James Spader
| James Spader | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Biographical information | |
| Birth name | James Todd Spader |
| Birth date |
February 7, 1960 Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Gender | |
| Nationality | American |
| Professional information | |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978—present |
| Television | Alan Shore in Boston Legal and The Practice |
| Stargate-related information | |
| Related series | Stargate |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Character | Dr. Daniel Jackson |
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James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in films such as Pretty in Pink; Less Than Zero; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; Crash; Stargate; and Secretary; and Lincoln. His most famous television roles are those of the colorful attorney Alan Shore in The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal, for which he won three Emmy Awards, and Robert California in The Office. He portrayed Doctor Daniel Jackson in the 1994 featured movie Stargate. He currently stars as Raymond "Red" Reddington in The Blacklist, and he is set to play Ultron in Marvel Studios' upcoming film Avengers: Age of Ultron.[1]
Early life[edit | edit source]
Spader was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Jean (née Fraser) and Stoddard Greenwood "Todd" Spader, both teachers.[2][3] One of Spader's great-great-grandfathers was William Ingersoll Bowditch (of the historic William Ingersoll Bowditch House); Spader's ancestors also include deaf educator Laurent Clerc, mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch, American Revolution general Joshua Babcock, and Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia Paul Mascarene.[4]
During his early education, Spader attended The Pike School (where his mother taught art) and enrolled in the Brooks School (where his father taught), for one year, in North Andover, Massachusetts. Spader later transferred to Phillips Academy, but dropped out of school in the eleventh grade to pursue acting at the Michael Chekhov School in New York City.[5] Before becoming a full-time actor, Spader held a variety of jobs including being a yoga instructor, busboy, truck driver, stable boy, and railroad-car loader.[5]
Career[edit | edit source]
Spader's first major film role was in 1981 as Brooke Shields' brother in Endless Love, and his first starring role was in Tuff Turf alongside good friend Robert Downey, Jr. However, he did not rise to stardom until 1986, when he played Molly Ringwald's foil Steff in Pretty in Pink. He starred opposite Andrew McCarthy, another friend, in Mannequin, and in the film adaptation of Less Than Zero, where he played a drug dealer named Rip. Supporting roles in movies such as Baby Boom and Wall Street followed until his critical breakthrough in 1989. In Sex, Lies, and Videotape, he played a sexual voyeur named Graham Dalton who complicates the lives of three Baton Rouge residents. For this performance, he received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.[6] His roles in the early 1990s included playing a young, affluent widower opposite Susan Sarandon in White Palace, John Cusack's best friend in True Colors, and a poker-playing drifter who collides with Mandy Patinkin in The Music of Chance. In 1994, he starred as Egyptologist Daniel Jackson in the blockbuster film Stargate. He played car-accident fetishist James Ballard in the controversial Canadian film Crash in 1996 and assassin Lee Woods in 2 Days in the Valley. In 1997, Spader guest starred in an episode of Seinfeld as an angry recovering alcoholic who refuses to apologize to George for making fun of him. In 2000, he played a drug-addicted detective tracking down serial killer Keanu Reeves in The Watcher. In 2001, he starred as Maggie Gyllenhaal's sadistic boss in the critically acclaimed Secretary.
From 2004 to 2008, Spader starred as the lead character Alan Shore in the television series Boston Legal, in which he reprised his role from the television series The Practice. Spader won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy Award[7] for his portrayal of Alan Shore in 2004, on The Practice and won it again in 2005 and 2007, for Boston Legal.[8][6] With the 2005 Emmy Win, Spader became one of the few actors (along with co-star William Shatner as Denny Crane) to win an Emmy award while playing the same character in two different series. Even rarer, Shatner and Spader each won a second consecutive Emmy while playing the same character in two different series. Spader also won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for Boston Legal in 2006.[6]
In October 2006, Spader narrated China Revealed, the first episode of Discovery Channel's documentary series Discovery Atlas.
Spader starred as a lead character in Race, a play written and directed by David Mamet. It opened on December 6, 2009[9] at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. The show closed on August 21, 2010 after 297 performances.[10]
In March 2011, Spader was named to star in By Virtue Fall, a film written and to be directed by Sheldon Turner. As of June 2011, the movie is in pre-production, and set to be released 2013.[11]
Spader was one of a number of prominent guest stars in "Search Committee," the final episode of season 7 of The Office. He portrayed a man named Robert California. On June 27, 2011, Ricky Gervais (an executive producer on the show) announced Spader was to join the cast on a permanent basis.[12] Spader planned to stay only through the eighth season, and while the original plan was just to do the guest appearance, executive producer Paul Lieberstein said, "those two scenes became a season."[13]
On August 29, 2013, Marvel Studios announced that Spader will join the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast as villainous robot Ultron. Scheduled for a 2015 release, the film is the sequel to the 2012 release The Avengers.
Spader currently stars in NBC's television series, The Blacklist, which began in September 2013. He portrays the fictional Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives.
Personal life[edit | edit source]
Spader met his first wife, Victoria Kheel, a decorator, while working in a yoga studio, after he moved to New York in the 1980s. They married in 1987 and have two sons, Elijah and Sebastian. Spader filed for divorce from Kheel in 2004 and, as of June 2011, has plans to marry his girlfriend (and former Alien Hunter co-star), Leslie Stefanson,[14] with whom he had a child in August 2008.
Involvement in the Stargate universe[edit | edit source]
Actor[edit | edit source]
- Doctor Daniel Jackson (Stargate)
Filmography[edit | edit source]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Ultron (voice) | Film, post-production |
| 2013-2014 | The Blacklist | Raymond 'Red' Reddington | TV Series, 23 episodes |
| 2014 | The Homesman | Aloysius Duffy | Film |
| 2012 | Lincoln | W.N. Bilbo | Film |
| 2011-2012 | The Office | Robert California | TV series, 25 episodes |
| 2009 | Shorts | Mr. Black | Film |
| 2004-2008 | Boston Legal (TV series) | Alan Shore | TV series, 101 episodes |
| 2004 | Shadow of Fear | William Ashbury | Film |
| 2003-2004 | The Practice | Alan Shore | TV series, 22 episodes |
| 2003 | Alien Hunter | Julian Rome | Film |
| 2003 | I Witness | Douglas Draper | Film |
| 2003 | The Pentagon Papers | Daniel Ellsberg | TV movie |
| 2002 | The Stickup | John Parker | Film |
| 2002 | Secretary | Mr. Grey | Film |
| 2001 | Speaking of Sex | Dr. Roger Klink | Film |
| 2000 | Slow Burn | Marcus | Film |
| 2000 | The Watcher | Campbell | Film |
| 2000 | Supernova | Nick Vanzant | Film |
| 1998 | Curtain Call | Stevenson Lowe | Film |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | Jason 'Stanky' Hanky | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1997 | Critical Care | Dr. Werner Ernst | Film |
| 1997 | Driftwood | The Man | Film |
| 1996 | Keys to Tulsa | Ronnie Stover | Film |
| 1996 | 2 Days in the Valley | Lee Woods | Film |
| 1996 | Crash | James Ballard | Film |
| 1994 | Stargate | Dr. Daniel Jackson | Film |
| 1994 | Frasier | Steven | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1994 | Wolf | Stewart Swinton | Film |
| 1993 | Dream Lover | Ray Reardon | Film |
| 1993 | The Music of Chance | Jack Pozzi | Film |
| 1992 | Bob Roberts | Chuck Marlin | Film |
| 1992 | Storyville | Cray Fowler | Film |
| 1991 | True Colors | Tim Gerrity | Film |
| 1990 | White Palace | Max Baron | Film |
| 1990 | Bad Influence | Michael Boll | Film |
| 1989 | The Rachel Papers | Deforest | Film |
| 1989 | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Graham Dalton | Film |
| 1988 | Jack's Back | John/Rick Westford | Film |
| 1988 | Greasy Lake | Digby | Video |
| 1987 | Wall Street | Roger Barnes | Film |
| 1987 | Less Than Zero | Rip | Film |
| 1987 | Baby Boom | Ken Arrenberg | Film |
| 1987 | Mannequin | Richards | Film |
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | Steff | Film |
| 1985 | Starcrossed | Joey Callaghan | TV movie |
| 1985 | The New Kids | Dutra | Film |
| 1985 | Tuff Turf | Morgan Hiller | Film |
| 1984 | Family Secrets | Lowell Everall | TV movie |
| 1983 | The Family Tree | Jake Nichols | TV series |
| 1983 | A Killer in the Family | Donny Tison | TV movie |
| 1983 | Diner | Fenwick | TV short |
| 1983 | Cocaine: One Man's Seduction | Buddy Gant | TV movie |
| 1981 | Endless Love | Keith Butterfield (as Jimmy Spader) | Film |
| 1978 | Team-Mates | Jimmy | Film |
Awards and nominations[edit | edit source]
Spader has won 5 awards, out of 26 nominations.
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Cannes Film Festival | Best Actor | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Won |
| 1990 | Saturn Award | Best Actor | Jack's Back | Nominated |
| 1990 | CFCA Award | Best Actor | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Nominated |
| 1990 | Independent Spirit Award | Best Male Lead | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Nominated |
| 1990 | Independent Spirit Award | Best Male Lead | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Nominated |
| 1995 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actor | Wolf | Nominated |
| 2003 | Chlotrudis Award | Best Actor | Secretary | Nominated |
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | The Practice | Won |
| 2005 | Golden Globe | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2005 | People's Choice Award | Favorite Male Television Star | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Won |
| 2005 | Satellite Award | Outstanding Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2005 | Golden Satellite Award | Best Actor in a Series, Drama | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2006 | Satellite Award | Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Boston Legal | Won |
| 2006 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2006 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2007 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Won |
| 2007 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2007 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2008 | Primetime Emmy | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2008 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2009 | Golden Nymph | Outstanding Actor - Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Boston Legal | Nominated |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | The Office | Nominated |
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ EXCLUSIVE: 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Casts James Spader as the Film's Legendary Villain
- ↑ "James Spader Biography (1960-)". filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/9/James-Spader.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ Obituary, October 28, 2007; Massachusetts
- ↑ http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/celeb/spader.htm
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "James Spader Biography". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-spader/bio/155526. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Awards for James Spader". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000652/awards. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
- ↑ James Spader Emmy Award Winner
- ↑ James Spader at the Primetime Emmy Award Database
- ↑ "New York Production Listings." Back Stage. 24 June 2009. (accessed June 25, 2009).
- ↑ James Spader Rips Into Mamet's 'Race' The New York Times May 12, 2009
- ↑ James Spader, Carla Gugino, Ryan Phillippe Join Cast of 'By Virtue Fall' The Hollywood Reporter
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Elavsky, Cindy (2012-03-16). "Celebrity Extra". Downriver Sunday Times. http://downriversundaytimes.com/2012/03/16/celebrity-extra-139/. Retrieved 2012-03-23.
- ↑ "James Spader Plans to Wed Again". Contact Music. 2005-12-29. http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/spader%20plans%20to%20wed%20again. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
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