James Joseph Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. Known for his work on both stage and screen, his accolades include four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a nomination for a Tony Award. From 2015 to 2018, Forbes named him the world's highest-paid television actor. A graduate of the University of Houston and the University of San Diego, Parsons started his career on the stage and had his screen debut in 2002. From 2007 to 2019, he played Sheldon Cooper in the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, winning four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He was further Emmy-nominated for the television film The Normal Heart (2014), the short form series Special (2019), and playing Henry Willson in the Netflix miniseries Hollywood (2020). Following his breakthrough, Parsons gained wider recognition with his Broadway debut in the Larry Kramer play The Normal Heart (2011) and later received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Mother Play (2024). He has also acted in the Broadway plays Harvey (2012), An Act of God (2015), The Boys in the Band (2018), and Our Town (2024). Alongside a lead voice role in the animated comedy film Home (2015), he also played supporting roles in Hidden Figures (2016), A Kid Like Jake (2018), Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019), The Boys in the Band (2020), and Spoiler Alert (2022).