Unlike his portrayal of the genius prodigy Sheldon Cooper in the popular CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons is not a Star Trek geek and has not even watched a single episode of the film franchise. While his portrayal of Sheldon Cooper continues to be his most prominent performance, Parsons has been a part of other television shows, movies, and stage shows. He has also worked a voice artist on a number of TV shows and the 2015 animated science-fiction buddy comedy Home.

The award-winning actor is also actively involved with helping the homeless take control of their lives by being associated with the magazine The Big Issue, while he also works towards raising funds for the treatment and well-being of cancer patients.

Early Life
Parsons’ father Milton Joseph Parsons used to head a plumbing company while his mother Judy Ann was a teacher. His sister, Julie Ann Parsons, is also a teacher, like their mother. Although Parsons was born in Houston, Texas, in 2001, he spent most of his childhood in Spring where he attended the Klein Oak High School. At the age of six, Parsons played a rather small role of the Kolokolo bird in his school’s production, The Elephant’s Child, which sparked Parsons’ interest in acting at a very young age.

Upon completing his schooling, Parsons, determined to become an actor, enrolled himself at the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance for an undergraduate degree. During his three years at the university, Parsons appeared in as many as seventeen stage shows and was regularly a part of the Houston-based theater company Infernal Bridegroom Productions’ plays. He also was seen in Stages Repertory Theatre’s productions in those three years.

After having gained substantial amount of exposure and stage experience, Parsons went on to study classical theater at the University of San Diego under the guidance of course director Rick Seer. He was one of the mere seven people to have been selected for the two-year program to train in partnership with the Old Globe Theater. He graduated in 2001 and in the same year, his father passed away in a car crash.

Personal Life
Openly gay, Jim Parsons started dating art director Todd Spiewak in 2002. The two have since then been together and celebrated their 14th anniversary of being together in 2016, with Parsons sharing a heartfelt post for his partner on his Instagram account, calling him the best thing that has ever happened to him. The following year, in 2017, the two tied the knot in New York City.

Theater Career
Having a keen interest in acting since the age of six, Parsons went on to receive formal training at the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance, and the University of San Diego. While attaining his training, he became a part of Infernal Bridegroom Productions, with which he was seen in eighteen plays, making his first stage appearance in 1995 with the play Endgame. He continued his association with Infernal Bridegroom Productions for five years and was a part of their productions such as Eddie Goes to Poetry City, Jack, The Future is in Eggs, The Cherry Orchard, Camino Real, and The Threepenny Opera.

Apart from Infernal Bridegroom Productions, Parsons was also a regular at the Stages Repertory Theatre. During his association with theater company, Parsons was seen in the plays Pitchfork Disney, Below the Belt, and Chili Queen. Parsons subsequently pursued his television and movie career but continued to remain an active part of theater and was a part of The Normal Heart in 2011, and Studio 54’s Harvey in 2012 and An Act of God in 2015.

Television Career
Making his television debut in 2002, Parsons appeared in a single episode of NBC’s comedy-drama Ed. He then portrayed the role of Rob Holbrook in the American drama series Judging Amy in its sixth season, appearing in seven episodes. However, what is considered to be his most renowned and globally acclaimed performance is his portrayal of genius brainchild and theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Appearing in all the ten seasons of the show as of 2017, Parsons’ performance in the sitcom has won him innumerable awards such as the Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award, Teen Choice Award, and People’s Choice Award among various other nominations across the years.

Following his successful stint with the sitcom, Parsons lent his voice to several television characters such as Draven from Glenn Martin, DDS, Milton Feltwaddle from Pound Puppies in 2011, and Larry Wilder from Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil in 2012 to name a few.

Movie Career
Parsons made his movie debut in 2004 with the French romantic comedy-drama Happy End. Parsons appeared in mainly small and supporting roles in the movies following his debut such as the 2004 Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard-starrer Garden State, in the 2005 multi-starrer romantic drama Heights, and was also seen playing the role of a receptionist in the 2006 comedy-drama 10 Items or Less to name a few. Parsons also played the human version of Walter, the newest Muppet to be introduced to The Muppets in 2011.

However, his most significant performance came with his voice role in the 2015 animated science-fiction buddy comedy Home, where he voiced for the lead character of Oh, a Boov fugitive. Although the movie opened to fairly average reviews, Parsons’ performance was received with immense praise from critics with him winning the Kids’ Choice Award nomination for Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie. Playing the role of Dr. Mathison, Parsons was seen in the 2016 supernatural horror movie Visions, co-starring Isla Fisher, Anson Mount, and Gillian Jacobs. Cast alongside Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe, Parsons was seen in the biographical drama film Hidden Figures, which was not only declared a box-office hit but was also extremely well-received by the critics.