On film, James is best known for otherworldly characters. He recently fathered the Antichrist in two iconic franchises: Rosemary's baby in Apartment 7A (Paramount), in which he played Satan, and Damien Thorn in The First Omen (20th Century Studios), in which he played the Jackal. James also appeared in cinemas worldwide as the Magician and the Hermit in Tarot (Sony). His other filmic monstrosities include the Parasite in DASHCAM (Blumhouse), the Spirit in the lockdown smash Host (Shudder) and the Demon in Salt (Fox), all for director Rob Savage.
Further notable genre roles include the Beast in The Severed Sun, which premiered at Fantastic Fest, the Ash Man in Stopmotion and SAL-E Sparx in Broadcast Signal Intrusion, both available on Shudder, and the title role in Frankenstein's Creature, a self-written one-man film that premiered at FrightFest, Leicester Square. James's performance as Ransley in To Fire You Come at Last has been particularly acclaimed, becoming the first instalment in The Haunted Season on Shudder. For such efforts, Kim Newman dubbed him 'horror-star-of-the-future James Swanton' and chose him as his Cult Hero of the Month in Empire.
On television, James has played the title roles in two recent BBC chillers: 'The Curse of the Ninth' in the final series of Inside No. 9 for Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, and Lot No. 249, Mark Gatiss's 2023 Ghost Story for Christmas. With regards the latter, The Telegraph dubbed James 'the scariest man on TV this Christmas' and the Dracula Society presented him with the Hamilton Deane Award.
On stage, James has been closely associated with Dickens. His one-man play Sikes & Nancy ran at the West End's Trafalgar Studios, whilst his seasonal performances of A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and The Signal-Man & The Trial for Murder have become an annual staple at London's Charles Dickens Museum. James's other theatre credits include Victor Carroon in the 70th anniversary production of The Quatermass Experiment (Alexandra Palace), Lucifer in The York Mystery Plays and the title role in Dracula (which together won him Outstanding Performing Artist in the York Culture Awards), West End appearances in The Ghost Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (Tristan Bates Theatre) and In the Penal Colony (Arts Theatre), and Dippermouth productions Frankenstein's Creature (Theatre503) and Scrooge & Marley (Waterloo East Theatre).
On multiple occasions, James has resurrected the Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving: in his acclaimed one-man play Irving Undead, as well as the site-specific Winter Gothic, which synthesised Irving vehicles The Bells and The Dream of Eugene Aram. He has also featured in two rehearsed readings for horror scholar Jonathan Rigby: Hammer's Vampirella (opposite Caroline Munro) and Nigel Kneale's The Road (opposite Mark Gatiss).
Whilst at Cambridge University, James appeared in twenty-four productions, including eight for the Marlowe Society, three one-man plays and the Cambridge Footlights panto. He also played Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, thus setting the pattern for many future dabblings.
Further notable genre roles include the Beast in The Severed Sun, which premiered at Fantastic Fest, the Ash Man in Stopmotion and SAL-E Sparx in Broadcast Signal Intrusion, both available on Shudder, and the title role in Frankenstein's Creature, a self-written one-man film that premiered at FrightFest, Leicester Square. James's performance as Ransley in To Fire You Come at Last has been particularly acclaimed, becoming the first instalment in The Haunted Season on Shudder. For such efforts, Kim Newman dubbed him 'horror-star-of-the-future James Swanton' and chose him as his Cult Hero of the Month in Empire.
On television, James has played the title roles in two recent BBC chillers: 'The Curse of the Ninth' in the final series of Inside No. 9 for Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, and Lot No. 249, Mark Gatiss's 2023 Ghost Story for Christmas. With regards the latter, The Telegraph dubbed James 'the scariest man on TV this Christmas' and the Dracula Society presented him with the Hamilton Deane Award.
On stage, James has been closely associated with Dickens. His one-man play Sikes & Nancy ran at the West End's Trafalgar Studios, whilst his seasonal performances of A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and The Signal-Man & The Trial for Murder have become an annual staple at London's Charles Dickens Museum. James's other theatre credits include Victor Carroon in the 70th anniversary production of The Quatermass Experiment (Alexandra Palace), Lucifer in The York Mystery Plays and the title role in Dracula (which together won him Outstanding Performing Artist in the York Culture Awards), West End appearances in The Ghost Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore (Tristan Bates Theatre) and In the Penal Colony (Arts Theatre), and Dippermouth productions Frankenstein's Creature (Theatre503) and Scrooge & Marley (Waterloo East Theatre).
On multiple occasions, James has resurrected the Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving: in his acclaimed one-man play Irving Undead, as well as the site-specific Winter Gothic, which synthesised Irving vehicles The Bells and The Dream of Eugene Aram. He has also featured in two rehearsed readings for horror scholar Jonathan Rigby: Hammer's Vampirella (opposite Caroline Munro) and Nigel Kneale's The Road (opposite Mark Gatiss).
Whilst at Cambridge University, James appeared in twenty-four productions, including eight for the Marlowe Society, three one-man plays and the Cambridge Footlights panto. He also played Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, thus setting the pattern for many future dabblings.