
J.D. was born in the delta town of Greenville, Mississippi (also the birthplace of Muppets creator Jim Henson) on the same day Richard Nixon was elected president. He is of Irish-French-German-Cherokee-Choctaw decent, the oldest of 7 siblings, and attended 17 different schools (public and private) while moving back and forth between his mother and father. His great-great-great-great uncle was Horace Mann, the founder of the American Public School system. His father (Puddin - yep, that's what they call him) is a welder/artist/amateur archaeologist and inventor. His mother (Sally) has had many professions, including concert promoter and owner of a country/western nightclub called The Headless Horseman, where as a young child, J.D. spent many school nights until the wee hours of the morning hanging out backstage and on stage with the likes of Hank Williams, Jr., Juice Newton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Paycheck, David Allen Coe, Ray Price, and many others.
After a short stint in college and a 15 month stint in the Marine Corps stationed at 29 Palms, California and after hanging out with some actors in L.A., J.D. thought he would give acting a shot. His only experience with acting had been playing the Prince in his pre-school production of The Nutcracker, and getting kicked out of his senior play, Oklahoma, after his second rehearsal because he and a friend drank a beer before hand. After the Marine Corps, he returned to Mississippi and worked as a debt collector for his mother's collection agency. After a year of hating his job, he decided to return to college and get a degree in theatre at The University of Southern Mississippi. Once on stage at college, he knew acting was what he had to do. His second year in theatre, he was one of 20 finalists in the state selected to attend SETC (Southeastern Theatre Conference). In 1995, a friend offered J.D. a $1,000 to come to Los Angeles and perform a lead role in his play "Dylan's Ghost" at the Morgan-Wixson Theatre in Santa Monica. J.D. took him up on the offer and left college a semester before graduating and since then has lived back and forth between Hollywood, California, Austin, Texas, and Oxford, Mississippi, where he just completed writing and directing his first independent feature Glorious Mail(2005).
Even though he appeared on the short-lived game show, Hollywood Showdown with Todd Newton and won nearly $12,000, his friends like to tell him that he's almost one lucky son of a gun. Mainly because he's come so close to landing lead roles in major films so many times, usually being the director's second choice. In 2004 his luck proved true once again when he purchased a $100 raffle ticket and was 1st Runner Up (2nd Choice) for a $250,000 house in United Way's New Home Giveaway, where instead he won an artist's print worth $80. IMDb Mini Biography By: JDsMOM

Snack Shack
Bill Workman
2024

Breakwater
Luther
2023

Suitable Flesh
Detective Ledger
2023

Palmer
Principal Forbes
2021

To the Stars
Len McCoy
2019

First Man
Christopher C. Kraft Jr.
2018

A Dark Place
Cal Worbley
2018

Assassination Nation
Chief Patterson
2018

The Purge
Silas Barker · (2 episodes)
2018

Marvel's Cloak & Dagger
Detective Connors · (20 episodes)
2018

The Sweet Life
Brandon
2017

Live by Night
Virgil Beauregard
2016

Deepwater Horizon
Dewey Revette
2016

Showing Roots
Raybur
2016

99 Homes
Mr. Tanner
2015

The Program
Tailwind Executive
2015

Maggie
Holt
2015

Wild
Clint
2014

Constantine
"El Hombre" · (1 episode)
2014

When the Game Stands Tall
Coach #1
2014

Get on Up
Seminar Presenter
2014

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Sniper
2014

Wicked Blood
Doctor
2014

Star-Crossed
Weeble · (1 episode)
2014

True Detective
Detective Lutz · (6 episodes)
2014

Dallas Buyers Club
Clint
2013

12 Years a Slave
Chapin
2013

Nothing Left to Fear
Helpless Father
2013

Rectify
Sheriff Carl Daggett · (30 episodes)
2013

The Host
Trevor Stryder
2013

Beautiful Creatures
Mitchell Wate (uncredited)
2013

Banshee
Cole Moody · (1 episode)
2013

Django Unchained
O.D.
2012

The Paperboy
Gate Guard
2012

Stolen
Rookie
2012

The Baytown Outlaws
Officer Boyd
2012

The Campaign
State Official
2012

The Philly Kid
Parole Officer
2012

Transit
Sgt. Doucette
2012

Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Rob the Waiter
2012

Miami Magma
Dr. Brad Turner
2011

American Horror Story
Rakes · (1 episode)
2011

Inside Out
Baxter
2011

Seeking Justice
Man in Elevator
2011

Mask Maker
Professor
2011

The Mechanic
Gun Runner
2011

Ticking Clock
Second Cop
2011

Mysterious Island
Bonaventure Pencroft
2010

The Walking Dead
Harley · (3 episodes)
2010

Legendary
Terry Jay
2010

Jonah Hex
Union Officer on Train
2010

Alabama Moon
Oliver 'Pap' Blake
2009

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
Rick Fitzsimon
2009

Who Do You Love
Jake
2008

Stop-Loss
Rainey
2008

Deal
Tex Button
2008

The Great Debaters
Captain Wainwright
2007

Ruffian
Saratoga Bettor
2007

The Guardian
Jailer
2006

Snow Wonder
Joe
2005

Waiting...
Redneck
2005

Walk the Line
F.B.I. Man
2005
Rainbow's End
Andy
2005

Rolling Kansas
Angry Motorcycle Cop
2003

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Eric · (1 episode)
2000
Living the Life
Pilar's boyfriend
2000

Where the Heart Is
Orderly
2000

Picnic
Younger Cop
2000

Faces of Death

The Rookie
Relief Pitcher #1
2002

Hell Swarm
George Bernard
2000

Walker, Texas Ranger
Kyle Finley · (1 episode)
1993

Walker, Texas Ranger
Monte Vole · (1 episode)
1993

Walker, Texas Ranger
Patrolman Cross · (1 episode)
1993