J.A. Preston was born in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is an actor, known for A Few Good Men (1992), Body Heat (1981) and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985).
James Preston attended North Carolina College on a track scholarship and ran the middle distance races.
2
Merilyn Alsop, the wife of J. A. from 1957 to 1972, was born on October 22, 1934 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA at Freedmen's Hospital because in her hometown women of color were not allowed to bear children in hospitals in Annapolis, Maryland, USA. J. A. and Merilyn had three children: Scotti (daughter) born in 1958, Dominique (daughter) born in 1959, and James Allen, Jr. (son) born in 1961. Merilyn died of natural causes in Annapolis, Mayland, USA on April 26, 2010.
3
Hobbies include photography and being an aficionado of jazz, collecting albums by John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderly.
4
J. A. chose to use his initials rather than his given name James because there already was a James Preston in Actors Equity when he sought to join the union in the early 1970's. His friends call him Jim.
5
In March 2014 J. A. was a special invited guest at the Annapolis Film Festival. He was invited to join the viewing and lead the discussion of his 1973 role as Dawson in the film, "The Spook that Sat by the Door.".
6
He has often been cast as a military officer or in a law enforcement role (police officer, lawyer, or judge).
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Sweet Deadly Dreams
2006
Mott
Old Man Music
2005
Short
Doctor
Clueless
1997
TV Series
Benjamin Davenport
House of Frankenstein
1997
TV Mini-Series
Air Force One
1997
White House General (uncredited)
Contact
1997
Senator (uncredited)
Touched by an Angel
1997
TV Series
Waters
The Sentinel
1997
TV Series
Mel Wilkenson
Chicago Hope
1996
TV Series
Judge Rodney Helpurn
Harvest of Fire
1996
TV Movie
Sheriff Garrison
Martin
1992-1995
TV Series
Dr. Cliff Waters
SeaQuest 2032
1995
TV Series
Charles
Sweet Justice
1994
TV Series
Col. Campbell
A Perry Mason Mystery: The Case of the Lethal Lifestyle
1994
TV Movie
Empty Nest
1994
TV Series
Roland
MacShayne: Winner Takes All
1994
TV Movie
Pete Webb
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1994
TV Series
General Zeitlin
Nick's Game
1993
TV Movie
Sgt. William Twiford
The Jackie Thomas Show
1993
TV Series
Mr. Watson
A Few Good Men
1992
Judge Julius Alexander Randolph
Captain Ron
1992
Magistrate
Tales from the Crypt
1992
TV Series
Harry
Jake and the Fatman
1992
TV Series
Steel Justice
1992
TV Movie
Jeremiah J. Jones
Aftermath: A Test of Love
1991
TV Movie
Det. Boland
Father Dowling Mysteries
1991
TV Series
Lt. Peter Johnson
Law & Order
1990
TV Series
Congressman Ronald Eaton
Midnight Caller
1990
TV Series
Buchanan
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson
1990
TV Movie
Wendell Smith
Narrow Margin
1990
Martin Larner
Fire Birds
1990
General Olcott
My Two Dads
1990
TV Series
Judge Banion
In the Heat of the Night
1989
TV Series
Calvin Peterson
It's Garry Shandling's Show.
1989
TV Series
Mr. Ryan
Hunter
1988
TV Series
Samuel Rhodes
Santa Barbara
1987-1988
TV Series
Richard Matthews
Simon & Simon
1988
TV Series
Police Lt. 'Mule' Muldower - Internal Affairs
21 Jump Street
1987
TV Series
Principal George Messiah
Desperate
1987
TV Movie
Wiggee
Dallas
1986-1987
TV Series
Leo Daltry / Daltry
Amazing Stories
1986
TV Series
Prof. Bertram Carver
The George McKenna Story
1986
TV Movie
Mr. McKenna
The A-Team
1986
TV Series
Judge
Magnum, P.I.
1986
TV Series
Police Lieutenant Sam McKee
Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
1986
TV Series
Judge Hooten
Moonlighting
1986
TV Series
Dr. Nealy
Hardcastle and McCormick
1986
TV Series
Vic Dutton
Our Family Honor
1986
TV Series
Detective Meeker
Hill Street Blues
1982-1985
TV Series
Ozzie Cleveland
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins
1985
Conn MacCleary
Hollywood Beat
1985
TV Series
Walker
T.J. Hooker
1984
TV Series
Dr. Ross
Gimme a Break!
1984
TV Series
Trapper John, M.D.
1984
TV Series
Det. Ernie Walker
Punky Brewster
1984
TV Series
Judge William J. Murphy
100 Centre Street
1984
TV Movie
Judge Earl Doucette
The Paper Chase
1984
TV Series
The Yellow Rose
1984
TV Series
Lt. Ralph Foster
The New Odd Couple
1983
TV Series
Mr. Walker
Quincy M.E.
1982
TV Series
Judge Saunder MacMillan
Little House on the Prairie
1982
TV Series
Sam Terhune
The White Lions
1981
Aniel
Body Heat
1981
Oscar Grace
High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane
1980
TV Movie
Alonzo
The Plutonium Incident
1980
TV Movie
Dr. Samuels
The Chisholms
1980
TV Mini-Series
Morgan
Hart to Hart
1979
TV Series
Mr. Pruitt
Americathon
1979
Morty
Real Life
1979
Dr. Ted Cleary
Roots: The Next Generations
1979
TV Mini-Series
President Harper
Diff'rent Strokes
1978
TV Series
Mr. Thompson
Eight Is Enough
1978
TV Series
Doctor Fletcher
Wonder Woman
1978
TV Series
Jazreel
Carter Country
1978
TV Series
Jesse Haskell
James at 16
1977
TV Series
Mr. Hazeltine
Police Story
1977
TV Series
Parkinson
All's Fair
1976-1977
TV Series
Allen Brooks
Silver Streak
1976
Waiter (uncredited)
Two-Minute Warning
1976
Policeman
The Jeffersons
1975
TV Series
Rev. Greenwood
Good Times
1975
TV Series
Walter Ingles
All in the Family
1975
TV Series
Elmo 'Black Elmo' Bridgewater
The Spook Who Sat by the Door
1973
Dawson
Mississippi Summer
1971
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Infiltrating Hollywood: The Rise and Fall of the Spook Who Sat by the Door