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Theo James
James at the Divergent premiere in March 2014
Born	Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis (1984-12-16) 16 December 1984 (age 40) High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England
Alma mater	University of Nottingham (BA) Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2010–present
Spouse	Ruth Kearney ​(m. 2018)​
Children	1

Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis (born 16 December 1984) is an English actor. He is known for portraying Tobias "Four" Eaton in The Divergent Series film trilogy. James starred in the horror films Underworld: Awakening (2012) and Underworld: Blood Wars (2016), the action film How It Ends (2018), and the science fiction film Archive (2020). In television, he appeared in the crime drama series Golden Boy (2012), the romance series The Time Traveler's Wife (2022) and the satire series The White Lotus (2022).

Early life

Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis was born on 16 December 1984 in High Wycombe, England. He is the son of Philip Taptiklis, a business consultant, and Jane (née Martin), who worked for the National Health Service. His paternal grandfather was Greek, and his other ancestry is English and Scottish. James is the youngest of five children; he has two older brothers and two older sisters.

James was raised in Askett, Buckinghamshire, England. He attended Aylesbury Grammar School and went on to earn his undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Nottingham. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Career

In 2010, James made his television debut in two episodes of A Passionate Woman, starring opposite Billie Piper. The same year he played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in an episode of the first season of Downton Abbey. His film credits include You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010). James was cast in Stranger while still in his final year at drama school. He was named a "Star of Tomorrow" in 2009 by Screen International.

In 2011, James starred in the short-lived horror series Bedlam, playing the lead role of Jed Harper. James played James, an obnoxious night club rep, in the British comedy The Inbetweeners Movie (2011).

In 2012, James appeared in the miniseries, Room at the Top as Jack Wales and ITV's Case Sensitive as Aiden Harper. He was in the films The Domino Effect (2012) and Underworld: Awakening (2012), playing the role of David in the latter opposite Kate Beckinsale. He reprised his character David in the fifth Underworld film, as the film's male lead. James starred as Detective Walter William Clark Jr. in the American crime-drama series Golden Boy (2013), which aired for one season.

His breakthrough role was portraying the character of Tobias "Four" Eaton in Divergent (2014), the film adaptation based on the New York Times bestselling novels by Veronica Roth. James reprised the character in the sequel, The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015). He returned in one more Divergent film, The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016).

James starred alongside Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess in the film adaptation of London Fields, and in the indie drama The Benefactor (2015), with Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning. James executive produced and starred as Michael in Backstabbing for Beginners (2018). He starred as Will Younger in the Netflix film How It Ends (2018).

In 2019, James executive produced and played Sidney Parker in the British series Sanditon as a male lead. It is an eight-part period-drama adaptation of Jane Austen's final novel, written only months before her death in 1817. James will not reprise his role for the series' second and third seasons. He then executive produced and starred in the film Lying and Stealing. James launched his own film and TV production company, named Untapped, that same year.

James produced and appeared in the 2020 British science fiction film Archive, playing a robotics scientist working on a secret project involving building a prototype based on his dead wife. He stars in the romance series The Time Traveler's Wife, which premiered in May 2022. The Hollywood Reporter's Angie Han described James's portrayal of the titular time traveler "dashing and a little sardonic" and highlighted his and co-star Rose Leslie's "inability to generate any real sparks between them". James plays a series regular role in the second season of the satire series The White Lotus.

Personal life

James is married to Irish actress Ruth Kearney. The two met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. They divide their time between Venice Beach, California and North London. They have a daughter, born in 2021.

Outside his acting career, James was the singer and guitarist of the London-based band Shere Khan, which disbanded in 2012. In 2015, he became the brand ambassador for Hugo Boss fragrances for men, appearing in print ads and commercials.

In June 2016, James travelled to Greece with UNHCR, where he met Syrian refugees and learned more about their situation. He has since been a supporter of refugees' rights and called for greater humanitarian aid for people displaced by the Syrian Civil War.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ Agnew, Megan (15 March 2020). "The Interview: Theo James talks Sanditon, objectification and being a heart-throb". The Times. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2022. James was born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, as Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis.
2. "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Dec. 12-18". Associated Press. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 6 December 2021 suggested (help)
3. Young, Susan (9 September 2011). "James' 'Stranger' Role Leads to 'Bedlam' – TV's Top 10: New Faces for Fall – Theo James". Variety; retrieved 27 February 2013.
4. "Who is Divergent Actor Theo James' girlfriend?". Daily Entertainment News. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
5. Claire Black (14 March 2015). "Divergent star Theo James on his career ascension". The Scotsman. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
6. ^ Ouzounian, Richard (7 March 2013). "Theo James leapt at chance to play tough New York cop in Golden Boy". The Star. Toronto.
7. Topel, Fred (10 October 2011). "Theo James Talks Bedlam". CraveOnline. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
8. 23, Marty. "Theo James Speed Date". YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved 24 September 2017. {{cite web}}: |last1= has numeric name (help)
9. "New Theatre graduates star in blockbuster TV roles". University of Nottingham. 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
10. ^ "Biog: Theo James". Sky Living. 2011. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
11. "A Passionate Woman: Theo James Plays Craze". BBC Press Office (Press release). 7 April 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
12. Rozen, Leah (25 March 2014). "Round-up: 'Divergent's' Theo James Recalls His Quickie 'Downton' Stint and other 'Downton Abbey' News". BBC America.
13. Dobson, Patricia (6 July 2010). "Class of 2009: where are they now?". Screen International. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
14. "Casting Unveiled on Room At The Top". Screen Yorkshire. 22 December 2010. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
15. Rose, Tiffany (17 March 2014). "'Divergent' Interview: Theo James Talks Personal Fears & Complex Characters". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
16. "THEO JAMES, THE STAR OF DIVERGENT SERIES". Celebrity Ping. 5 August 2018.
17. Ford, Rebecca; Youn, Soo (11 September 2014). ""Divergent" actor theo james to star in Fifth 'Underworld' Movie 2017 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
18. "'Golden Boy' Canceled: CBS Series Not Renewed For Season 2". 10 May 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2018 – via Huff Post.
19. Vilkomerson, Sara (15 March 2013). "'Divergent' has found its 'Four'! Theo James talks about starring in the next big YA franchise". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
20. Jacobs, Matthew (22 March 2014). "'Insurgent' Has Officially Been Given The Green Light For 2015, Not That You Had Any Doubts". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
21. Fleming, Mike, Jr. (9 September 2013). "'London Fields' Gets Underway With Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton And Jim Sturgess". Deadline. Retrieved 14 October 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
22. ^ Sneider, Jeff (25 September 2013). "'Divergent' Star Theo James, Dakota Fanning Join Richard Gere in 'Franny'". The Wrap. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
23. "Dakota Fanning, Theo James Board Richard Gere's 'Franny'". Deadline. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
24. D'Alessandro, Anthony (15 August 2019). "Theo James & Andrew D. Corkin Launching Film & TV Label Untapped". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
25. Grater, Tom (7 September 2020). "Independent Sells Out On Theo James & Stacy Martin Sci-Fi 'Archive'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
26. Han, Angie (14 May 2022). "'The Time Traveler's Wife' Review: A Middling HBO Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
27. Goldberg, Lesley (10 February 2022). "'The White Lotus': Meghann Fahy, Theo James Among Four Added to Season 2 Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
28. Pavia, Lucy (11 March 2020). "Theo James interview: 'I'm just not interested in big movies'". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 18 December 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
29. Crosbie, Eve (30 June 2022). "Sanditon star Theo James shares first-ever photo of daughter for important cause". Hello!. Archived from the original on 26 December 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 30 June 2022 suggested (help)
30. Tschinkel, Arielle (11 October 2022). "Who Is Theo James' Wife? All About Ruth Kearney". People. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
31. Ng, Philiana (21 March 2014). "'Divergent's' Theo James: 5 Things to Know About the Star Behind Four". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 23 November 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
32. Cooper, Jennifer (September 2015). "Theo James Hugo Boss". E! News. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
33. "Theo James Visits Greece". UNHCR. UNHCR. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
34. James, Theo (20 June 2016). "'Downton' star: My grandfather fled war for safety, today's refugees deserve the same chance". CNN. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
35. Gajanan, Mahita (15 February 2017). "How Actor Theo James' Family History Turned Him Into an Activist". Time. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
36. James, Theo (23 December 2017). "Theo James on his refugee story: from past to present". GQ. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
37. "Netflix Reveals The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Anime Cast and Characters". IGN. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
38. "Teen Choice Awards 2015 Winners: Full List". Variety. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.

External links

• Theo James at IMDb

• 1984 births
• 20th-century English male actors
• 21st-century English male actors
• Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
• Alumni of the University of Nottingham
• English expatriates in the United States
• English male film actors
• English male television actors
• English people of Greek descent
• English people of Scottish descent
• English people of New Zealand descent
• Living people
• Male actors from Bristol
• People from High Wycombe
• People educated at Aylesbury Grammar School
• Actors from Oxford
• Male actors from Buckinghamshire
• Actors from Oxfordshire