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James Leo Colby (September 20, 1961 – February 23, 2018) was an American actor in film, television and stage. Colby appeared in multiple Broadway plays and few stage productions in Connecticut.
James Colby | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Leo Colby September 20, 1961 Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2018 (aged 56) New York City, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Bridgewater State University Brooklyn College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–2018 |
| Spouse |
Alyssa Bresnahan (m. 2008) |
| Children | 1 |
Colby was notable for his film roles in The Peacemaker (1997), Tower Heist (2011), Safe (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) and in Patriots Day (2016).[1] In television, he was known for his role as Sergeant Ray Dwyer in Chicago P.D., Burleson in Empire.
Colby was born in Arlington, Massachusetts. He studied at Bridgewater State University and Brooklyn College.[1] He moved to Manhattan in the 1980s to pursue his stage career.[2]
In stage, Colby was seen in the 1992 Broadway production of Hamlet.[2] He performed extensively Off-Broadway at The Public Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Westside Theatre and Symphony Space.[2]
Colby had a long association with Hartford Stage included Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, Camino Real, The Night of the Iguana, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.[3]
His stage roles include Blade to the Heat (1994), The Food Chain (1995), The Devils (1997), The Butterfly Collection (2000), The Day Emily Married (2004) and Dividing the Estate (2007).[3] He originated the role of Stan in the off-Broadway production of Lynn Nottage's Sweat (2016), later reprising his turn in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play's Broadway premiere.[3]
His non-stage credits include television roles ranging from Taxi Brooklyn, Law & Order, Limitless, Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Deception, and The Blacklist.[4] His film roles include Demolition, Tower Heist, Safe, Solitary Man, The Company Men, and in The Opponent.[4] His last role was in the TV series Taken, Season 2, Episode 11.
Colby appeared as Lieutenant Bill Cranston in Gotham in 2014.[4] In 2016, he starred as Ed Manion in the miniseries Madoff, from 2017 to 2018 Colby starred as Burleson in Empire and FBI SWAT Jackson in Tell Me a Story in season 2.[1]
Colby starred as William B. Evans in the 2016 crime-drama-thriller film Patriots Day alongside Mark Wahlberg.[4]
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Colby met his wife, actress Alyssa Bresnahan, when she played Stella to his Stanley, during a production of A Streetcar Named Desire in 1998.[1] They were married in December 2008 and had one daughter together.[3]
Colby died on February 23, 2018, in New York City at the age of 56.[3][2]
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