Jim J. Bullock

James Jackson Bullock (born February 9, 1955) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Monroe Ficus on the sitcom Too Close for Comfort.

Early life Bullock was born in Casper, Wyoming, and raised in Odessa, Texas (although he is listed as an alumnus of Natrona County High School in Casper). He was raised in a Southern Baptist home, and as a youth planned to become an evangelical Christian minister.

Career Credited as "Jim J. Bullock" because there was another "Jim Bullock" in the actors union, and credited initially as "Jm J. Bullock" in his earliest appearances (he wanted his name to be unique), Bullock became a notable entertainment figure in the 1980s when he co-starred on the sitcom Too Close for Comfort as Monroe Ficus and was a regular guest on John Davidson's updated version of the game show Hollywood Squares; Bullock occasionally substituted for Davidson as host. He also appeared as a semi-regular on Battlestars and occasionally on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour and Body Language.

He later became a semi-regular on ALF (from 1989 to 1990) as Neal Tanner. Bullock was the guest host of a special episode of Super Sloppy Double Dare in 1989 in which host Marc Summers and announcer Harvey played against each other. The game ended with both Summers and Harvey playing the obstacle course and winning all eight prizes for their respective teammates. Stage assistants Robin Marrella and Dave Shikiar were the guest announcers for that episode.

After ALF went off the air in 1990, Bullock remained active with theatre, television, and film work. He briefly hosted a syndicated talk show with ex-televangelist Tammy Faye Messner. The Jim J. and Tammy Faye Show debuted in 1996, but Messner exited the program a few months later following a cancer diagnosis. Bullock continued with new co-host, Ann Abernathy, and the show became The Jim J. and Ann Show until it was canceled.

Bullock was the voice of Queer Duck in the animated series of cartoons of the same name which have appeared on both the internet and the cable TV network Showtime. In 2000, Bullock was a regular panelist on the revival of I've Got a Secret. He also performed on the national tour of the Broadway production Hairspray as Wilbur Turnblad, a role he took to the Broadway stage starting September 18, 2007. Some of his other noteworthy roles include the pilled-up narcoleptic Prince Valium in the 1987 Mel Brooks movie Spaceballs, and the "not-quite-out-of-the-closet" character in a dating montage at the beginning of 2001's Kissing Jessica Stein. From 2004 to 2007, he had a recurring role as Mr. Monroe, a teacher at the fictional James K. Polk Middle School on the Nickelodeon live-action sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.

In July 2022, Bullock appeared as George in the Hollywood Bowl production of Kinky Boots.

Personal life In 1985, while Too Close for Comfort was being retooled as The Ted Knight Show, Bullock learned that he was HIV positive. He made his diagnosis public eleven years later.

In 1996, Bullock's partner of six years, John Casey, died from AIDS-related complications.

On February 17, 1999, Bullock was arrested outside a bar in West Hollywood, California, for possession of crystal meth, and was sentenced to probation.

Filmography Genre Year Title Role Episodes Notes TV series 1980–1987 Too Close for Comfort Monroe Ficus credited as Jm J. Bullock118 episodes Film 1981 Full Moon High Eddie credited as Jm. J. BullockAlternative title: Moon High Film 1987 Spaceballs Prince Valium credited as Jm J. Bullock Film 1988 DeGarmo & Key: Rock Solid...The Rock-u-mentary! News Reporter TV series 1989 Super Sloppy Double Dare Himself/Guest Host TV series 1989–1990 ALF Neal Tanner "He Ain't Heavy, He's Willie's Brother" "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" "Break Up to Make Up" "Happy Together" "Love on the Rocks" 5 episodes Film 1991 Switch The Psychic TV series 1992 Seinfeld Flight Attendant No. 1 "" Music Video1994 Bubba Hyde Bubba Hyde "Diamond Rio song" TV series 1994–1995 Boogies Diner Gerald unknown episodes Animated TV series 1994 Duckman "Cellar Beware" voice actor TV series 1996 Roseanne Al "Satan, Darling" Animated TV series 2000-2004 Queer Duck Adam Seymour "Queer Duck" Duckstein voice actor; 20 episodes TV series 2000 E! True Hollywood Story Himself "Jim J. Bullock" documentary Documentary 2000 Himself Film 2000 Get Your Stuff Tom Film 2001 10 Attitudes Tex Film 2001 Kissing Jessica Stein Not-Yet-Out Gay Guy (Craig) Film 2001 Circuit Mark TV series 2001 Intimate Portrait Himself "Tammy Faye" documentary TV series 2001 Popular Judge "The Brain Game" Short film 2002 Gaydar Maurice's Ex 20 minutes included in the Direct-to-video compilation film Men's Mix 1: Gay Shorts Collection TV series 2004–2007 Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide Mr. Monroe 19 episodes TV series 2005 Serge (Wedding Planner) 2 episodes Animated film 2006 Queer Duck: The Movie Adam Seymour "Queer Duck" Duckstein voice actor; Direct-to-video release Film 2008 One, Two, Many Derek Animated TV series 2008 Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World Jacques-Jean/Emerald Joe "Wickeder" voice actor TV series 2009 Serge (Wedding Planner) 10 episodes Short film 2009 Cost of Living Bill 15 minutes Film 2009 Jim-Jay "The Star" Documentary 2010 Frances: A Mother Divine Himself Film 2010 Role/Play Bernie Film 2014 Ron and Laura Take Back America Bob Zackie TV series 2015 Glee Cert "Loser Like Me" 1 episode TV series 2015 Good Job, Thanks! John McWayne "Hacked!" 1 episode Tv series 2026 Joseph Beasley (jeweler) 1 episode