Jimmie Walker
Encyclopedia
James Carter "Jimmie" Walker (born June 25, 1947) is an American
actor
and stand-up comedian, known for portraying J. J. Evans
on the television series Good Times
, which ran from 1974
to 1979
. While on the show, Walker's character was known for the catchphrase, "Dy-no-mite!", which he also used in his mid-1970s TV commercial for a Panasonic
line of cassette and 8-track tape players.
, New York
. He is a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School
, in New York City
. Through a federal program known as SEEK, or "Search for Education, Evaluation, and Knowledge", he continued his studies and entered into the field of radio engineering with WRVR.
As a young man, Walker was a vendor at Yankee Stadium
, starting with the 1964 World Series
. He was given a silver dollar
by Mickey Mantle
, which he still has. Walker was very friendly with Gary Cohen, who went on to be operations manager at Yankee Stadium. In 1967, Walker began working full-time with WRVR
, the radio station of the Riverside Church
. Walker married Jere Fields
in 1980.
, after making appearances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh In and on the Jack Paar Show
. He eventually released one stand-up comedy album during the height of his "Good Times" popularity: "Dyn-o-mite" on Buddah Records (5635).
' 1974-75 season, Walker was 26 years old, though his character was much younger. (John Amos
, the actor who portrayed Walker's father on Good Times
, was in real life just eight years older than Walker.) Walker was 32 years old when the show ended its run at the end of the 1978-79 season.
He also starred in Let's Do It Again
with Amos, and The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened with James Earl Jones
.
and Match Game
during the 1970s and early 1980s. He also appeared on the 1990 revival of Match Game
and other various game shows during that era as well.
Walker has made guest appearances on Badge 373
, The Love Boat
, Fantasy Island
, The Larry Sanders Show
, Son of the Beach
, The Drew Carey Show
, The John Larroquette Show
, In the House, Cagney & Lacey
, The Fall Guy
, Scrubs
, Star Dates
, Everybody Hates Chris
, The George Lopez Show, Chelsea Lately
and Lincoln Heights
. He also appeared in films such as Airplane!
and the parody Plump Fiction
.
Aside from guest appearances, he starred in the short-lived television series At Ease
in 1983 and Bustin' Loose
in 1987.
In 2010 Walker made a cameo appaearence in the movie Big Money Rustlas
.
Walker continues to tour the country with his stand-up comedy routine.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and stand-up comedian, known for portraying J. J. Evans
J. J. Evans
James Evans, Jr. is a fictional character on the 1970s sitcom, Good Times. He was created by Norman Lear and portrayed by Jimmie Walker. The character was known as simply "J.J.", and is commonly seen as the show's breakout character. His favorite expression was "Dyno-MITE!"-Character...
on the television series Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, which ran from 1974
1974 in television
The year 1974 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1974.For the American TV schedule, see: 1974-75 American network television schedule.-Events:...
to 1979
1979 in television
The year 1979 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1979.For the American TV schedule, see: 1979-80 American network television schedule.-Events:...
. While on the show, Walker's character was known for the catchphrase, "Dy-no-mite!", which he also used in his mid-1970s TV commercial for a Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
line of cassette and 8-track tape players.
Early life
Walker was born in The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He is a graduate of Theodore Roosevelt High School
Theodore Roosevelt High School (New York City)
Theodore Roosevelt High School is a public high school located in The Bronx, New York City, United States. It was first organized November 14, 1918. When Theodore Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919, the Board of Education decided to give the school his name...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Through a federal program known as SEEK, or "Search for Education, Evaluation, and Knowledge", he continued his studies and entered into the field of radio engineering with WRVR.
As a young man, Walker was a vendor at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, starting with the 1964 World Series
1964 World Series
The 1964 World Series pitted the National League champion St. Louis Cardinals against the American League champion New York Yankees, with the Cardinals prevailing in seven games. St...
. He was given a silver dollar
United States dollar coin
Dollar coins have been minted in the United States in gold, silver, and base metal versions. The term silver dollar is often used for any large white metal coin issued by the United States with a face value of one dollar, although purists insist that a dollar is not silver unless it contains some...
by Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
, which he still has. Walker was very friendly with Gary Cohen, who went on to be operations manager at Yankee Stadium. In 1967, Walker began working full-time with WRVR
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
, the radio station of the Riverside Church
Riverside Church
The Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church in New York City, famous for its elaborate Neo-Gothic architecture—which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell...
. Walker married Jere Fields
Jere Fields
Jerelyn Fields is an American actress. As a child, she guest-starred on such iconic television programmes as Gunsmoke and The Brady Bunch. She also starred on Curiosity Shop and did voice work for the animated series Kid Superpower Hour with Shazam! as well as Scooby and Scrappy-Doo. She also...
in 1980.
Show business career
In 1969, Walker began performing as a stand-up comedian and was eventually discovered by the casting director for Good TimesGood Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, after making appearances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh In and on the Jack Paar Show
Jack Paar
Jack Harold Paar was an author, American radio and television comedian and talk show host, best known for his stint as host of The Tonight Show from 1957 to 1962...
. He eventually released one stand-up comedy album during the height of his "Good Times" popularity: "Dyn-o-mite" on Buddah Records (5635).
Good Times
During Good TimesGood Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
John Amos
John Amos is an American actor and former football player. His television work includes roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Good Times, the miniseries Roots, and a recurring role in The West Wing. He has also appeared on Broadway and in numerous motion pictures in a career that spans four decades...
, the actor who portrayed Walker's father on Good Times
Good Times
Good Times is an American sitcom that originally aired from February 8, 1974, until August 1, 1979, on the CBS television network. It was created by Eric Monte and Michael Evans, and developed by Norman Lear, the series' primary executive producer...
, was in real life just eight years older than Walker.) Walker was 32 years old when the show ended its run at the end of the 1978-79 season.
He also starred in Let's Do It Again
Let's Do It Again (1975 film)
Let's Do It Again is a 1975 film starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby and Jimmie Walker. Poitier also directed. The film is about blue-collar workers who decide to rig a boxing match to raise money for their fraternal lodge...
with Amos, and The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened with James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
.
Later career
Walker appeared on The Tonight ShowThe Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
and Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
during the 1970s and early 1980s. He also appeared on the 1990 revival of Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
and other various game shows during that era as well.
Walker has made guest appearances on Badge 373
Badge 373
Badge 373 is a 1973 crime thriller film inspired, as was The French Connection, by the life and career of Eddie Egan, here called "Eddie Ryan"...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...
, Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach
Son of the Beach is an American sitcom that aired from 2000 to 2002 on the FX network. The series was a spoof of Baywatch, with much of the comedy based on sexual jokes, innuendo and the like. The studly David Hasselhoff character is instead an average, pot-bellied, out-of-shape bald man but...
, The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show
The Drew Carey Show is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from 1995 to 2004. The show was set in Cleveland, Ohio, and revolved around the retail office and home life of "everyman" Drew Carey, a fictionalized version of the actor....
, The John Larroquette Show
The John Larroquette Show
The John Larroquette Show is a situation comedy that ran on the NBC network from 1993 to 1996. The show, created by Don Reo, was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series took place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri and focused on the...
, In the House, Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey
Cagney & Lacey is an American television series that originally aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from October 8, 1981 to May 16, 1988...
, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
, Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, Star Dates
Star Dates
Star Dates is an American reality television program that aired on the E! network from 2002 to 2003.-Overview:The series consisted of ordinary people going on blind dates with B-list celebrities. Butch Patrick appeared on the first show. Other celebrities who appeared included Dustin Diamond, Kim...
, Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
, The George Lopez Show, Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...
and Lincoln Heights
Lincoln Heights (TV series)
Lincoln Heights is an American drama television series about Eddie Sutton, a Mission Vista police officer who moves his family back to his old neighborhood, Lincoln Heights, to start a new life and to help out his old neighborhood...
. He also appeared in films such as Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
and the parody Plump Fiction
Plump Fiction
Plump Fiction is a 1998 parody film, released by Rhino Entertainment. It's a spoof of 1990s movies in general, and violent, convoluted movies more specifically; the overall story is a takeoff of Pulp Fiction, complete with intertitles and an out-of-sequence storyline, with bits of Reservoir Dogs...
.
Aside from guest appearances, he starred in the short-lived television series At Ease
At Ease (TV series)
At Ease is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from March to June 1983. The series features an ensemble cast led by Jimmie Walker.-Synopsis:...
in 1983 and Bustin' Loose
Bustin' Loose (TV series)
Bustin' Loose is an American sitcom that was loosely based on the 1981 film of the same name starring Richard Pryor. The series premiered in first-run syndication in 1987 and lasted for only one season.-Synopsis:...
in 1987.
In 2010 Walker made a cameo appaearence in the movie Big Money Rustlas
Big Money Rustlas
Big Money Rustlas is an American Western comedy film directed by Paul Andresen. The film is the prequel to the 2000 film Big Money Hustlas. Joseph Bruce wrote the story, and he, Andresen, and Studebaker Duchamp adapted the story into a screenplay. Their writing was influenced by classic Western...
.
Walker continues to tour the country with his stand-up comedy routine.