'When things go bump in the night, in British theatre and film, those things not infrequently turn out to be James Swanton,' once noted The Telegraph. James has also been described as 'remarkable' by Simon Callow, as 'extraordinary' by Miriam Margolyes and as 'fantastic' by Mark Gatiss. Concerning bumps in the night, Kim Newman has heralded him as a 'horror star of the future' whilst Kit Harington has called him 'genuinely scary'.
In 1991, James was born in the ghost-drenched city of York. 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.
James's performances from Dickens have been particularly acclaimed. He took Sikes & Nancy to Trafalgar Studios in 2014, making him the youngest actor in history to perform the title role(s) in his own West End show. His performances of A Christmas Carol (amongst other ghost stories) have since become an annual staple at London's Charles Dickens Museum.
James is also recognised for his roles in horror, notably Satan in Apartment 7A, the Magician in Tarot, the Jackal in The First Omen, the Spirit in Host and the Mummy in Lot No. 249, the celebrated BBC Ghost Story for Christmas. At various points, James has also been Victor Carroon, Lucifer, Frankenstein's Creature, Count Dracula, Marley's Ghost, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Thing That Ate the Birds. 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, last appeared at the London Horror Festival. 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. He is also curator to a vast 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. 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.
James's performances from Dickens have been particularly acclaimed. He took Sikes & Nancy to Trafalgar Studios in 2014, making him the youngest actor in history to perform the title role(s) in his own West End show. His performances of A Christmas Carol (amongst other ghost stories) have since become an annual staple at London's Charles Dickens Museum.
James is also recognised for his roles in horror, notably Satan in Apartment 7A, the Magician in Tarot, the Jackal in The First Omen, the Spirit in Host and the Mummy in Lot No. 249, the celebrated BBC Ghost Story for Christmas. At various points, James has also been Victor Carroon, Lucifer, Frankenstein's Creature, Count Dracula, Marley's Ghost, the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Thing That Ate the Birds. 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, last appeared at the London Horror Festival. 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. He is also curator to a vast collection of crumbling horror films and is currently writing a book on the subject.