Born: June 4, 1971
Age: 53
Birthplace: Hammersmith, London, England
James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones' best friend in Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. He joined the cast of the TV Series Eureka, on Syfy, in 2010.
Callis was born in Hampstead and brought up in London, where he attended St. Martin's Prep School in Northwood and then Harrow School in north-west London. His parents owned a bed-and-breakfast. In a comment to a fansite, Callis repudiated the rumour that he comes from aristocratic roots by saying that he is the descendant of poor immigrants from Russia and Poland.
Callis attended the University of York, graduating in 1993 with a BA in English and Related Literature. He was a member of Derwent College, for which he was an enthusiastic rugby player. At university he was also a keen student actor, director and writer. He was a key member of the University of York Gilbert and Sullivan society and even appeared in productions put on by friends at Cambridge University, including a production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party.
Callis went on to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 1996. In the same year, he was awarded the Jack Tinker Award (Theatre Record Critic of the Year) for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in Old Wicked Songs, a two-hander by Jon Marans, in which he starred alongside Bob Hoskins.
Callis has appeared in various West End productions and television series as well as on radio. He has also been involved in writing and directing. His directorial debut was Beginner's Luck, a co-production of his and writer/director Nick Cohen's Late Night Pictures and Angel Eye Film & TV, starring Julie Delpy, Steven Berkoff and Fenella Fielding. Beginner's Luck was critically panned, but ran for almost three weeks on one print (all the low-budget film could afford) in one cinema in central London, then went on a tour of student cinemas around the U.K. The U.K. distributor was Guerrilla Films. The film is still on the Icon Catalogue.
Callis finished filming his first role in a cinema film, Bridget Jones's Diary, alongside Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant, in the summer of 2000 and between a few further film and TV roles went back on stage in the Soho Theatre in December 2002.
In 2003, Callis played the role of Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries, and continued the role in the regular series that followed. In 2006, Callis won the Best Supporting Actor Saturn Award and an AFI award for his performance as Baltar.
Callis has been married to Neha Callis since December 30, 1998. They have two sons and a daughter, Joshua Amaan (born 2003), Sacha (born 2005) and Anika Jahan (born 2009).
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Weekend Bird | Mike | Short |
1999 | Surety | Ben | Short Directed & produced with Nick Cohen |
2000 | Jason & The Argonauts | Aspyrtes | Television film |
Arabian Nights | Prince Ahmed | Television film | |
2001 | Bridget Jones's Diary | Tom | |
Victoria & Albert | Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Prince Albert's brother) | Television film | |
Beginner's Luck | Mark Feinman | Callis also wrote, co-directed and co-produced this film. | |
2004 | Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason | Tom | |
Dead Cool | Josh | ||
2006 | One Night with the King | Haman, the Agagite | |
2007 | Battlestar Galactica: Razor | Dr. Gaius Baltar | Television film |
2009 | Merlin and the Book of Beasts | Merlin | Television film |
2010 | Reuniting the Rubins | Danny Rubins | |
Meet Pursuit Delange | Pursuit | Short | |
2011 | 17th Precinct | John Bosson | Television film |
2013 | Austenland | Colonel Andrews | |
2015 | House by the Lake | Scott | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | Murder Most Horrid | Mark | Episode: "Confess" |
Soldier Soldier | Maj Tim Forrester | 9 Episodes | |
1997 | A Dance to the Music of Time | Gwinnett | TV Mini-Series, Episode: "Post War" |
1998 | Heat of the Sun | Asst. Supt. Clive Lanyard | TV Mini-Series, Episode: "Private Lives" |
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Guy Curran | Episodes: "The Going Wrong: Part 1", "The Going Wrong: Part 2" and "The Going Wrong: Part 3" | |
1999 | Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll | The Wolf (Justin DeVere Montague) | TV Mini-Series |
The Scarlet Pimpernel | Henri | Episode: "Valentin Gautier" | |
2001 | As If | Sebastian | Episode: "Nicki's POV" |
2002 | Relic Hunter | Raoul | Episode: "Faux Fox" |
2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Gaius Baltar | TV Mini-Series |
Blue Dove | Dominic Pasco | TV Mini-Series | |
2004-2010 | Battlestar Galactica | Dr. Gaius Baltar | 73 Episodes |
2008 | Late Show with David Letterman | Gaius Baltar - Top Ten Presenter (uncredited) | |
2009 | Numb3rs | Mason Duryea | Episode: "Angels and Devils" |
2010 | FlashForward | Gabriel McDow | Episodes: "The Garden of Forking Paths", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Course Correction" and "The Negotiation" |
2010-2012 | Eureka | Dr. Trevor Grant | 10 Episodes |
2011 | Merlin | Borden | Episode: "Aithusa" |
17th Precinct | Jeff Bosson | TV pilot | |
2012 | Midsomer Murders | Toby & Julian DeQuetteville | Episode: "The Dark Rider" |
DCI Banks | Owen Pierce | Episodes: "Innocent Graves - Part 1" and "Innocent Graves - Part 2" | |
2013 | Arrow | The Dodger | Episode: "Dodger" |
Key and Peele | Shakespeare | Episode: "Episode #3.8" | |
2013-2014 | CSI | John Merchiston | Episodes: "Skin in the Game", "The Devil and D.B. Russell" and "Boston Brakes" |
2014 | The Musketeers | Emile Bonnaire | Episode: "Commodities" |
2015 | A.D. The Bible Continues | Herod Antipas | Television miniseries |
2015 | Gallipoli | Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett | Television miniseries |
2015 | Rick and Morty | Pat Gueterman (voice) | Episode: "The Wedding Squanchers" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1997 | Daisy Miller | Winterbourne | |
1999 | HMS Ulysses | Saturday Playhouse (Radio 4) | Aired on 14 June 1997 |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Caper | Doc English | Through Geek and Sundry |