James Jurdi

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, James Jurdi grew up watching, studying, and loving film. He pursued his passion by further educating himself in the art of cinema, screenwriting, and performance arts at UCLA and other leading institutes. In tandem, he honed his skills by playing in several short and independent films as well as long-running television programs like The Bold and the Beautiful (1987), Melrose Place (2009), and General Hospital: Night Shift (2007). Jurdi continued developing his love of motion pictures with shorts like Nocturnal Errands (2012), a race against time thriller he acted in, co-wrote, and produced. It showed at the 2012 Cannes Short Film Corner. Making the leap into features, Jurdi's creative journey found him juggling roles both behind and in front of the camera with several projects. Reaper (2014), a supernatural sci-fi horror film co-written, co-produced, and co-starring Jurdi alongside Danny Trejo, Vinnie Jones, and Jake Busey, was picked up for successful distribution by Entertainment One. It helped pave the way for Jurdi's next endeavor, the stylish crime story Pocket Listing (2015), an L.A. based satirical thriller featuring Rob Lowe, Burt Reynolds (in what would be one of his final film roles), Jessica Clark, and Jurdi (who wrote the script) as a real estate agent who experiences a reversal of fortune during the housing crash. It was picked up for distribution by MGM's Orion Pictures and eOne's Momentum Films and bowed in theatrical release and across VOD platforms, where it performed well and built a following, especially in the broker community. Jurdi then signed on for darkly comic action thriller Danger One (2018), which he both produced and acts in. The film centers on a nightmarish night in the lives of a group of morally conflicted paramedics who come across some dirty money and decide to keep it, only to be hunted down by its very dangerous owners. Starring opposite co-leads Tom Everett Scott and Denis O'Hare, Jurdi plays a conscientious EMT who must make some tough life or death decisions in order to survive the night. Danger One (2018) was picked up for distribution by Entertainment Studios/Freestyle Releasing and debuted theatrically and across VOD platforms. With several other projects and scripts in current development, Jurdi's career continues to take him down interesting roads of the filmmaking frontier.