James Roday Rodriguez

James Roday Rodriguez (born James David Rodriguez on April 4, 1976) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He gained fame for his role as hyper-observant consultant detective and fake psychic Shawn Spencer on the USA Network series Psych. Rodriguez also starred as Javier 'Gary' Mendez in the television series A Million Little Things, which premiered in 2018. Born in San Antonio, Texas, Rodriguez attended Taft High School before studying theatre at New York University's Experimental Theatre Wing, where he earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts. He adopted the professional name James Roday at the age of 22. Rodriguez's father is of Mexican descent, and his mother has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry.