Jim Brochu (born August 16, 1946) is an American actor, writer, director, and playwright. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Brochu studied at Carnegie-Mellon University and received his B.A. from St. Francis College. His stage debut was in a production of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew. As a friend of Lucille Ball, he is the author of the unauthorized biography of Lucille Ball, titled Lucy in the Afternoon, and in this capacity, appeared on an episode of MythBusters. He also co-wrote the musical The Big Voice: God or Merman with Steve Schalchlin. Brochu wrote and starred Off-Broadway in Zero Hour, a one-person play about the life and career of actor and comedian Zero Mostel, from 2009–2010. For this performance, he won the Drama Desk award for Outstanding Solo Performance.

Biography

Brochu spent much of 2008 in New York City, starring in his Off-Broadway play, The Big Voice: God or Merman? which the New York Times called, "a triumphant and very touching song of praise to everyday love and the funky glories of the show business life." In 2005, he was nominated by the Los Angeles Ovation Awards as Best Actor in a Musical for The Big Voice, an honor he won from both the Palm Springs Desert Star Awards and the Valley Theatre League ADA Awards. The Big Voice: God or Merman? was also given the Ovation Award as Best Musical, presented to himself and composer-partner, Steve Schalchlin, by Jerry Herman. In June and November of 2018, Brochu revived his hit play Zero Hour for a limited time at the Theatre at Saint Clement’s in New York City and in The Actors’ Temple in Midtown Manhattan.

Selected filmography