Having the Last Laugh : After a Rough Stretch, Jim J. Bullock Is Back at Work and Has Managed Not to Lose His Sense of Humor

Forgive Jim J. Bullock if he doesn’t apologize for shouting to the world that he’s 40 and gay.

When you’ve lost as many things in your life as Bullock, including money, self-esteem and countless friends, being honest is an easy challenge.

“There might have been a time when I would have carefully watched what I said or what I did, but that day has long passed,” said Bullock, a comedy actor best known for his portrayal of the nerdy character Monroe Ficus on the television sitcom “Too Close for Comfort” in the 1980s. “I’ve been through too much to act like somebody I’m not.”

When the program was being put together for the play “End of the World Party,” which Bullock is currently starring in at the Celebration Theatre in Hollywood, director Bob Schrock couldn’t believe the bio sketch his lead actor turned in.

Bullock nixed listing his credits and accomplishments--including an about-to-air TV talk show he is co-hosting with Tammy Faye Baker--opting instead for the simplified “I’m 40. I’m queer. I’m here. Thank God.”

Strangers may think Bullock is being arrogant or looking for attention with such a statement, but friends know otherwise. They know it’s nothing more than a way to laugh off what has been a difficult period.

After his six-year run on “Too Close for Comfort,” Bullock became a regular on a new version of the “Hollywood Squares,” hosted by John Davidson. That lasted 2 1/2 years and was followed by a season on “Alf.”

For those 10 years, Bullock was one of Hollywood’s more recognizable faces, with his Texas accent, streaked blond hair and big eyeglasses.

But when Bullock finished his work on “Alf” in 1989, he began a four-year stretch of unemployment. He lost his manager and his agent. His 4,000-square-foot home in the Hollywood Hills went into foreclosure, and he filed for bankruptcy.

“I was surrounded by people who told me I had nothing to worry about,” said Bullock, who studied music and acting at Oklahoma Baptist College. “Everyone kept telling me that I was terrific and that I’d be working for years. I will never trust my whole career in the hands of others again.”

The lack of work drove Bullock into a deep depression. His friends rarely saw him, and when they did his trademark sense of humor was almost nonexistent.

With a few remaining personal possessions, Bullock moved into his boyfriend’s one-bedroom condominium in West Hollywood to start over. He gained 40 pounds and five inches around his waist but didn’t have enough money to buy new clothes, and he was contemplating taking a job as a bartender at a nearby restaurant.

Then in the fall of 1992, Joan Rivers called and asked Bullock to appear on an episode of her talk show that was going to reunite the cast of “Hollywood Squares.” There was a long pause on the other end.

At first, Bullock said no. He didn’t want to face people from happier times. But in the end, he agreed.

When Rivers asked Bullock on the air what he had been up to, he replied: “I’ve been in foreclosure,” and got a big laugh.

Big enough, in fact, to impress talent agency owner Cheri Ingram, who was watching the show and called Bullock the minute he returned to Los Angeles.

“I had heard Jim hadn’t been doing well, but when I saw him on that talk show I could see that he was still the great guy so many people had loved all those years,” Ingram said. “I thought he still had a lot of life in him, and I wanted to be the one to get it out of him.”

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Ingram promised Bullock work within 90 days, but two weeks later she got him a regular role on the syndicated comedy “Boogie’s Diner,” which was produced in Toronto and was a big hit in Canada. In the United States, it aired on the Family Channel.

Bullock left that show last year after securing a deal to host the new syndicated talk show with Tammy Faye that will debut in many markets Dec. 26. In Los Angeles, the station and start date have yet to be determined. The hourlong show is being billed as an alternative to the popular “Regis and Kathie Lee” morning show.

“Yes, I really am working with Tammy Faye,” Bullock says with a smirk. “Everyone thinks it’s a joke, but it’s legitimate. Actually, we’ve been having a blast.”

Despite a busy production schedule, Bullock is earning about $14 a performance portraying the character of Hunter in “End of the World Party,” about six gay men who share a summer party house on Fire Island in New York. The friends find it increasingly difficult to let loose and have fun with AIDS hanging over the house like a storm cloud.

Bullock’s character is the 38-year-old den mother of the group who deflects everything with humor. The part seems tailor-made for a man who likes to tell jokes but has also lost his share of friends to the deadly virus.

Although the play has been extended through January, Bullock will leave this week, when the play goes dark over the holidays, in order to have more time to take care of his boyfriend who’s battling AIDS.

“I had sort of a rough summer, and this play came along at a time when I needed to lift my spirits,” Bullock said. “It isn’t easy being a gay man in the ‘90s, but it’s important not to lose your sense of humor. This play has helped me keep a smile on my face.”

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The play was written by Chuck Ranberg, who earlier this year won an Emmy Award for comedy writing with partner Anne Flett-Giordano for an episode of “Frasier.” Ranberg said the play won’t be the same without Bullock.

“The minute I saw Jim’s audition tape I knew he was perfect for the part,” Ranberg said. “He brings a humor and wit that’s very difficult to find. An even with the things going on in his life, he’s always the one who keeps the rest of the cast up and laughing. I wish we could keep him forever.”

Such words are a comfort to Bullock.

“I’ve been to the bottom, and I know what it feels like,” he said. “I’m grateful to get a second chance because life’s too short to take for granted. Life is certainly not a dress rehearsal.”

* “End of the World Party,” Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.; dark Saturday-Jan. 3; regular schedule Thursday-Sunday, 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 28. Celebration Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 660-8587.