Theo James


Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis is an English actor, director, producer, and musician. He is known for portraying Tobias "Four" Eaton in The Divergent Series film trilogy. He has also starred in the crime drama series Golden Boy, the horror films ' and ' and the action film How It Ends.
In 2015, he became the brand ambassador for Hugo Boss fragrances for men, appearing in print ads and commercials. James also runs a film and television production company Untapped along with Andrew D. Corkin of Uncorked Productions.

Early life

James was born on 16 December 1984 in High Wycombe, England. He is the son of Philip Taptiklis, a business consultant, and Jane, who worked for the National Health Service. His paternal grandfather was Greek. His other ancestry is English and Scottish. James is the youngest of five children, having 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

Acting

In 2010, James made his television debut in two episodes of A Passionate Woman, starring opposite Billie Piper. 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. 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.
In 2012, James appeared in the TV-mini series, Room at the Top as Jack Wales and ITV's Case Sensitive as Aiden Harper. He was in the films, The Domino Effect and the fourth installment of ', playing the role of David, opposite Kate Beckinsale. James starred as Detective Walter William Clark Jr. alongside Chi McBride in the American crime-drama series Golden Boy, which aired for only one season.
His breakthrough role was portraying the character of Tobias "Four" Eaton in Divergent, the film adaptation based on the New York Times bestselling novels by Veronica Roth. James reprised the character in the sequel, '.
In 2015, he became the brand ambassador for Hugo Boss fragrances for men, appearing in print ads and commercials.
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, alongside Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning.
He returned in one more Divergent film, . He reprised his character David in, that time as the film's male lead.
James starred as Michael in Backstabbing for Beginners. He starred as Will Younger in the Netflix film, How It Ends.

Music

Outside his acting career, James was the singer and guitarist of the London-based band Shere Khan.
On 21 November 2012, the band announced on their Facebook page that they were no longer actively playing as a band and that members would be pursuing other musical endeavours.

Producing and directing

James is the producer of Backstabbing for Beginners, Lying and Stealing, Sanditon, and an upcoming movie to be released on 2020 called . In mid-2019, James launched his own film and TV production company Untapped.

Personal life

James has been in a relationship with Irish actress Ruth Kearney since 2009. They met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. As of March 2020, the couple are married.
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

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010A Passionate WomanAlex "Craze" Crazenovski
2010Downton AbbeyKemal Pamuk1 episode
2011BedlamJed Harper6 episodes
2012Case SensitiveAidan Harper2 episodes
2012Room at the TopJack Wales2 episodes
2013Golden BoyWalter William Clark, Jr.Lead role
2018–presentCastlevaniaHector Main role; 18 episodes
2019SanditonSidney ParkerLead role
2019Rek'yr Recurring role
2019The WitcherYoung Vesemir 1 episode

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018Backstabbing for BeginnersExecutive Producer
2019Lying and StealingExecutive Producer
2019SanditonExecutive Producer8 Episodes
2020ArchiveProducer

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017Sex with StrangersEthanHampstead Theatre
2020City of AngelsStoneGarrick Theatre

Awards and nominations