Jim Turner

Jim Turner was in high school at the time of his type 1 diagnosis in 1970. He recounts the story vividly – weeks of dealing with unquenchable thirst, constant urination, and fatigue – running from class to water fountain to bathroom and then back again. It’s his hope that relating his experience to others will help them understand they aren’t alone. According to Jim, dLife is “putting a face on diabetes that’s really diverse and really very different, that people can identify with.”
Best known as ex-football-star-turned-agent Kirby Carlisle on the long-running HBO comedy, ARLI$$, Jim Turner had major roles in two movie comedies – Kicking and Screaming and Bewitched – in 2005. In 2008, he will appear in the Eddie Murphy comedy, Starship Dave.
Jim’s television credits include Zippy the Pinhead, Lucky Louie, The King of Queens, and a number of pilots. He has also made guest appearances on Dharma & Greg, That 70’s Show, Tracey Takes On…, Sliders, Lost on Earth, Grace Under Fire, The Larry Sanders Show, Tom, Roseanne, and The Division.
Regular viewers of dLifeTV know that Jim Turner has a spark for storytelling. Not surprising, considering he’s written and performed in comic theater since the 1970s, starting out as a member of the well-known touring comedy troupe Duck’s Breath Mystery Theater. His one-man comedy credits also include Showbiz Nightmares, Girly Magazine Party, and Two-Headed Dog.
Jim enjoys sharing his personal stories with others who relate: “Everybody that knows me has heard 100 different stories about diabetes – decisions I’ve made, things I’ve done during insulin reactions. Some are really funny and some are really scary. I relish the opportunity to tell those stories.” He’s put those stories together in a one-man show, DIABETES: My Struggles With Jiim Turner.
Los Angeles is home for Jim, his wife, Lynn, and their son, Otto. Each month, Jim answers your questions about living successfully with diabetes.