Ask anyone over forty about 1970s television, and one skinny kid with a giant hat usually comes to mind. Jimmie Walker. He was the face of Good Times, the man who made "Dy-no-mite!" a national obsession, and honestly, a guy who hasn't really left the stage since. But time moves fast. One minute you're the teenage J.J. Evans, and the next, people are scrolling their phones wondering how old is Jimmie Walker anyway?
The answer is pretty straightforward, yet it surprises folks because he’s still so active. Jimmie Walker is 78 years old. He was born on June 25, 1947.
Think about that for a second. This is a man who was already a seasoned stand-up comic when Nixon was in the White House. He’s seen the industry change from three-channel antennas to TikTok clips, and he’s still out there grinding. It’s kinda wild. While most people his age are deep into retirement, Jimmie is still booking shows in places like St. Augustine and Las Vegas well into 2026.
The Bronx Kid Who Found His Voice
Jimmie wasn't born a star. He was James Carter Walker Jr., a kid from the South Bronx who basically grew up in the projects. He wasn't even thinking about comedy at first. He was more into basketball, but at six-foot-one and barely 130 pounds, the NBA wasn't exactly banging down his door.
He ended up in a program called SEEK (Search for Education, Evaluation and Knowledge). That’s where things clicked. He started writing for an oral interpretation class and realized he could make people howl. It wasn't a "deep dive" into theory; he just realized he had the gift of gab.
By 1969, he was doing stand-up. Imagine the pressure of those early rooms. He actually opened for a group called The Last Poets—a militant poetry group—which is about as far from a sitcom laugh track as you can get. He survived that for eighteen months. If you can handle a crowd waiting for revolutionary poetry, you can handle anything.
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Why the J.J. Evans Age Gap Confuses Us
Part of the reason people constantly ask about his age is the Good Times effect. On the show, J.J. was the "kid" brother, the high-school-aged artist struggling in the Chicago projects. In reality, Jimmie was already in his late twenties when the show premiered in 1974.
He was 27 playing a teenager.
That’s a classic Hollywood trick, but Jimmie pulled it off so well that in our collective memory, he's frozen as a nineteen-year-old. When we see him today—still thin, still wearing that signature grin—it creates this weird mental friction. We expect him to be sixty, maybe sixty-five. But the math doesn't lie. Born in '47 means he’s knocking on the door of 80.
Still on the Road in 2026
Honestly, the most impressive thing isn't the number on his driver's license. It's the tour schedule. Most celebrities of his era do the occasional "evening with" nostalgia talk. Jimmie? He’s still doing the "35 to 45 weeks a year" road warrior life.
Look at his 2026 calendar. He’s got dates booked in St. Augustine, Florida, and appearances at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in Vegas. He’s outlived many of his peers and, frankly, he’s outworked most of them too. He doesn't have a wife or kids—something he’s been very open about in interviews—so the road is basically his family.
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He’s even dealt with some weird internet rumors lately. If you search for him, you might stumble across an obituary for a "Jimmie Walker" from Alabama who passed away in early 2025 at age 89. That's not him. Different guy, different life. Our Jimmie is very much alive, very much 78, and still telling jokes.
The Legacy of a "Comedian of the Decade"
Back in the day, Time Magazine named him the "Comedian of the Decade" for the 1970s. People forget how massive he was. He wasn't just a sitcom actor; he was a gatekeeper for the next generation. His writing staff in the early years included names you might recognize:
- David Letterman
- Jay Leno
- Byron Allen
He saw the talent in those guys before anyone else did. He was the one signing their checks. That tells you he wasn't just a guy with a catchphrase; he was a sharp-eyed professional who understood the mechanics of a joke.
Don't Mistake Him for the Golfer
Just a quick heads-up for the sports fans: if you’re looking up stats and see a Jimmy Walker winning the PGA Championship, that’s a different person. That Jimmy Walker is a pro golfer in his late 40s. It’s an easy mix-up if you’re just skimming headlines, but the "Dy-no-mite" Jimmie doesn't spend his time on the fairway—he spends it in the comedy clubs.
What Jimmie Walker's Age Tells Us About Longevity
There's a lesson in Jimmie's career. He never really stopped. When Good Times ended in 1979, he didn't disappear into a cloud of 70s nostalgia. He did B.A.D. Cats, he did At Ease, he did The Love Boat (multiple times, playing different characters). He even popped up on Scrubs and Everybody Hates Chris.
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He’s a survivor. He’s lived through the "has-been" labels and came out the other side as a "legend."
If you’re looking to catch a glimpse of that 1970s magic, you don't have to look at old YouTube clips. You can literally just buy a ticket. Seeing a 78-year-old man command a stage for 90 minutes is a masterclass in craft. It’s not about being "old"; it’s about being experienced.
If you want to stay updated on where he's heading next or verify tour dates for the rest of 2026, your best bet is checking his official site or major ticket hubs like Eventbrite. He’s proof that as long as you can make 'em laugh, the calendar is just a suggestion.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your local comedy club listings for his 2026 tour stops, especially if you're in Florida or Nevada, as he frequently headlines these regions. If you want the full story behind the catchphrase, his 2012 autobiography Dynomite!: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times offers the most accurate first-hand account of his rise from the Bronx.