About
James Swanton has been described as 'remarkable' by Simon Callow, as 'extraordinary' by Miriam Margolyes and as a 'horror star of the future' by Kim Newman. James continues to drive his critics to raid their thesauruses: in times past, they have dismissed him as 'a tattily dressed raven', 'a young Boris Karloff', 'positively stunning in his grotesqueness' and 'lanky'.
In 1991, James was born in the ghost-drenched city of York, thus inaugurating his lifelong passion for the macabre. In 2009, James went to read English at Selwyn College, Cambridge - appearing, whilst there, in some twenty-four productions. And in 2013, James made his professional stage debut in Sikes & Nancy at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Since then, he has been reliably in work and occasionally a parrot.
James's performances from Dickens have been particularly acclaimed. He took Sikes & Nancy to Trafalgar Studios in 2014, thus making him the youngest actor in history to perform the title role(s) in his own West End show; meanwhile, his Ghost Stories for Christmas have become an annual staple at London's Charles Dickens Museum. James is also known for his work in horror films, most notably the Spirit in the phenomenally popular Host (now streaming on Shudder), the starring role in Frankenstein's Creature (which won him two awards, and was nominated for a third), and decaying Daddy in Double Date (encased in a BIFA-nominated make-up). At various points, James has also been Lucifer, Count Dracula, Marley's Ghost and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He prays nightly for Richard III.
In his spare time, James thinks a lot about Sir Henry Irving: his play about the actor, Irving Undead, had its premiere showings in 2019. Among his other acting heroes, he numbers Conrad Veidt, Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price, Paul Scofield, Freddie Jones, Tony Jay, Simon Callow, David Leonard and Julian Bleach. His favourite novel is Nicholas Nickleby; his favourite play might be A Man for All Seasons. He is curator to an ever-growing collection of crumbling horror films, and is currently writing a book on the subject.
In 1991, James was born in the ghost-drenched city of York, thus inaugurating his lifelong passion for the macabre. In 2009, James went to read English at Selwyn College, Cambridge - appearing, whilst there, in some twenty-four productions. And in 2013, James made his professional stage debut in Sikes & Nancy at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester. Since then, he has been reliably in work and occasionally a parrot.
James's performances from Dickens have been particularly acclaimed. He took Sikes & Nancy to Trafalgar Studios in 2014, thus making him the youngest actor in history to perform the title role(s) in his own West End show; meanwhile, his Ghost Stories for Christmas have become an annual staple at London's Charles Dickens Museum. James is also known for his work in horror films, most notably the Spirit in the phenomenally popular Host (now streaming on Shudder), the starring role in Frankenstein's Creature (which won him two awards, and was nominated for a third), and decaying Daddy in Double Date (encased in a BIFA-nominated make-up). At various points, James has also been Lucifer, Count Dracula, Marley's Ghost and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He prays nightly for Richard III.
In his spare time, James thinks a lot about Sir Henry Irving: his play about the actor, Irving Undead, had its premiere showings in 2019. Among his other acting heroes, he numbers Conrad Veidt, Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, Vincent Price, Paul Scofield, Freddie Jones, Tony Jay, Simon Callow, David Leonard and Julian Bleach. His favourite novel is Nicholas Nickleby; his favourite play might be A Man for All Seasons. He is curator to an ever-growing collection of crumbling horror films, and is currently writing a book on the subject.