Early life

James was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. His parents are Afro-Trinidadian. He lived in South London and attended school at Ernest Bevin College. James' mother, Phyllis Mary James, died when he was 10, after which he and his brother, Kester James, chose to live in a children's home instead of being sent to the United States to reside with a relative. James remained in foster care for eight years.

James aspired to be a professional rugby player as a teen, and was introduced to acting after following a girl he was interested in to an audition for a play. James attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1988. While there he helped run a campaign against the school's plan to expel another student, which he has said is the bravest thing he's ever done. "That involved being taken in front of the head and threatening to boycott a big event for the Lord Mayor, even though the head said it would mean they would throw me out," James said in 2015. He was once employed by the British government's social security office.

Career

James has appeared in more than 20 films, including Les Misérables (1998), Snatch (2000), 24 Hour Party People (2002), Sahara (2005), and Outlaw (2007). He starred in the 2010 film Tic and appeared in the action film Colombiana (2011) and the sci-fi film Lockout (2012).

On television, James appeared in the short-lived Channel 4 prison drama Buried (2003), the BBC terrorism drama The State Within (2006), the BBC spy drama Spooks (2002-2011), and he starred as Robert Hawkins in the CBS post-apocalyptic drama series Jericho (2006). James appeared in a Channel 4 television drama Fallout (2008), playing the role of a detective alongside another detective solving a teen-related murder. He also appeared in an episode of Lie to Me, as well as the AMC/ITV miniseries The Prisoner (which aired in November 2009). He appeared in HBO's comedy series Hung as a pimp.

James appeared in episodes of the 2010 TV series Human Target as the assassin Baptiste. In 2012, he received critical acclaim for his appearance as DCI Tony Gates in BBC Two's Line of Duty, created by Jed Mercurio.

In 2010, he guest-starred as Morgan Jones in the pilot episode of the AMC series The Walking Dead, titled "Days Gone Bye". In 2013, he reprised his role as Morgan Jones in an episode of the third season of The Walking Dead titled "Clear." On 12 October 2014, James made his return to the show in a post-credit scene at the end of the fifth season premiere and appeared again in a single scene at the end of the mid-season finale on 30 November 2014. He returned for the fifth season finale and played a significant role in the episode. Despite his few appearances on the show, James has received significant recognition for his portrayal of Morgan from critics and fans, including being stopped by a policeman who wanted to talk to him about the show. He returned as a main cast member in the show's sixth season.

On 29 March 2015, James' character was featured throughout the fifth season finale. The actor's post-show appearance on the Talking Dead—in which he did not speak with an American accent—caused the hashtag #morganisbritish to trend on Twitter.

James stars as Dr. Boyle on the medical drama Critical, also created by Mercurio, which debuted on Sky 1 in February 2015. He spent nearly a year away from his home in Los Angeles to film the series. Each episode takes place in "real time," with the medical staff having to save a life in an hour. James spent a week shadowing doctors at a London hospital to prepare for the role.

James said his favorite television show of all time is the 1980s police drama Hill Street Blues, telling the Daily Express, "It’s the one that spawned every other show. It’s the Muhammad Ali or Pelé of television shows."

James wrote the autobiographical TV film, Storm Damage in 2000, which was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series. Storm Damage depicts a teacher who tries to go back to the foster home he left and help the teenagers there, as James did. He also wrote the play The Sons of Charlie Paora, which opened at London's Royal Court Theatre in 2004 and was well received.

Personal life

James lives in Los Angeles, California with Giselle Glasman, his longtime partner. They have three daughters together: Romy (born 1990) and twins Celine and Georgia (born 1994). The twins are currently attending Ivy League universities. He is the main cook for his family and has professed a fondness for Caribbean cuisine. He is a fan of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

James is among the celebrities who have penned an open "letter to my younger self" for The Big Issue magazine. In his letter in March 2015, he wrote about the pain of losing his mother at a young age. "It hit me quite strongly. It had just been the three of us: my brother, my mum and me. Everything changed when the terrible thing happened. It had a profound, fundamental effect on me. One disappointment is that I never knew my mum as an adult," he wrote.

James also works as a mentor to black inner-city kids, and says he rejects the importance people attach to fame and celebrity. "Boys and men in our community need to be aware of the guy who gets up every morning and goes to the job that he doesn't necessarily love, in order to support his family. They are the heroes my community need to celebrate," he said.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1995	Fathers, Sons and Unholy Ghosts	Martin	Short film
1997	The Perfect Blue	Danny
1998	Lost in Space	Jeb Walker
1998	Les Misérables	Enjolras
1998	Among Giants	Shovel
1999	Elephant Juice	Graham
2000	The Announcement	Richard
2000	The Miracle Maker	Tribune	Voice
2000	Snatch	Sol
2001	Lucky Break	Rudy "Rud" Guscott Hardy in Show
2001	The Martins	Police Constable Alex
2002	24 Hour Party People	Alan Erasmus
2003	Without You	James	Short film
2004	Frances Tuesday	Trent
2005	Sahara	Brigadier General Zateb Kazim
2007	Outlaw	Cedric Munroe
2010	Mob Rules	C-Note	Method Fest Award for Best Ensemble Cast
2010	The Next Three Days	Lieutenant Nabulsi
2011	Colombiana	Special Agent James Ross
2012	Lockout	Harry Shaw
2014	Swelter	Bishop
2014	Get on Up	Joseph "Joe" James

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	Screenplay		Writer Episode: "Between the Craks"
1990	The Bill		Writer Episode: "Burnside Knew My Father"
1990	Chilling Out	Himself	Part of the Everyman (TV series), a BBC television documentary series concerned with moral and religious issues
1991	The Orchid House	Baptist	3 episodes
1992	Civvies	Cliff Morgan	6 episodes
1993	Comics	Delroy Smith	Television film
1994	A Touch of Frost	DC Carl Tanner	Episode: "A Minority of One"
1994	Love Hurts	Steve	Episode: "Parent Trap"
1995-1996	Out of the Blue	DC Bruce Hannaford	12 episodes
1998	Cold Feet	Kris Bumstead	3 episodes
1998	Undercover Heart	Matt Lomas	5 episodes
1999	Shockers: Deja Vu	Mark	Television film
2000	Storm Damage	Bonaface	Television film; also writer Nominated-BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama
2003	Buried	Lee Kingley	8 episodes
2004	Family Business	Roy Tobelem	Episode: "#1.1"
2004	Stealing Lives	Narrator	Television film
2005	ShakespeaRe-Told	Oberon	Episode: "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
2005	Born with Two Mothers	Errol Bridges	Television film
2006-2008	Jericho	Robert Hawkins	29 episodes
2006	Spooks	David Newman	Episode: "Agenda"
2006	The State Within	Luke Gardner	4 episodes
2006	The Family Man	Paul Jessop	Television film
2008	Fallout	DS Joe Stephens	Television film
2009	Lie to Me	Terry "Tel" Marsh	Episode: "Grievous Bodily Harm"
2009	Three Rivers	Dr. Maguire	Episode: "Alone Together"
2009	The Prisoner	147	6 episodes
2009	U.S. Attorney	Eric King	Pilot
2010	Human Target	Baptiste	3 episodes
2010-2011	Hung	Charlie	14 episodes
2010-present	The Walking Dead	Morgan Jones	Seasons 1-5 (recurring role; 5 episodes) Season 6 (main role; 11 episodes)
2012	Line of Duty	DCI Tony Gates	5 episodes
2013	Low Winter Sun	Joe Geddes	10 episodes
2013	Run	Richard	2 episodes
2015	Critical	Glen Boyle	13 episodes

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	Destiny	Lord Shaxx	Voice

Stage

Year	Title	Notes
2004	The Sons of Charlie Paora	Writer

[ Source: Wikipedia ]