Biography
James is a British actor splitting his time between Los Angeles and London, recognized for his commanding screen presence and adaptability across historical, action, and thriller genres. He gained prominence for his role as Blackbeard in Netflix’s The Lost Pirate Kingdom, a performance that solidified his reputation as a powerful lead in epic, character-driven narratives.
In recent years, James has expanded his international profile with notable roles including John the Baptist in FOX Nation’s Jesus: Crown of Thorns and the lead villain Marcus Novak in the Paramount+ action thriller High Ground, starring alongside Jon Voight, Katherine McNamara, and Henry Thomas.
He starred as Joe Regan in the survival thriller Savage Hunt, a physically intense, solo battle for survival set in the Montana wilderness, directed by Roel Reiné. James then played the titular role of Peter in Mauro Borrelli’s The Last Supper, sharing the screen with James Faulkner and Robert Knepper; the film saw a wide Easter 2025 theatrical release on over 2,000 screens across the U.S. and Canada.
Closing out 2024, James portrayed Dismas in Alejandro Monteverde’s biblical epic Zero AD, alongside Deva Cassel, Sam Worthington, Ben Mendelsohn, Gael García Bernal, and Jim Caviezel. He is set to collaborate again with Monteverde this year, continuing their partnership in large-scale, prestigious storytelling. Zero AD is scheduled for an IMAX release in 2026.
Most recently, James featured as a lead in the indie drama Pretty Boy Delaney, starring Jack O’Connell, known for Sinners, and took the lead role of Samuel Thorn in the supernatural film-noir Angels In Darkness, opposite Ron Perlman and Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. Both films are slated for release in 2026.
