Days of our Lives Alum James Read Celebrates His Birthday

On Days of our Lives, Clyde Weston was nothing but trouble. Luckily, the same can’t be said for James Read, the man behind the despicable, murderous rogue.

Happy Birthday, James Read!

And that’s because he was born on July 31, 1953, in Buffalo, New York, which means that this talented performer is turning 70 years old today! Within a year of moving to Los Angeles from Schenectady, his boyhood haunt, Read made his TV debut on an episode of Cheers and followed that achievement by landing a plum role on the caper dramedy Remington Steele.

Next, Read was hired to play George Hazard in the television adaptation of John Jakes’s epic novel North and South, a role he reprised twice in the ensuing decade.

In the midst of making merry on the set with the likes of Genie Francis and Patrick Swayze, Read made the acquaintance of one Wendy Kilbourne, whom George was destined to woo and wed. Three years later, Read and Kilbourne would make their own way down an aisle and go on to welcome two children — a son, Jackson, and a daughter, Sydney.

Read’s subsequent acting credits are legion. Among them are recurring roles on several primetime series, including Charmed and American Dreams, and featured parts in both made-to-TV movies (Midas Valley, Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, and When The Dark Man Calls to name but a few) and TV programs (Wildfire), several guest spots on small screen hits (Fantasy Island, Matt Houston, Murder, She Wrote, Home Improvement, et al.), and numerous appearances in big screen productions (The Initiation, Beaches, Love Crimes, etc.).

Read has played down-and-out drug baron Clyde Weston on Days of our Lives on and off since 2014. Soap Hub would like to wish James Read a very happy birthday and many more.