Alun Armstrong as Jim | Breeders on FX

Alun Armstrong

Jim

Solid, dependable and happily married to Jackie for 50 years, "Jim," portrayed by Alun Armstrong, is bemused by modern parenting and epitomizes old-school male values—he loves his wife, Paul, Ally and his grandchildren but can obviously never tell them.

Career Highlights

Armstrong is an award-winning British actor, well known for appearances in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, Clint Eastwood’s White Hunter Black Heart and The Mummy Returns for Universal Pictures. His additional recent film credits include Golden Years, Funny Cow, Possum, Cordelia, Krull, Oliver Twist, Van Helsing, Strictly Sinatra and Eragon. He also appeared in This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper, which received a BAFTA® nomination for Best Drama Serial.

On television, in addition to his role as “Jim” in FX’s Breeders, Armstrong has appeared in miniseries such as Prime Suspect 1973 and Dark Angel. He led the cast of the hugely successful BBC drama New Tricks as well as Garrow’s Law, also for the BBC. Other credits include Bleak House, based on the Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name. Further television credits include Sherwood, Year of the Rabbit, Downton Abbey, Penny Dreadful, Married… with Children and Frontier alongside Jason Momoa.

Armstrong has been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor six times for his theater work. In 1994, he won the award for Best Actor in a Musical as the title character in Sweeney Todd at the National Theatre. His appearances in the National Theatre also include the role of “Willy Loman” in Death of a Salesman and “The Captain” in The Father. He spent over nine years with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has performed at The Old Vic, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Barbican Theatre, Royal Albert Hall and on Broadway in countless productions including in Les Misérables (Armstrong originated the role of “Thénardier” in the original 1985 West End cast), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Troilus and Cressida, The Winter’s Tale, The Tempest, The Crucible and The Taming of the Shrew, among many others.

Armstrong took part in the National Youth Theatre summer program early in his career and went on to study fine arts at Newcastle University. He currently resides in London.

Joanna Bacon

as Jackie

​A loyal mom and grandma, Jackie is as open with her affection as Jim is reserved. She won’t put up with any nonsense, but is always available for last minute babysitting, support and ice cream.