{{Short description|American puppet designer (born 1984)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Use American English|date=March 2026}} {{Infobox person | image = James Ortiz at The Woodsman Off-Broadway Premiere at New World Stages (2016) (cropped).jpg | alt = James Ortiz at The Woodsman Off-Broadway Premiere at New World Stages (2016) | caption = James Ortiz in 2016 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|02|16}} | birth_place = Albany, New York, US | other_names = | occupation = {{flatlist| * Puppet designer * puppeteer * director}} | education = Purchase College (BFA) | years_active = 2010–present | notable_works = ''The Woodsman'', ''Project Hail Mary'' | awards = Obie Award, Drama Desk Award | website = {{URL|jamesortiz.co}} }} '''James Ortiz''' (born February 16, 1984) is an American puppet designer, puppeteer, actor and director working in theater, opera, and film. He won an Obie Award for puppet design for ''The Woodsman'', and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Puppet Design for the 2022 Broadway revival of ''The Skin of Our Teeth''. He voiced and operated the puppet for Rocky in the film ''Project Hail Mary''.
==Early life and education== James Ortiz was born on February 16, 1984,<ref>{{cite Instagram |postid=C3bXUibN9M7 |title=Big birthday today |last=Ortiz |first=James |user=jortface |date=February 16, 2024 |accessdate=April 28, 2026 |archiveurl=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/gm5zN |archivedate=April 28, 2026 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="lch22">{{cite news |last=Collins-Hughes |first=Laura |title=She'll Have You at Moo: Milky White and the Power of Puppetry |work=The New York Times |department=Theater |date=June 29, 2022 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/theater/into-the-woods-cow-milky-white.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 25, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231125422/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/theater/into-the-woods-cow-milky-white.html |archive-date=December 31, 2022 |url-status=live |quote=Ortiz, 38, grew up in Dallas...}}</ref> in Albany, New York, of Puerto Rican ancestry,<ref name="Latin Times">{{Cite web |last=Civita |first=Alicia |date=March 23, 2026 |title=EXCLUSIVE: James Ortiz Says He Built Rocky in 'Project Hail Mary' With Body Language, Trauma, and 'Latina Mom' and Italian Nonna Energy |url=https://www.latintimes.com/exclusive-james-ortiz-says-he-built-rocky-project-hail-mary-body-language-trauma-latina-595964 |access-date=March 25, 2026 |website=Latin Times |language=en}}</ref> and grew up in Richardson, Texas.<ref name="amth20">{{cite magazine |last1=Durham |first1=Alex |last2=Meredith |first2=Caroline |title=6 Theatre Workers You Should Know |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2020/05/07/6-theatre-workers-you-should-know-40/ |access-date=March 22, 2026 |magazine=American Theatre |date=May 7, 2020}}</ref> He was introduced to puppetry by a touring marionette group. He built puppets in high school. He attended Collin County Community College,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Churnin |first1=Nancy |title=With puppets and songs, the Dallas Theater Center prepares an all-new Robin Hood |url=https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/performing-arts/2017/06/26/with-puppets-and-songs-the-dallas-theater-center-prepares-an-all-new-robin-hood/|access-date=March 23, 2026 |work=The Dallas Morning News |date=June 26, 2017}}</ref> where he designed puppets for a production of ''The Rocky Horror Show'' called ''The Rocky Horror (Puppet) Show''. He then went to Purchase College, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting in 2010.<ref name="tdf19">{{cite news |last1=Snook |first1=Raven |title=Why 'Hercules' Needs Puppets of Mythic Proportions |url=https://www.tdf.org/on-stage/tdf-stages/why-hercules-needs-puppets-of-mythic-proportions/ |access-date=March 22, 2026 |work=Theatre Development Fund |date=August 22, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=James Ortiz '10 |url=https://www.purchase.edu/live/profiles/1792-james-ortiz-10 |website=www.purchase.edu |access-date=March 25, 2026 |language=en}}</ref>
==Career== thumb|Ortiz performing in ''The Woodsman'' in 2015 In 2010, Ortiz and classmates from the acting conservatory at Purchase College, including Jason Ralph whom he had met at Collin College,<ref>{{cite interview |first=Jason |last=Ralph |title=The Tin Man Takes Shape off-Broadway Q&A |url=https://www.otdowntown.com/news/local-news/the-tin-man-takes-shape-off-broadway-qa-GANP1220141230141239974 |access-date=March 24, 2026 |work=Our Town Downtown |date=December 19, 2014}}</ref> founded the theater group Strangemen and Company.<ref name="Wrappe">{{cite magazine |last1=Wrappe |first1=Megan |title='The Woodsman' Gives the Tin Man a Backstory (and a Heart) |magazine=American Theatre |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2015/02/06/james-ortiz-talks-the-puppets-in-his-wizard-of-oz-prequel-the-woodsman/ |access-date=March 22, 2026 |date=February 6, 2015}}</ref> With Strangemen, Ortiz co-conceived and developed the play ''The Woodsman'', based on L. Frank Baum's Tin Woodman, which premiered in 2012 in Brooklyn. He co-directed and performed in the work, playing the title character, Nick Chopper.<ref name="LCH15">{{cite news |last1=Collins-Hughes |first1=Laura |title=Led by a Tender Heart, Before It Is Ripped Out |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/theater/the-woodsman-tells-the-tin-mans-tale.html |access-date=March 23, 2026 |work=The New York Times |date=January 20, 2015}}</ref> ''The Woodsman'' had three off-Broadway runs, in 2014, 2015, and 2016;<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clement |first1=Olivia |title=The Woodsman to Conclude Acclaimed Run |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-woodsman-to-conclude-acclaimed-run-com-385244 |access-date=March 23, 2026 |work=Playbill |date=April 29, 2016}}</ref> Ortiz won an Obie Award for puppet design for the 2016 production.<ref name="Lang2">{{cite news |last1=Lang |first1=Brent |title='Project Hail Mary' Casts Puppeteer and Performer James Ortiz as Rocky |url=https://variety.com/2026/film/news/project-hail-mary-rocky-actor-james-ortiz-ryan-gosling-1236656379/ |access-date=March 23, 2026 |work=Variety |date=February 8, 2026}}</ref>
Ortiz's first job after college was with the British puppet theater Blind Summit and Tectonic Theater Project at the New Victory Theater as a puppeteer in ''El gato con botas (Puss in Boots)''. He has built puppets for Theatre for a New Audience and The New Group. In 2017, he designed the puppets for The Public Theater's Public Works production of ''As You Like It'', which was remounted in 2022. With Public Works, he also designed the puppets for a 2019 production of Disney's ''Hercules''.<ref name="tdf19" />
Ortiz designed the set and puppets for a production of ''Zémire et Azor'' he directed for Opera Saratoga in 2017.<ref name="Goepfert">{{cite news |last1=Goepfert |first1=Bob |title=Bob Goepfert Reviews Opera Saratoga's Production Of "Zemire Et Azor" |url=https://www.wamc.org/arts-culture/2017-07-09/bob-goepfert-reviews-opera-saratogas-production-of-zemire-et-azor |access-date=March 25, 2026 |work=WAMC |date=July 9, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> In 2023, he directed, and designed the puppets and scenery for Leonard Bernstein's ''Candide'' at the Skylight Music Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=Jim |title=Clever staging adds punch to Skylight Music Theatre's new production of 'Candide' |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2023/10/14/candide-skylight-music-theatre-ortiz-optimism/71141237007/ |access-date=March 23, 2026 |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=October 14, 2023}}</ref>
Ortiz won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Puppet Design for the 2022 Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's play ''The Skin of Our Teeth''. In 2022, his puppet designs also appeared on Broadway in a revival of ''Into the Woods''.<ref name="lang1">{{cite news |last1=Lang |first1=Brent |title=Bringing Rocky to Life: How 'Project Hail Mary' Puppeteer James Ortiz Created the Movie's Lovable Alien |url=https://variety.com/2026/film/news/project-hail-mary-rocky-puppeteer-alien-1236694834/ |access-date=March 22, 2026 |work=Variety |date=March 20, 2026}}</ref>
Working with designer Neal Scanlan, Ortiz led a team operating the puppet for the alien character Rocky in the 2026 film ''Project Hail Mary''. During filming, Ortiz recited Rocky's dialogue for actor Ryan Gosling to play against, believing the lines would be replaced by a more famous actor, but directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller kept his performance in the film.<ref name="lang1"/> Rocky has been described as the "breakout star" of the film,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zuckerman |first=Esther |date=2026-03-29 |title=How a Mistake Led to the Breakout Star of ‘Project Hail Mary’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/29/movies/project-hail-mary-rocky-alien-voice.html |access-date=2026-05-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and ''Variety'' has reported that Ortiz's performance will be submitted for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor category.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Clayton |date=2026-04-21 |title=An Oscar for Rocky? ‘Project Hail Mary’ Puppeteer James Ortiz Is Eligible for Best Supporting Actor (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2026/film/awards/project-hail-mary-james-ortiz-oscars-sag-eligible-puppeteer-1236726540/ |access-date=2026-05-16 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>
Ortiz has designed puppets for the Metropolitan Opera, including the 2024 production of John Adams's ''El Niño'',<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zahr |first1=Oussama |title=Review: John Adams's 'El Niño' Arrives at the Met in Lush Glory |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/arts/music/review-john-adams-el-nino-met-opera.html |access-date=March 22, 2026 |work=The New York Times |date=April 24, 2024}}</ref> and the fall 2026 premiere of Missy Mazzoli's ''Lincoln in the Bardo'', adapted from the novel of the same name.<ref name="Lang2"/>
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ortiz, James}} Category:1984 births Category:21st-century American male actors Category:American opera directors Category:American puppeteers Category:Collin College alumni Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Living people Category:Obie Award recipients Category:People from Richardson, Texas Category:Puppet designers Category:Purchase College alumni