James Sloyan is an American actor.

Early years

Sloyan left the United States at an early age to live abroad in Rome, Capri, Milan, Switzerland, and Ireland. His career in show business began upon his return to the United States, in 1957, when Sloyan received a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Sloyan's acting career was interrupted in 1962, when he was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

Career

Television

Sloyan's television career includes numerous brief performances on daytime dramas The Young and the Restless, General Hospital, and Ryan's Hope, and guest appearances on prime-time series Hawaii Five-O; Wonder Woman; Baywatch; Moonlighting; Quantum Leap; The X-Files; MacGyver; Party of Five; Matlock; Murder, She Wrote; and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. He appeared in the television movies Blind Ambition, Billionaire Boys Club, and My Son Is Innocent. Sloyan has appeared in a number of science fiction television series, including Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, in which he portrayed Barnard "Barney" Smith in the episode "The Plot to Kill a City", and several roles in the Star Trek franchise. In Star Trek: The Next Generation, he portrayed Alidar Jarok (a defecting Romulan admiral) in "The Defector", and Alexander Rozhenko (Worf's son) as an adult in the future, in "Firstborn" using the alias "K'mtar". In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, he portrayed the Bajoran scientist Doctor Mora Pol, Odo's guardian scientist in the episodes "The Begotten" and "The Alternate". The Star Trek: Voyager episode "Jetrel" features Sloyan as the title character.

Film

Sloyan is featured in The Sting as Mottola, who is used to illustrate the concept of a griftee, in a variation on the pigeon drop scam. He has played roles in The Traveling Executioner (1970), The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971), and Xanadu (1980).

Advertisements

For 20 years, Sloyan was the voice of Lexus. The company's first commercial, "Balance," aired in 1989 and went on to win several awards as well as homages in pop culture and media. Sloyan served as Lexus' sole voice actor until 2009, when he was replaced by James Remar. Sloyan later narrated ads for Mitsubishi. Sloyan was also a voice actor for Sprint Nextel long-distance services, and in film trailers for movies such as Jumper, The Shadow, and How to Make an American Quilt.

Personal life

Sloyan and Deirdre Lenihan, an actress, have been married since 1973. They are the parents of actors Daniel Sloyan and Samantha Sloyan.

Partial filmography