Jim Boyd (actor)

Jim Boyd was an American actor, born in Philadelphia.

Boyd spent four years in the Air Force and studied at the American Academy for Dramatic Arts.

He did voice work (along with Wayland Flowers and Cleavon Little) for puppets on The Surprise Show, a children's program that aired locally in the New York City area in the late 1960s. The puppets used on the show, called Aniforms, had been developed by puppeteer Morey Bunin.

In 1971, the Children’s Television Workshop (now Sesame Workshop) contacted Boyd because it wanted to use Aniforms in a television show that became known as The Electric Company. During the first season, Boyd’s voice was used extensively, especially for the character J. Arthur Crank, who was just an angry voice on the telephone at the time. Boyd was unseen until season two, when he became a regular cast member, appearing on-camera until the show stopped production in 1977.

Boyd's wife is named Kathleen Paris, and they have a daughter.

Boyd was often confused with Mississippi-born Jimmy Boyd, singer of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," who was also an actor. Despite having separate IMDb entries, these two actors' filmographies are still combined—although to a lesser degree than before.

He died on January 2, 2013, following a short illness.