Nephew of Brian Kelly .Graduated from Northwestern University in 1990 with a BS in Theater.D'Arcy is his middle name and his dad's brother, artist John d'Arcy James', middle name. Everyone called him d'Arcy. He added d'Arcy when he joined Actors Equity (there was already an actor named Brian James). For a while he was Brian d. James, but they wouldn't let that happen so instead of changing his name he used his full name.Has a younger brother Andrew and a younger sister Kate who is acting in Chicago. Older sister, Anne, is on the Speech and Theatre faculty at New Trier High School.His father, a lawyer, died in 1990 at the age of 50. His mother Mary sells children's books from her own company.Was nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Musical) for "Sweet Smell of Success."Nominated for the 2009 Tony Award for Best Performance for a Leading Actor in a Musical for Musical "Shrek - The Musical".