James Broderick was born in Charlestown, New Hampshire, the son of Mary Elizabeth (née Martindale) (b. 1896) and James Joseph Broderick II (or Jr.) (1895-1959). He was raised Catholic. His father, a highly decorated World War I combat medic, was of Irish descent, and his mother was of English and Irish ancestry. In 1947, after having served in the armed forces in World War II, Broderick, a junior pre-med student, auditioned for a part in the University of New Hampshire production of George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man. Faculty advisor to the student drama club, Mask and Dagger, (and director) J. “Joe” Donald Batcheller was impressed and gave him the role of Bluntchili, an anti-romantic Swiss soldier. Batcheller said, “You could tell from the beginning that he was an exceptional individual. He displayed an unusual ability to get along with people. He was kind, sensitive, imaginative, and had a good sense of humor. He also had an Irish mug if I ever saw one.” Although Batcheller did not often encourage the students to pursue acting as a career, he was so sure of Broderick’s talent that he suggested a trip to New York to meet Batcheller’s friend Arthur Kennedy, who was well known in the acting field. Broderick took his advice and Kennedy subsequently directed him to the Neighborhood Playhouse, where he gained the necessary experience and training for a successful acting career in both movies and TV.

James Broderick played the father on the television show Family from 1976 to 1980, receiving an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1978. His notable film roles include Ray Brock, the complex father figure of a New England commune in Alice’s Restaurant (1969), the subway motorman in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), FBI agent Sheldon in Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Joe in the Paul Newman directed version of The Shadow Box (1980). James Broderick died of cancer on November 1, 1982. He was married until his death to playwright and painter Patricia Broderick. He was the father of actor Matthew Broderick[4] who named his first child after his father.