Personal details
- Birth Date: 1969-03-12
- Birth Location: Pasadena, California, USA
- Professions: Casting Director, Director, Producer
Nobody in the animation world moves the needle quite like Jamie Thomason. He’s basically Hollywood’s secret sauce for voice casting and dialogue directing—think: the guy who’s quietly steered thousands of actors (including a ridiculous number of Oscar, Emmy, and Tony winners… even a couple of EGOT folks) through more than 100 movies and 3,000 episodes. Three decades in, the guy’s legend is kinda wild. The biggest names in the game? He’s probably coached them. James Woods? Swears by him. Robin Williams? Used to roast him for being too funny. Anne Bancroft dropped the Kazan comparison—no big deal, just the highest praise you can get. Tracy Ullman? Calls him a genius. Toss in a worldwide gross of over $5 billion attached to his projects. Not too shabby. Honestly, if you’ve ever watched TV or hit the movies, you’ve definitely seen his fingerprints all over the place. The superstar list is bonkers: Ian McKellen, Stallone, Uma Thurman, Robert Downey Jr., Lauren Bacall, Ben Kingsley, Whoopi Goldberg, Edward Norton, Christian Bale, Sally Field, Glenn Close, and, well, it just keeps going. Thomason basically invented the modern casting department for Disney animation back in ’91, flipping the script on how things were done. He’s been at the heart of mega-hits—“Spirited Away,” “The Lion King II,” “The Return of Jafar”—and his work’s grabbed Emmys, Oscar noms, and world records for home video sales. Even now, he’s still pushing boundaries, like with 2020’s “Animal Crackers”—Netflix hit, star-studded cast, international buzz. The guy never stops.
So, here’s a little-known bit of trivia that might just win you a bar bet someday: this guy’s got a serious knack for guiding actors to Emmy glory. We’re talking five Emmy-winning performances under his belt, which is kind of insane. Nathan Lane snagged one for voicing in Timon & Pumbaa back in ’95, and then again for Teacher’s Pet in 2000—because why settle for just one? James Woods also picked up an Emmy thanks to his work in Hercules (1998), which, honestly, if you’ve heard his Hades, you get it. But wait—there’s more! Eartha Kitt, absolute legend, scored not one but two Emmys for The Emperor’s New School, nabbing back-to-back wins in 2007 and 2008. Directing all that talent and helping them land those Emmys? Not exactly something you see every day. It’s the sort of Hollywood magic that flies under the radar, but man, does it matter.
March 12, 1969
Konidela Ram Charan
Pasadena, California, USA
56 years old