James Sloyan

James Sloyan, a veteran American character actor whose six-decade career spanned stage, film and television, died on July 22, 2026, at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. He was 85. A funeral notice published through Echovita and Neptune Society of Sherman Oaks confirmed the date and place of death; as of mid-September 2026 his English Wikipedia biography had not yet been updated to reflect the death.

Born James J. Sloyan Jr. in Indianapolis, Indiana, on February 24, 1940, he spent part of his childhood in Europe before the family returned to the United States when he was 17 and settled in upstate New York. He won a scholarship to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then worked for Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1962, he returned after four years of service and rejoined Papp's company, appearing in dozens of productions and choreographing onstage fights. He also appeared in the original off-Broadway staging of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

On film he was part of the ensemble of The Sting (1973) as Mottola, and he appeared in The Traveling Executioner, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight and Xanadu. Television made him a familiar guest star across decades, with credits including Kojak, Hawaii Five-O, MacGyver, Matlock, Quantum Leap, The X-Files, Baywatch, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, General Hospital, Who's the Boss and Party of Five.

Science-fiction audiences knew him especially for multiple Star Trek roles. On Star Trek: The Next Generation he played Romulan admiral Alidar Jarok in "The Defector" and adult Alexander Rozhenko (as K'mtar) in "Firstborn." On Star Trek: Deep Space Nine he portrayed Bajoran scientist Doctor Mora Pol, and on Star Trek: Voyager he took the title role in "Jetrel."

Outside scripted work he became one of the most recognizable voices in American advertising as the voice of Lexus from the brand's 1989 U.S. launch through about 2009, and he later voiced spots for Mitsubishi and Sprint Nextel as well as film trailers.

He married actress Deirdre Lenihan in 1973; they had two children, Daniel Sloyan and actress Samantha Sloyan. His brother was Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Patrick J. Sloyan. No cause of death has been made public.