JAMES MOODY - Actor
 

Jim Moody (born James Moody, September 25, 1949) is an American television and film character actor, educator, and drama coach. 

 

Early Life and Education

Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Moody pursued a professional acting career through rigorous training. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he earned a BFA and notably became one of the first Black actors to graduate from Juilliard’s Group 1 program. 

 

Career

Moody began his screen career in the early 1980s. His first major feature film role was in the 1980 hit Fame, in which he played Mr. Farrell, a drama teacher—drawing on his own real-life experience as an educator. 

He gained wider recognition for his portrayal of the tough-talking counselor/teacher Gene Daniels in the 1983 drama Bad Boys (starring Sean Penn). Other notable film roles include:

•  The Last Dragon (1985) — as Leroy Greene, Sr.

•  D.C. Cab (1983)

•  The Best Man (1999)

•  28 Days (2000)

He has also appeared in supporting roles in films such as Personal Best, Fighting Back, Night Falls on Manhattan, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. 

 

On television, Moody made multiple guest appearances, often on the Law & Order franchise (Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent), where he played different characters across episodes. He also appeared in shows like Third Watch and New York Undercover. 

 

Teaching and Later Work

In addition to acting, Moody has had a significant career as a drama teacher. He taught at the prestigious LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts (and its successor, LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts) in New York City. Among his students was actor Adrien Brody, Jennifer Aniston, Omar Epps, All the Wayans Brothers, & Nikki Minaj.  He has also worked as a private drama coach in New York. 

 

As of the mid-2020s, Moody continues to work as an actor and coach based in New York, maintaining a career that spans over four decades in both performance and arts education.