Bio
James Naughton is an American director and actor known primarily for his work in theatre. He is best known to television viewers for his recurring role as William van der Bilt on Gossip Girl, from 2009-2012.
He also has a starring role as Paul Kincaid, the president of the United States, in the thriller television series Hostages.
From Broadway and regional theatre to television and films, Naughton has won critical acclaim in dramas, comedies and musicals. He is the winner of two Tony Awards as Best Actor in a Musical in 1997 and 1990, for his portrayal of media-savvy lawyer Billy Flynn in the Broadway hit Chicago and for his role as a film-noir era detective in City of Angels, which also earned him a Drama Desk Award.
He won the 1999 MAC Award for Best Male Vocalist for his one-man concert show, Street of Dreams, and recorded a CD, It's About Time.
A graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, Naughton made his Broadway debut in Long Day's Journey Into Night, with Robert Ryan and Geraldine Fitzgerald, garnering recognition with Theatre World, New York Drama Critics and Vernon Rice Awards.
His other Broadway credits include Democracy, Whose Life is it Anyway? and I Love My Wife.
Naughton directed the Broadway production of The Price, which was nominated for a Tony Award, and Our Town starring Paul Newman, which he also filmed for cable.
He has directed extensively in the Berkshires and in Westport, Connecticut, and has played Off-Broadway and in regional theatres for decades.
Naughton's feature film credits include Turks and Caicos, The Devil Wears Prada, First Wives Club, Factory Girl, The Glass Menagerie, with Joanne Woodward, The Good Mother, The Paper Chase and Cat's Eye.
His television credits include Planet of the Apes, Who's The Boss?, Brooklyn Bridge, Making the Grade, Ally McBeal, The Cosby Mysteries, Damages and Gossip Girl.
Currently, Naughton resides in Connecticut.