noises Off. He loved working as part of an ensemble and decided to pursue acting seriously. While at the University of Houston, he performed in dozens of plays. After graduation, he remained in Houston, where he helped found the experimental theater company Infernal Bridegroom Productions and performed with Stages Repertory Theatre.

In his late twenties, Parsons moved to California to study classical acting at the Old Globe Theatre through the University of San Diego. He understudied at the prestigious theater while taking classes. Parsons received his MFA and moved to New York City in 2001, after appearing in an acting showcase through the school and landing an agent.

Career

Parsons landed a number of small television and commercial roles at the beginning of his career. His first television appearance was a guest role in a 2002 episode of the series Ed. He also appeared off-Broadway and even acted in some regional shows outside of New York. In 2004, Parsons played a small role in the independent film Garden State; when the movie became a hit, he began booking roles for television pilots. He also appeared in seven episodes of the show Judging Amy in 2004 and 2005. Parsons shot a number of pilots that never appeared on television, one of which was the first iteration of The Big Bang Theory. After a few tweaks, that show made a quiet debut on CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) in 2007.

Created by the prolific television comedy writer Chuck Lorre—who also developed the sitcoms Dharma & Greg (1997–2002) and Two and a Half Men (2003–2015), among others—The Big Bang Theory is about the friendship between two scientist roommates and the attractive woman who moves into the apartment across the hall. Parsons plays Sheldon Cooper, a science prodigy who graduated from college at the age of sixteen. Sheldon studies particle physics and communicates in dense scientific language; he also has some social troubles. His roommate, Leonard Hofstadter, is played by Johnny Galecki. The show was an anomaly on network television in that it celebrates nerd culture. The characters of The Big Bang Theory love science and Star Trek and are not, by mainstream standards, considered cool. Still, the sitcom became one of the most popular shows on television, acquiring new viewers each season.

In 2010, Parsons beat out veterans Larry David, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Carell to win the Emmy Award for best leading actor in a comedy series. He won the award again in 2011, 2013, and 2014, and received nominations in 2009 and 2012. Parsons's performance also won him a 2011 Golden Globe Award for best comedic actor and earned him additional nominations in 2013 and 2014.

In addition to his television work, Parsons continued to act onstage. He played the small role of young gay activist Tommy Boatwright in the Off-Broadway revival of Larry Kramer’s iconic play The Normal Heart (1985) in 2011. In 2012, he starred in the Broadway revival of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Harvey (1944), about a man and his imaginary rabbit friend, to very positive reviews. Parsons found time to work in film as well. He was praised for his work on the TV movie version of The Normal Heart, released in 2014, and earned another Emmy nod. He voiced a main character in the animated film Home (2015) and had a supporting part in the well-received 2016 film Hidden Figures; for the latter, Parsons shared in the 2017 Screen Actors Guild Award for best film cast.

In 2017, the Big Bang Theory prequel series Young Sheldon premiered, focusing on the Sheldon Cooper character as a child. Parsons served as that hit show's narrator and as an executive producer. In the summer of 2018, Parsons turned down a $50 million contract for a thirteenth and fourteenth season of The Big Bang Theory, feeling that his character was played out. The hit show came to a conclusion in the spring of 2019.

As The Big Bang Theory wrapped up, Parsons took on more serious film and stage roles. He costarred alongside Claire Danes as parents Greg and Alex in 2018's A Kid Like Jake, a drama about a gender-nonconforming preschooler that received mixed reviews. Parsons also returned to Broadway in a revival of The Boys in the Band that ran from May to August 2018 and was filmed as a feature in 2019 for Netflix.

Parsons soon became involved in several projects with the streaming service. In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, about real-life serial killer Ted Bundy (played by Zac Efron), Parsons portrayed prosecutor Larry Simpson. Extremely Wicked premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Netflix in 2019. Also in 2019, Parsons, art director Todd Spiewak, and screenwriter Ryan O'Connell executive-produced Special, an original comedy miniseries about a gay man with cerebral palsy for Netflix. He was also reportedly cast in its original series Hollywood that year.

In the early 2020s, Parsons appeared in the films The Boys in the Band (2020) and Spoiler Alert (2022). He also served as an executive producer on Call Me Kat (2021-2023), a series starring his Big Bang Theory co-star Mayim Bialik. Parsons continued pursuing a theatrical career as well, appearing in productions of A Man of No Importance, Mother Play, and Our Town between 2022 and 2024.

Impact

The level of precision with which Parsons executed his most famous character is a testament to his classical training as well as his natural ease as an actor. Parsons, who was first drawn to the structure of Sheldon’s dialogue, developed a natural rhythm for how Sheldon moves and speaks. He devoted himself to the role the way a Shakespearean actor might prepare to play Hamlet, and his work certainly paid off. Many critics have pointed out that in less skilled hands, Sheldon would be totally unlikeable, but Parsons had the unique ability to deliver his lines with humor and charm. His role on The Big Bang Theory made him among the most highly recognizable television stars of the time—and also among the best paid. In fact, from 2015 through 2018, he was the highest-paid actor on television each year. Even after agreeing to a pay cut to help boost the earnings of some of his costars, he reportedly made $26.5 million for the year up to June 1, 2018.

Personal Life

Parsons began dating Spiewak in 2002, and the two married in May 2017. Parsons has maintained residences in Los Angeles and New York.

Bibliography

Dansby, Andrew. "Emmy-Nominated Actor Jim Parsons’ Acting Roots Start in Houston." Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications, 20 Sept. 2009. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.

Healy, Patrick. "Stalked by Shadows (and a Rabbit)." New York Times. New York Times Co., 23 May 2012. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.

Isherwood, Charles. "Hope Is a Thing with Long, Fuzzy Ears." Rev. of Harvey, dir. Scott Ellis. New York Times. New York Times Co., 14 June 2012. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.

"Jim Parsons." IMDb, 2024, www.imdb.com/name/nm1433588. Accessed 20 Sept. 2024.

Owen, Rob. "Big Bang Theory Has Evolved into Critical and Audience Smash." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG, 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.

Parsons, Jim. "The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons Isn’t a Total Geek." Interview by Lewis Beale. Newsday [Long Island]. Newsday, 7 Jan. 2010. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.

Parsons, Jim. "A Conversation with Jim Parsons." Interview by Ted Sod. Roundabout Theatre Company Official Blog. Roundabout Theatre, 15 May 2012. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.

Raslan, Sarah. "UH Alumnus Parsons Continues Success Story with Emmy Award." Daily Cougar. UH Student, 10 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Aug. 2013.