Ami James biography

Name : Ami James

Born : April 6, 1972 (age 39) Israel

Nationality : Israeli

Occupation : Tattoo artist, Entrepreneur, Clothing, Television personality

Ami James was born on April 6, 1972 in Israel. He has been a resident of Miami since he was 12 years old, and although most of his relatives are still back in Israel, he has found a second family in his friends in America. Before achieving his popularity as a tattoo artist, James was in the Israel Defense Forces. It was only at the age of 20 that James started focusing on his amazing gift. His artistic skills do not end at tattoo art, as he has also designed cellular phone models for Motorola. He is the co-owner of Deville USA and Miami Ink, a tattoo shop in Miami, Florida, which has become the center of the new TLC reality television series with the same name.

James moved to the United States aged 11 or 12, living with his father's parents before moving to Miami at the age of 12. He moved back to Israel in his teens and completed his military service in the Israel Defense Force as a sniper. At the age of 15 he got his first tattoo, an experience which made him determined to become a tattoo artist himself. In 1992, he started his apprenticeship with tattoo artist Lou at Tattoos By Lou. He is the co-owner (with Chris Núñez) of the Miami Beach, Florida tattoo parlor Love Hate Tattoos, the subject of the TLC reality television program, Miami Ink. James also co-owns the DeVille clothing company with Núñez and Jesse Fleet, and the Miami nightclub Love Hate Lounge, with Núñez and two other close friends. He has also created designs for Motorola's RAZR V3 mobile phones. His now ex-wife, Jordan, gave birth to their only child, Shayli Haylen James on August 3, 2008. James has also recently invested in a jewelry line, Love Hate Choppers Jewelry, with Boston jeweler Larry Weymouth.

In 1996 he lived for a few months in Denmark, where he did tattoos. Nyhavn.

He revealed on his blog that he was moving to New York and that his new show NY Ink planned to begin filming in March 2011. The show premiered on June 2, 2011. He has also recently revealed that the new show has been picked to produce a second season, which premieres in December.