James Kiriyama-Lem

James was born in Toronto, Canada, to a Japanese mother and a Chinese father who raised him in a Caucasian suburban neighborhood. James will always be a man with one foot in each world: the conscientious hard worker of his parents' Asian culture and the fearless risk-taker of his western homeland. It's this duality that has given James the ability to bring depth, perspective, and humor to his work as an actor and an innate compassion to a wide range of characters. Like many successful actors, James never intended to act. He studied architecture in college and came to work with an interior design firm. Los Angeles brought James steady commercial work but also opened up the world of television and film to him. He's been proud to work with great actors like George Clooney, William H. Macy, Jamie Kennedy, Dennis Haysbert, and directors like Paul Thomas Anderson, Simon West, and Betty Thomas, just to name a few. Watching and learning from this talented group led to finding a passion to work behind the camera, directing, producing, and writing. In the last several years, he has written, directed, and produced several short films, music videos, and, most recently, a spiritual project that leans into his convictions as a Christian.