Who is James Frain?
James Dominic Frain was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, on 14 March 1968 – his zodiac sign’s Pisces, and he holds British nationality. He’s an actor with close to 100 credits to his name, perhaps still known best for his portrayal of Thomas Cromwell, one of the lead characters in the critically acclaimed historical series “The Tudors”, created by Michael Hirst, and which starred Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill and Anthony Brophy. It follows the life of King Henry VIII, especially his marriages; the series aired from 2007 to 2010, and won 55 awards, including six Primetime Emmys, while it was nominated for 82 other awards.
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Early life and education
James was raised in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, England, alongside his seven younger siblings, by their father who was a stockbroker, and their mother who was a teacher; not a lot else is known about his family, as he respects their privacy.
He became interested in acting while attending Newport Free Grammar School, appearing in numerous plays performed both at the school and a local theatre; James was into a couple of other activities during his four years there, including playing soccer with his peers and taking guitar lessons.
Upon matriculating in 1986, he enrolled at University of East Anglia in Norwich, England from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and film in 1990.
Roles in TV series
James made his debut TV series appearance in the 1993 episode “Disintegration” of the drama “Soldier Soldier”, and the following years saw him appear in an episode or two of various series, such as the mystery crime mini-series “Prime Suspect 3”, the historical adventure drama “The Buccaneers”, and the fantasy crime comedy “Tales from the Crypt”.
He gained recognition in 2005, when cast to play Paul Raines in 10 episodes of the critically acclaimed action crime drama “24”, created by Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow, and which starred Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub and Carlos Bernard. It follows counter terrorism agent Jack Bauer, as he’s trying to prevent terrorists from destroying his homeland; the series aired from 2001 to 2010 and won 94 awards, including 20 Primetime Emmys, while it was nominated for 207 other awards.
Some of James’ notable performances in the remainder of the 2000s were in the historical action mini-series “Empire”, the mystery horror drama “Invasion”, and the science fiction mystery drama “Fringe”.
In 2011, he portrayed Peter Fleming in the action drama “The Cape”, created by Tom Wheeler, and which starred David Lyons, Keith David and Summer Glau. It tells the story of a police officer who’s been framed for murder, and has now become the superhero The Cape; the series was nominated for two awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special.
James is also known for his portrayal of both Theo Galavan and Azrael in the action crime drama “Gotham”, created by Bruno Heller, and which starred Ben McKenzie, Jada Pinkett Smith and Donal Logue. It follows the life of detective James Gordon prior to Batman’s arrival in Gotham City; the series aired from 2014 to 2019, and won eight of the 70 awards for which it was nominated.
Three of James’ most recent roles in TV series have been in seven episodes of the 2019 mystery crime drama “Elementary”, the 2020 episode “Witches” of the fantasy horror comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” (voice role), and all the five episodes of the 2021 mystery crime mini-series “Showtrial”.
Roles in movies
James made his debut film appearance in the popular 1993 biographical romantic drama “Shadowlands”, directed by Richard Attenborough, and which starred Anthony Hopkins, Debra Winger and Julian Fellowes. It follows the life of famous Christian theologian and professor Clive Staples Levis, and the movie won seven of the 23 awards for which it was nominated, including two Oscar nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Debra Winger) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.
A couple of James’ following notable performances were in the romantic comedy drama “An Awfully Big Adventure”, the drama “Nothing Personal”, and the crime drama “Devil’s Advocate”, all released in 1995.
The year 2000 saw him play Forney Hull in the romantic comedy drama “Where the Heart Is”, directed by Matt Williams, and which starred Natalie Portman, James Frain and Ashley Judd. It follows a 17 years old girl who’s been abandoned by her boyfriend now that she’s become pregnant; the movie won one of the three awards for which it was nominated.
James appeared in a couple of critically acclaimed movies in the 2000s, such as the 2002 action adventure drama “The Count of Monte Cristo”, the 2005 action crime adventure “Into the Blue”, and the 2008 romantic mystery drama “Quid Pro Quo”.
He played Jarvis in the 2010 action science fiction adventure “TRON: Legacy”, directed by Joseph Kosinski, and which starred Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. The movie follows a boy who’s entered his father’s digital world and has found his corrupted creation; it won 10 of the 62 awards for which it was nominated, including an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Sound Editing.
Three of James’ most recent film roles have been in the 2016 comedy drama “The Architect”, the 2019 thriller “Headlock”, and the 2021 action adventure horror “Escape Room: Tournament of Champions”.
Other credits
James has been featured in a couple of documentaries, such as the 2000 video “The Making of ‘Titus’”, the 2003 mini-series “Royal Deaths and Diseases”, and the 2009 movie “Los Tudor: Rodaran Cabezas”.
He voiced Zuse in the 2010 video game “Tron: Evolution”, and Oliver Hamms in the 2021 video game “Call of Duty: Vanguard”.
James has made a guest appearance in many talk-shows, most recently in “Backstage with the Anglophile”, “That’s My Entertainment”, and “The Ready Room”.
Awards and nominations
James was nominated for a 2000 Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, for “Sunshine”.
Love life and wife
James prefers to keep the details of his love life away from the media’s attention, although it’s still widely known that he’s today a married man, as well as a father of two.
He exchanged vows with American actress, producer and director Marta Cunningham on 11 July 2004, in a large ceremony attended by many of their friends and family members; Marta’s perhaps known best for the movies and TV series which she’s directed, especially for the romantic comedy series “Insecure”, which aired from 2016 to 2021, and another romantic comedy series “Modern Love”, which has been airing since 2019.
James and Marta have two children together, but are keeping them away from the media’s attention, wanting the children to be able to lead normal lives.
James hasn’t mentioned any other women whom he’s perhaps been with, and as of September 2022, he’s married to Marta Cunningham, and they have two children together.
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Hobbies and other interests
James is a huge fan of various kinds of art, and is also an amateur artist; some of his artwork (paintings and photographs) can be seen featured in his Instagram pictures and videos. He’s more or less active on the network, as he’s uploaded close to 100 pictures and videos, while he’s today followed by over 5,000 people.
James enjoys spending his spare time in nature, whether it’s high up in the mountains, close to bodies of water, or deep in the woods.
He’s physically active, mostly because it’s important for his acting career to stay in shape; James has a couple of training sessions at the gym every week, thus his muscular body.
He has his own favorite actors and actresses, some of whom are Daniel Day-Lewis, Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet, while a couple of his favorite films are “The Last of the Mohicans”, “Leon: The Professional”, and “V for Vendetta”.
Age, height and net worth
James’ age is 54. He has short brown hair and brown eyes, his height is 6ft (1.83m) and he weighs around 165lbs (75kgs).
As of September 2022, his net worth’s been estimated at over $3 million.
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