Wilford Brimley (1934-2020) or Jim Paris (b. 1945)

No, that is not a picture of me—but it might as well be. Apparently, I am a dead ringer for a deceased character actor named Wilford Brimley, who appeared in such films as True Grit (1969), The China Syndrome (1979), Cocoon (1985), The Firm (1993), and Timber the Treasure Dog (2016). So if you should meet someone who looks like the above photo, please don’t come up to me and ask if I’m Wilford Brimley. I am James Alex Paris, an entirely different person, one with no acting experience whatsoever, even though strangers seem to think I am an actor.

I did act in one short student film about half a century ago, but that was my filmography in toto.

The one thing which throws people off is that I have the same facial expression as Brimley had. He didn’t smile much, and neither do I. (Among other things, my teeth are decidedly not photogenic.) As is well known among my friends, I eschew all contact with strangers. When a stranger addresses me in public, my standard response is in Hungarian until they go away with a confused look on their face.

Among other things, Wilford Brimley was decidedly NOT Hungarian. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and was born of a bona fide Western American than I am, having been born in Cleveland, Ohio.

Brimley was a pretty good actor, but I do not take credit for any of his roles. Just as I hope his estate doesn’t take credit for any of my blog posts.