"[1] Wheaton appeared in their first production, Christopher Fry's "The Boy with a Cart," which premiered at the Vermont Square Methodist Church in Los Angeles on January 11, 1953.

[3] Regarding his staging of The Odd Couple, Los Angeles Times theatre critic Margaret Harford wrote "James Wheaton's slick direction makes the overall production all one could ask.

[6] "With a blend of shock and bruised vanity, Wheaton gives a richly flavored performance" wrote John C. Mahoney in his Los Angeles Times review.

"[7][8] During the late 1960s and 1970s, Wheaton appeared on some of the most popular television programs of the day including Room 222, Kojak, Good Times, and the final episode of Ironside.

Other feature film credits included Black Belt Jones and lastly, Gun Crazy with Drew Barrymore.