Today we’d like to introduce you to James Arnold Taylor.
Hi James Arnold, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is James Arnold Taylor. I’m an Actor, Entertainer, Author, Motivational Speaker, Podcaster, and Filmmaker. I started back at the age of 16 as a Stand-Up Comic, and at 17, went to the local radio station in my home town of Santa Barbara, California, started sweeping up and answering phones, and within a year, was the station’s Production Director and had my very own on-air show. From there, I moved to Los Angeles with my wife/high school sweetheart, Allison, writing, voicing, and producing comedy for over 3,000 radio stations across the country with the Premiere Radio Networks. That experience opened the door to my true dream since 4 years old of becoming a Voice-Actor in Hollywood. Some of my first work as an Actor was voice-doubling for celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, David Spade, Shia LeBeouf, then moving into original characters such as Johnny Test, Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank), Tidus (Final Fantasy X), also getting to be the voice of Fox Sunday’s Animation Domination, which I did for 24 years on the network. Most notably, I am known as the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi for all Star Wars games, toys, and animations, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
February 13, 2005 was a red-letter date for my life in many ways. The first being I woke up with chronic laryngitis due to exposure to black toxic mold in the home my wife and I just bought where we were going to start our family, as we were in the process of adopting our daughter from China. This was in the height of my career and I had to figure out how to maintain my work while healing and hopefully getting my voice back to it’s full capacity. After months of struggles, various diets, doctor visits, we found a holistic route that, along with a ton of prayer and healing that could only come from God, I was on a long road to recovery. However, the amazing promise that was given in those first 6 months was when we received our paperwork for our daughter, we found that her birthdate was in fact February 13, 2005, the very day my life had changed, God gave it a turnaround, and made the date one to celebrate rather than mourn. Through it all I learned how to live and work with a new outlook and better health for the long run. God showed me also that life is more than just my career in entertainment.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As mentioned before, I am known mostly as a Voice-Actor for my work in franchises such as Star Wars, Ratchet & Clank, Final Fantasy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, DC, and more. Voicing characters such as Obi-Wan Kenobi in shows and games including Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels, Johnny Test, Leonardo the Ninja Turtle, Spider-Man, Magneto, and even classics like Fred Flintstone and Huckleberry Hound. I’ve been extremely blessed through my career to get to host the biggest Star Wars conventions and events around the world and perform my one-man stage show “Talking to Myself” for Disney, LucasFilm, and for our Troops with the USO. I have a successful YouTube Channel with original content including my Podcast also entitled “Talking to Myself”. Authored a book called “JAT 365 – 365 Daily Inspirations for the Pursuit of Your Dreams” and recently wrote, directed, starred in and produced my own independent faith-based film “Hidden Blessings”, which has won film festivals around the world. My wide vocal range has afforded me a versatility as a Character Actor that is rare in show business and I enjoy also getting to share my story and teach from time to time at local campuses such as Lipscomb University. All of that to say any and all that I have is by the grace of God and my gratitude to Him goes beyond words.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I suppose the one that has influenced my life the most was when I was 4 years old and wanted to be a Doctor, but an event outside our apartment changed that and brought me to my true love of performing. My mother worked at a local hospital and had gotten me a toy doctor’s kit and I loved pretending to be the local doctor tending to all my stuffed animals’ needs. However, one day, there was a minor motorcycle accident outside of our apartment complex. A rider had fallen off his motorcycle, no real damage, except maybe his pride, but as a crowd formed, I grabbed my doctor case, pushed my way through the crowd and ran into action. When I saw him tending to his scrapes, I looked at him and said, “I’d like to help, you, but I’m an Obstetrician.” As I was the age of 4 and felt I understood babies well, I decided I’d be a doctor that delivered babies. What changed everything was what the fellow who wiped out on his bike and the crowd did: they all laughed. It was at that point my mother explained that if I wanted to be a doctor I needed to help everyone, but I’m told my response was, “Well, I made them all laugh, I’ll be a Comedian.” And so, from that point on, I fell in love with Stand-Up Comedy, Radio Plays, and all things animated. At 12, I wrote my first Stand-Up act and after honing it for 4 years, I performed it in Comedy Clubs at Open Mic Nights around town. This whole story is a bit of a legend now in my family and is well noted in my baby book at the time it happened.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://JamesArnoldTaylor.com
- Instagram: @JATactor
- Twitter: @JATactor
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JATactor
