Man of the House: James Denton

The hunk from Housewives confesses he's a caveman at heart

By Kate Coyne

By Mathew Imaging/
Desperate Housewives hunk James Denton

Special Offers

He's the man every woman wishes would crawl under her sink. And it turns out James Denton, who plays steamy plumber Mike Delfino on the hit series Desperate Housewives, knows what to do with his hands off the set, too. Denton, 45, is not only an actor but a carpenter and the landlord of several rental properties. "I like to keep busy," he explains. "During the writer's strike, I remodeled our kitchen." Even without a home-improvement project, having two kids — son Shep, 5, and daughter Malin, 3 — with wife Erin keeps him on his toes. "My family is always on the move, always up to something," he says.

Q: Do your son and daughter get along?
Most of the time. I think it's been good for my son to learn that the universe doesn't revolve around him. They're very different personalities — she's actually tougher, stronger, and more athletic, while he is quieter and loves to read. She'd much rather be outside in the dirt. But most of the time, they're joined at the hip, which frustrates Shep because she doesn't move quite as quickly as he does yet.

Q: With two kids, how do you and your wife find time to be alone together?
I've found it's not that much different than if you have one kid. No matter how many you have, you've got to call in reinforcements if you want to have some quality time with your wife. Luckily, we've been able to do that.

Q: What's the secret of a good marriage?
This might sound a little strange, but my wife is from midwestern stock, and she's not big on sitting and talking about her feelings. It's great when you can find that, because most guys — myself included — aren't really into overanalyzing things. Sharing my emotions doesn't come naturally to me, and she had that same keep-your-feelings-to-yourself upbringing. Don't get me wrong: We talk about things that are important, but we're not having those "here's how I feel about everything" conversations at 1 a.m. that I've had to endure in other relationships. I sound like a total caveman.

Q: Not quite. So, when you do let it all out, is it a huge explosion?
Actually, no! We don't fight, ever — and it's not because we refuse to. We're just on the same wavelength, so we say what's on our minds and move on. I do have a horrible temper, but it's usually in the garage, when I've done something stupid when I'm trying to build something.

Q: You build quite a lot — is there anything you wouldn't tackle?
My weakness is probably electrical stuff. I hire that out, because if doing it myself can kill me, I'll pay a professional. But anything with wood, drywall, framing, flooring, tile — I'm good at that. My plumbing work isn't so bad that anyone would drown. I always have a project going on, between my rental properties and stuff at home. I love building decks and refinishing floors. No matter where you go, there's always a room that needs a new floor.

This Is A Developing Story

Latest Stories


Special Offers