Bradley James

Bradley James was born in Exeter, Devon, England, in 1983 or 1984. His interest in acting emerged at a young age, with early inspirations including David Bowie and James Bond. His family relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, when he was nine, where he attended Crown Point Elementary School and Fletcher Middle School. He later returned to England for Madeley High School in Staffordshire. From 2004 to 2007, James pursued formal acting training, graduating from Drama Centre London after a three-year program. This foundational education equipped him for a career in acting, allowing him to transition into professional roles shortly after.

James began his professional acting career in 2008, appearing in an episode of ‘Lewis’ and the BBC Three film ‘Dis/Connected’. The same year marked a turning point with his casting as Arthur Pendragon in the BBC One fantasy series ‘Merlin’. This role became a significant milestone, spanning five seasons until 2012 and gaining consistent viewership in the US. Throughout this period, he also engaged with Arthurian legends by presenting the documentary ‘The Real Merlin & Arthur’ for BBC Wales in 2009. Following ‘Merlin’, James secured diverse roles, including a guest appearance in the Emmy Award-winning ‘Homeland’ in 2014 and a recurring role as Lowell Tracey in ‘iZombie’ in 2015.

His career continued to evolve with leading roles such as Damien Thorn in the television series ‘Damien’ (2016), a sequel to ‘The Omen’ film series. He also joined the cast of ‘Underworld: Blood Wars’ as a villain in 2015. James further expanded his portfolio by portraying Giuliano de’ Medici in ‘Medici: The Magnificent’ (2018–2020) and Lieutenant Colonel Felix Sparks in Netflix’s four-part World War II drama, ‘The Liberator’ (2020), which utilized advanced Trioscope technology. In 2023, he took on the role of Norwegian chieftain Harekr in the second season of Netflix’s ‘Vikings: Valhalla’. His upcoming projects include co-starring as Wolf-Heinrich Graf von Helldorff in a historical film based on Kristallnacht, demonstrating a continued commitment to varied and impactful roles.