James Joseph "Jim" Parsons (born March 24, 1973) is an American actor. Parsons is best known for playing the role of Sheldon Cooper in the television series, "The Big Bang Theory". In 2010, he won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actor In a Comedy Series" and in 2011, he won a Golden Globe Award for "Best Actor - Television Series - Musical or Comedy". Both of these awards were given to him for his role in The Big Bang Theory.