Biography
Jim Bailey started acting and singing in the early 1950s in the Nationally Syndicated show The Children's hour. He studied Opera at the Philadelphia conservatory of music. By the late 1950s he moved to New York City and turned to Theater On and Off Broadway, regional and in Summer Stock in plays such as The Diary of Anne Frank and The Boyfriend. His first break was being cast in the 1962 Broadway musical Fly Blackbird, co-starring Robert Guillaume . It won two Obie Awards. He went on to perform in other plays and musicals such as Wildcat, The Bells are Ringing and Calamity Jane with Ginger Rogers. In 1964 he realized his knack for mimicking and added Judy Garland , Barbra Streisand Phylis Diller into his repertoire. In 1965 Judy Garland and Phylis's Diller had come to see this phenomenon perform as them. They both became mentors and friends.
He would go onto a career in Television, Movies and Theater and headline some of the Worlds Major Concert venues. He had several appearances at New York's Carnegie Hall (one was recorded and released in 1973) London's Palladium, Los Angeles' Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, Shubert Theater and Hollywood Bowl , Toronto's O'Keefe Center and Boston's Symphony Hall and most of the main showrooms in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
He has also performed in Europe, Australia, Canada, South America and South Africa.
Among the high points of his career are televised performances for the The Queen of England and Prince Phillip in 1973 and Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1992. He also did performances for American Presidents. He appeared at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in 1981 and Super Night at the Super-bowl in New Orleans in 1978. Both of these performances had a worldwide audience. Most of these performances are online some here on IMDB. He also performed on the People's Choice Awards and other Award shows.
In 1970 Army Archerd said in his column "Jim Bailey is responsible for bringing the art of female impersonation onto mainstream television." His appearance as Judy Garland on the Ed Sullivan Show was such a phenomenon he was asked back In January 1971 to perform again and was booked onto The Carol Burnett Show and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. In 1972 Here's Lucy and What's my line followed and then went onto some of the hottest Variety shows of the 1970s' such as The Dean Martin Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show , Chuck Barris show and six appearances on the Tonight Show. In the United Kingdom he performed on David Frosts show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Russell Hartys show and Harry Secombs Show.
In his nationally syndicated newspaper column Earl Wilson said ''Jim bailey is the hottest thing in show business.." By the mid 1970s he turned to acting roles on such shows as Switch with Robert Wagner and Eddie Albert, The Rockford Files with James Garner and Vegas with Robert Uriah. By the 1980s he was in the Emmy nominated episode of Night Court playing the Transexual Chip/ Charlene.
A character actor, singer and comedian, he has long specialized in bringing to life some of America's most revered female performers, including Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand Phyllis Diller and Peggy Lee. An accomplished singer in his own right with an operatic background and a degree from the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, Jim also performs as himself and has several recordings.
Among his other career highlights was performing with Judy Garland in Los Angeles in 1964. The recreation with Liza Minnelli of the famous " Judy and Liza at the London Palladium" in Las Vegas in 1972 . He also performed a concert for Barbra Streisand and other Hollywood heavyweights like Clint Eastwood and Warren Beatty in Los Angeles in 1995.
Later theater credits included "Tallulah and Tennessee" co-starring screen icon Bette Garett, "Mae West at the club El Fey" , "Me and Jezebel". "Fragile Fire", (directed by the late Paul Winfield), "Nightclub Confidential" and his last acting role was Ally Mcbeal playing Harold Dale in 2001. By the time of his death in 2015 his varied career had lasted 60 years.
He also had The Jim Bailey Theater in Palm Springs, CA.
