Jamie Hyneman

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James Hyneman

Born September 25, 1956 (1956-09-25) (age 51)
Flag of the United States Marshall, Michigan, United States
Occupation MythBusters co-host, M5 Industries CEO

James Earl Hyneman (born September 25, 1956), known as Jamie Hyneman, is an American visual effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the founder of M5 Industries, a special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed. He is also known in the BattleBots circles for his robot entry, Blendo, which, for a time, was deemed too dangerous for entry into the competition.

A distinctive part of his appearance is his dark beret and white lab shirt. This, along with his walrus-style moustache and deep voice, are occasional subjects for light-hearted jokes by co-host Adam Savage and other team members. A sign hanging in his workshop reads "Clean Up or Die", visible in several episodes, expresses his desire to keep things clean and tidy around the shop. He is known for his calm, logical, no-nonsense demeanor, in contrast to Adam's unhinged, and sometimes juvenile behavior. Hyneman is often exasperated by Adam's antics and he sometimes squabbles with him on how to go about busting myths. The two often have completely different ideas for carrying out experiments and building devices. Jamie's ideas tend to be more simplified, and he has been heard saying "keep it as simple as possible" and "more grunt, less elegance." This has led to competitions between the two presenters when faced with testing some myths, such as testing the Goldfish Memory myth.

Born in Marshall, Michigan, but raised in Columbus, Indiana, Hyneman earned a degree in Russian language and literature. A variety of careers fill his resumé, including scuba diver, wilderness survival expert, boat captain, linguist, pet shop owner, animal wrangler, machinist, concrete inspector, and chef. He apparently has a mild case of acrophobia (fear of heights), as mentioned in the "Hammer Drop" myth segment. Hyneman identifies strongly with skeptics and atheists.[1]

His notable achievements in commercials include the can-spitting soda machine from the 7 Up commercials, and his patented two-wheeled football shoe from NikeLab commercials.[2]

[edit] Film appearance

The two army-junk sellers in The Darwin Awards are portrayed by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman. They appear during the story of the rocket-car, which they effectively reproduced in the show's pilot episode. [3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ On December 12, 2006, in an interview on Skepticality, the official podcast of Skeptic Magazine, Hyneman said, "[A]ctually I'm pretty adamant about, you know, the whole God thing and it seems that skeptics are by and large atheists or something approaching that, which I strongly identify with. So it turned out to be a good thing and I have become enthusiastically part of it."
  2. ^ United States Patent 6,458,008 Remote Control Device with Gyroscopic Stabilization and Directional Control, issued to Jamie Hyneman Oct. 1, 2002
  3. ^ IMDB entry for The Darwin Awards

[edit] External links

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Persondata
NAME Hyneman, Jamie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American visual effects expert, MythBusters co-host
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Marshall, Michigan, United States
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH