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James Spader: Biography, Facts and Career

Who is James Spader? An evergreen, sourced profile: biography, key facts and career.

By the Pop Culture Files editorial team4 min read✓ Fact-checked
James Spader
Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

James Todd Spader ( SPAY-dər; born February 7, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for often portraying morally ambiguous and eccentric characters. His accolades include three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor, and nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and ten Screen Actors Guild Awards. Spader began acting in youth-oriented films such as Tuff Turf, The New Kids (both 1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Mannequin (1987). His breakthrough role came in Steven Soderbergh's drama Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), for which he received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He then starred in films such as White Palace (1990), True Colors (1991), Stargate (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), and Secretary (2002). Spader took supporting roles in Bob Roberts (1992), Wolf (1994), Lincoln (2012), and The Homesman (2014). He also played the role of Ultron in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). His television roles include the attorney Alan Shore in the last season of The Practice (2003–2004) and its spin-off Boston Legal (2004–2008), which earned him three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He portrayed Robert California in the sitcom The Office (2011–2012). He then starred as Raymond Reddington in the NBC crime thriller television series The Blacklist (2013–2023), for which he received two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Drama.

Quick facts about James Spader

  • Full name: James Spader
  • Born: 1960-02-07
  • Nationality: United States
  • Known as: Actor
  • Wikidata ID: Q296928

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.

Frequently asked questions

Who is James Spader?

James Todd Spader ( SPAY-dər; born February 7, 1960) is an American actor.

What nationality is James Spader?

James Spader is United States.

When was James Spader born?

James Spader was born on 1960-02-07.

Sources

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