James Murray (comedian)
James Stephen "Murr" Murray (born May 1, 1976) is an American improvisational comedian, actor, author, and producer from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He is a member of The Tenderloins, a comedy troupe also consisting of Sal Vulcano, Joe Gatto, and Brian Quinn. Along with the other members of The Tenderloins, he stars in the television series Impractical Jokers, which aired on December 15, 2011 on TruTV.
James Murray | |
|---|---|
 Murray for Millennium Magazine in 2018 | |
| Born | James Stephen Murray May 1, 1976 Staten Island, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Msgr. Farrell High School Georgetown University (BA) |
| Occupation | Stand-up comedian, actor, author |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jenna Vulcano
( m. 2014; annulled 2014) |
| Partner(s) | Melyssa Davies (2018–present) |
Early life
Murray was born in Staten Island, New York on May 1, 1976.[1] He is of Irish ancestry. Along with Gatto, Vulcano, and Quinn, he was a member of his high school's (Msgr. Farrell Staten Island) Improvisation Club.[2]
Murray continued his education at Georgetown University, where he received a bachelor's degree in English.[3]
Career
Early career
In 1998, Murray produced, wrote, and directed a film titled Damned!, starring Jeremy Guskin as Jesus in an alternate retelling of the Bible. Rather than paying for a car, Murray's parents paid for the production of this film at his request.[4]
After being apart for years, Murray, Gatto, and Vulcano reunited after graduating from college and began practicing improvisation at Gatto's house, going on to tour as an improv & sketch comedy troupe in 1999, and calling themselves The Tenderloins.[5]
The Tenderloins began producing comedy sketches together, posting them on YouTube, MySpace, and Metacafe, and subsequently accumulating millions of views online. In 2007, the troupe won the $100,000 grand prize in NBC's "It's Your Show" competition for the sketch "Time Thugs".[6]
Impractical Jokers and other television shows
Impractical Jokers premiered on December 15, 2011 on TruTV, which was watched by over 32 million viewers in its first season. The show has become the most popular series on TruTV and has boosted Murray into the public eye.
In 2019, Murray, along with the other members of The Tenderloins, starred in The Misery Index, which is hosted by Jameela Jamil and is based on Andy Breckman's card game "Shit Happens".
Impractical Jokers: The Movie was released on February 21, 2020.
Other ventures
Murray worked at NorthSouth Productions, where he was the Senior Vice President of Development, leaving in February of 2018. In 2018, he released a sci-fi/horror book called Awakened, which was co-written by Darren Wearmouth, and revolves around a monster that lives in the subways of New York City. A sequel, called The Brink, was released in 2019.[7]
Personal life
Murray has a tattoo of a ferret skydiving as a result of a triple punishment. In 2014, Murray married Jenna Vulcano as a result for Sal's punishment in the season 3 finale, "Brother-in-Loss"; they legally annulled the marriage shortly after.[8]
In 2019, Murray became engaged to Melyssa Davies, whom he met at his launch party for his book Awakened.[9][10]
References
- Veritas, Vicki (31 December 2016). "Impractical Jokers before all the fame". Looper.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
- "Impractical Jokers' success is rooted in a deeper vulnerability". The Buffalo News. 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- "James Murray: How the Impractical Jokers Star is Bringing Laughter to the World and Making His Dreams Come True - Millennium Magazine". Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- "Impractical Jokers- Murr's Directorial Debut".
- "About The Guys". The Official Website of The Tenderloins. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- "About". The Tenderloins. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
- Hopkins, Anna (17 June 2019). "'Impractical Joker' James Murray pens new sci-fi thriller novel". Fox News. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- "Times Impractical Jokers took things too far". looper.com. February 11, 2020.
- "Impractical Jokers Star James Murray Is Engaged! Inside His Sweet Proposal to Melyssa Davies". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
- "It's No Joke – 'Impractical Jokers' Star, James Murray and his fiancée Melyssa Davies Share their Fairytale Romance". Millennium Magazine. Retrieved 2019-09-16.