James Andrew Walsh is a name shared by at least two notable individuals: an Irish hurler (1908–1985) and a contemporary American actor, writer, director, and producer.
James Andrew Walsh (1908–1985) — Irish Hurler
James Andrew Walsh (20 November 1908 – 16 May 1985) was an Irish hurler. He was born in Waterford, Ireland, and attended Mount Sion school in Waterford City. He achieved the nation's highest score for mathematics on his Leaving Certificate. Fluent in the Irish language, he entered the Irish Civil Service in 1926, working in the Department of Education, the Department of Finance, and eventually the Department of Defence.
Walsh played half-back for Dublin and Leinster in hurling. He was part of the teams that won the 1932 and 1933 Railway Cup Hurling Championships. His team won the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship in 1934 and played Limerick in the 1934 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final at Croke Park. He was featured on a National Sporting Heroes cigarette card published around 1934–1935 by W.D. & H.O. Wills. Contemporary news coverage described him as "the pick of the Dublin team" and "a topping hurler without question."
He married Nora Fitzpatrick of Kinsale, County Cork, and they had four children.
James Andrew Walsh (Contemporary) — Actor, Writer, Director, Producer
James Andrew Walsh is a Cannes Silver Lion award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer. He is known for co-creating and executive producing the Hallmark Mysteries Channel series Gilded Age Newport Mysteries (also known as Murder at the Breakers). He wrote and directed the films Oscar Wilde About America (2024), Jimmy and Carolyn (2023), and The Extinction of Fireflies (2022). He directed the award-winning immersive theatre piece As Much As I Can at the Public Theater in New York City. He is the Grand Prize recipient at the Rhode Island Film Festival for his teleplay The Gods of Newport. At Warner Bros. and Lorimar, he executive produced the ABC miniseries A Fearful Joy: The Mother Teresa Story.
As a performer, Walsh has appeared in major regional and Broadway national tour productions of Ragtime, Mary Poppins, Footloose, and Kinky Boots. He is a Columbia University graduate and lives in Los Angeles, New York City, and Westerly, Rhode Island. He is the owner of Rhode Trip Pictures.
