Biography

Born on September 22, 1948, Jim Byrnes grew up in St. Louis, the middle child of a middle class family. He learned to play blues guitar at thirteen years old, and continues to play on his favorite guitar, a Gibson 1969 Hummingbird. An eclectic soul, he studied for the priesthood in a seminary, and was even a professional shepherd at one point. He studied acting at Boston University and St. Louis University. Byrnes is a gifted actor and an inspiring person. He lost both his legs in an automobile accident on February 26, 1972 - the same date he landed his pivotal "Wiseguy" role as Lifeguard fifteen years later.
- IMDb mini biography by: Debbie Douglass <douglass@chaplin.ndhm.gtegsc.com> and Brian McInnis

Served one tour of duty with the American military in Vietnam.

Lost both of his legs in a traffic accident in 1972. His amputee status has also been written into some of his roles such as Wiseguy and Highlander: The Series.

An accomplished Blues musician.

He was awarded the C.M. (Member of the Order of Canada) on May 19, 2022 from the Canadian Governor General. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Moved to Canada in the 1970s and has resided there ever since.

I am so grateful to be alive, to be able to share my love of music and hope that it helps people along the way, the way it has helped me through the hardest times and the way it has helped me celebrate the best of times.

One of the great things about the work I do is its diversity, the vastly different situations you find yourself in, the variety of people you work with and deal with on so many levels, and the opportunities to travel to so many places.

It's sometimes difficult to find that healthy work-life balance, as there is little consistency in the day-to-day life of an actor or musician. It seems that we are either swamped with projects, places to be and people to see or we are waiting for the phone to ring and hoping that is not the wolf at the door. As time goes by you learn to deal with the ups and downs and you realize you will be disappointed, but you mustn't get discouraged.

I suppose every positive thing that I have achieved is a reflection of my mother and dad. They were always there for me and stood by me through thick and thin. No matter how badly I screwed up, after the reprimand there was always a pat on the back and the admonition to 'keep your chin up, buddy'.