James Francis Ginty - Biography

Born James Francis Lawrence Ginty on December 4, 1980, at Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. Ginty holds dual citizenship with the United States and Ireland, and is the only son of actor Robert Ginty and actress Francine Tacker who met while starring on the late 1970s television series, The Paper Chase, alongside John Houseman. Ginty's educational background includes time at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and the performing arts boarding school, Interlochen, located in northern Michigan. After Interlochen Ginty continued his acting training at the Juilliard School in New York City as a member of Group 32 with Jessica Chasten and Patrick Heusinger, but dropped out when Kathryn Bigelow cast him in her film K-19: The Widowmaker alongside Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. Upon completion of the film Ginty began a career in regional theatre playing such roles as Romeo in Seattle Repertory Theatre's production of Romeo and Juliet, Bertram in The Folger Shakespeare Theatre's production of All's Well That Ends Well, and Jacob Milne in Tom Stoppard's play Night and Day at The Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia. After his time in regional theatre Ginty transitioned back into film and television work, finding his way onto hit shows such as ER, Days of Our Lives and Grey's Anatomy, before landing the roles of Dr. Lionel Canter and that of his son Jarred in Walt Disney's, Surrogates, starring opposite Bruce Willis and Rosamund Pike. Ginty attended the University of Pennsylvania and has consistently worked between the world's of acting and teaching. He has taught history at the all-girl's school Miss Porter's, in Farmington, CT, and held a professorship at Fordham University in New York City. In 2013 he appeared in the HBO movie Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight directed by Stephen Frears. The film was nominated for a 2014 Primetime Emmy in the category of Outstanding Television Movie.