Jim Meskimen.

At age 17, Jim Meskimen appeared on the famous Fonzie Jumps the Shark episode of Happy Days, a show that starred his mother, Marion Ross. He was born James Ross Meskimen on September 10, 1959 in Santa Monica, California, and grew up surrounded by acting. His mother, Marion Ross, was a Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress best known as Mrs. C on Happy Days. His father, Freeman Morse, was also an actor. This family environment made his path into entertainment inevitable.

Meskimen’s career spans live-action and voice work. He was a recurring character on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for two seasons and appeared multiple times on the British series Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 1988. He worked with director Ron Howard on five films: The Paper in 1994, Apollo 13 in 1995, Edtv in 1999, How the Grinch Stole Christmas in 2000, and Frost/Nixon in 2008. His filmography includes two Paul Thomas Anderson films. As a designer and cartoonist, he created dozens of characters, weapons, and vehicles for the original Thundercats animated series. He continues to perform improvisation on L.A. stages and does all voices for JibJab.com’s cartoons.

Jim Meskimen is married to actress Tamra Meskimen, and they have a daughter, Taylor Meskimen. His mother is Marion Ross, and his sister is Ellen Kreamer. He is a registered Democrat and lists his native language as English. As of 2024, he has appeared in three films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Apollo 13 in 1995, There Will Be Blood in 2007, and Frost/Nixon in 2008.

Meskimen’s versatility as an actor, voice artist, and animator has influenced both television and film. His character designs for Thundercats helped define the look of the original series, while his recurring roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Guy while voicing Ron Howard made him a recognizable face to viewers. He continues to entertain through improvisational theater and JibJab cartoons.