JAMIE'S BIOS:
Since I can ever remember, I have loved to entertain people.
My earliest memory of this commitment for performing was at the age of four. Our family had just watched a movie together, "Peter Pan" starring Mary Martin. At this early age, I assumed Peter was played by a boy. Imagine my surprise when my mother told me that Peter was actually a woman. I didn't believe her. I argued in my defense the fact that she didn't have "girl's hair". When my mother told me that this actress had to cut her hair to look like a boy, I was shocked. Why would any girl ever cut her hair to look like a boy? You see, I had very long hair and I was emotionally attached to my golden braid.
I sat for a long time in my favorite thinking spot (under the piano) and deliberated over my cherished braided possession and whether I would have the courage to relinquish it. Eventually I crawled out from under. I'd made my decision. I would definitely cut it off. I was ready to commit my most prized possession for my love of acting.
Sadly, a year later my mother chopped off my braid.
I still have it.
I was born Patricia Ann Kotapish in Cleveland, Ohio... uhhh... a while ago. My name was Patty growing up. Sometimes Pat. Never Patsy. Once, I asked people to call me Trish. That lasted for maybe a weekend. Anyway, I changed it legally to Jamie Newell sometime in the mid-70's. I combined my dad's first name with my mother's maiden name... kept it in the family. I love nicknames. One summer, at camp, they called me Spider. It was my tomboy phase. I used the moniker "Kidd" during college and now I'm mom, Mrs. B, Jamers, Jamella and Hey You.
I lived in an all-American world in an upper-middle class Catholic neighborhood loaded with kids. I went to 13 years of Catholic schooling including kindergarten. Following high school, I studied theater and the arts at five colleges/universities. Add to that, years and years of private lessons and I'd say I've done my fair share of formal education.
Speaking of private lessons, while growing up, I spent my Saturday mornings attending classes at The Cleveland Art Museum and The Cleveland Institute of Art. I studied the lives and techniques of famous artists and was taught everything from watercolor to cartooning from figure drawing to pottery. One of my favorite classes, and something out of the ordinary, was the puppetry class. I was cast to play the lead in the semester play but since I was going to miss two rehearsals due to scout camp, they would only let me play a supporting role. I tried to get out of going to camp but my mom wasn't going to be swayed. I think she was really looking forward to getting my sister and me out of the house for two weeks. It's weird what we remember, isn't it?
My parents also gave me piano lessons, singing lessons, ballet classes. They opened up the world of classical music to me by exposing me to The Cleveland Orchestra; we attended plays and frequented museums for weekend fun. I was immersed in the world of the arts from the very beginning of my life. With this education, I have a deep love and appreciation for all forms of art. How grateful I am to my parents for this education.
Every year, there was always a two-week vacation in August with my family. All six of us packed into a station wagon, heading somewhere far away from my dad's work world. When I was ten, one vacation connected me with my first celebrity meeting at a family camp park in Oglebay, West Virginia. We sat under the trees and stars in this outdoor amphitheater, one August evening, and listened to a very funny man, who, my dad insisted, was the number one box office star many years before. His name was Mickey Rooney. Here was Mickey Rooney in a small summer theater performing in no-wheres-ville USA and sadly there were tons of empty seats! We went backstage afterward and chatted with Mr. Rooney and got his autograph... something I have no idea of what happened to. Later that night, as I lay in my sleeping bag, I pondered the roller coaster of showbiz. It was then that I decided that it was OK. Heck, he was still working. He was still connecting with people. He was still entertaining folks and feeding his passion.
That night the world of showbiz became clearer to me.
DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW.
I love to work. I started my first business in fifth grade called Anaconda Jewelry. My friend, Donna, and I made earrings and sold them to a local head shop. They sold out within the first two weeks. We made a lot of money that summer.
Fast forward to today. I own two businesses, Jamie Newell and Company, which covers pretty much everything on this site. The other is Custom Comedy Capers, a special event entertainment agency. My partner and I started this business in 1990 and its success helps to pay the bills. It also gives me yet another opportunity to perform.
Go ahead and click on the link.
CustomComedyCapers.com
You know you want to!
Go ahead and look at my
childhood & career photos.
