James Marsden(I)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
James Paul Marsden, or better known as just James Marsden, was born on
September 18, 1973, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Kathleen (Scholz) and
James Luther Marsden. His father, a distinguished Professor of Animal
Sciences & Industry at Kansas State University, and his mother, a
nutritionist, divorced when he was nine years old. James grew up with
his four other siblings, sisters, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and brothers,
Jeff and Robert. He has English, German, and Scottish ancestry. During his teen years, he attended Putnam City
North High School which was located in Oklahoma City. After graduating
in 1991, he attended Oklahoma State University and studied Broadcast
Journalism. While in university, he became a member of the Delta Tau
Delta fraternity.
While vacationing with his family in
Hawaii, he met actor Kirk Cameron,
and his actress sister,
Candace Cameron Bure. They
eventually invited James to visit them in Los Angeles. After studying
in Oklahoma State for over a year and appearing in his college
production, "Bye Bye Birdie", he left school and moved to Los Angeles
to pursue his interest in acting. James got his first job on the pilot
episode of The Nanny (1993) as
Eddie, who was Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend. He then became part of
the Canadian television series,
Boogies Diner (1994), which
aired for one season. After that series ended, he got a brief role as
the original Griffin on Fox's
Party of Five (1994). His first
big break came when he became the lead on the short-lived ABC series,
Second Noah (1996). Although the
show didn't last long, the young actor received enough exposure from
the public and even managed to win the hearts of fellow teenage girls.
In 1996, he attended an audition for a movie titled
Primal Fear (1996) but unfortunately
lost that role to Edward Norton.
Two years later, he was offered a lead role in
54 (1998), which he turned down. The role
later went to another actor,
Ryan Phillippe.
James' star power increased when he starred in
David Nutter's
Disturbing Behavior (1998),
alongside Katie Holmes and
Nick Stahl, which had mixed reviews, but
mostly positive ones. His role in the television series as Glenn Foy in
Ally McBeal (1997), is probably
one of his biggest achievement to date. He became one of the main cast
members during the first half of season 5, where he showcased his
singing abilities. It was in that show where he was able to grab the
attention of audiences from different backgrounds. The 5' 10" star
later played Lon Hammon Jr. in the romantic movie,
The Notebook (2004), which was based
on a novel by Nicholas Sparks of the same name. His movies,
Lies and Alibis (2006) and
10th & Wolf (2006) was also released
around the world to audiences in the year 2006. One of his most
memorable roles to fans is his role as Cyclops in the
X-Men (2000) movie franchise. The movie was
well accepted by audiences and critics, which eventually made James one
of the hottest stars since it was released. He was among the actors who
starred in all three of the X-Men movies. James had the honor of
working alongside
Patrick Stewart,
Famke Janssen and
Hugh Jackman in the film. However, not many
people know that he actually had to wear lifts for most of his scenes
in the X-men movies, because his character Cyclops is supposed to be 6"
3" compared to a 5' 3" Wolverine. In reality, he is actually under 6'
0", shorter than Famke Janssen who plays his love interest, Jean Grey,
and even shorter than Hugh Jackman who played Wolverine.
In the year
2006, he played Richard White in the
highly anticipated movie,
Superman Returns (2006), which
coincidentally was directed by
Bryan Singer, who also directed
previous X-Men installments. Although he appeared in
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006),
the third installment of the X-Men franchise, many would notice that he
in fact had more screen time in 'Superman Returns', as Lois Lane's long
awaiting fiancé who had to accept the fact that his fiancée is in love
with the man of steel. James earned great reviews from that movie,
which led to him getting more movie roles. In 2007, James played Corny
Collins in the film Hairspray (2007),
an adaption of the Broadway musical based on
John Waters movie,
Hairspray (1988). He joined a
star-studded cast, starring alongside top names such as
John Travolta,
Queen Latifah and
Michelle Pfeiffer. James not only
acted in that movie, but also sang two of the film's songs, "The Nicest
Kids In Town", and "Hairspray". Being part of Hairspray catapulted
James to a different level of stardom as audiences got to see another
side of him. His next role was in the Disney movie,
Enchanted (2007), playing Prince
Edward, where he acted alongside
Amy Adams,
Susan Sarandon and
Patrick Dempsey. Once again,
James had the opportunity to sing in two songs from the movie, "True
Love's Kiss" and "That's Amore".
Enchanted (2007) appealed to not only
older audiences but also to those who were fans of Disney's network
productions. Following his huge success in the years 2006 and 2007,
James played the male lead role in the romantic comedy,
27 Dresses (2008), opposite actress
Katherine Heigl in 2008. The movie did
well at the box office, earning a gross revenue of over $159
million, which exceeded the expectations of crew members especially
since it was under a $30 million budget.
Marsden played the
male lead in the horror film,
The Box (2009), based on the 1970
short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson. He starred opposite Cameron Diaz in the
movie.
He co-starred in
Accidental Love (2015) (previously Accidental Love (2015), a politically-themed romantic comedy, directed by David O. Russell and filmed in
Columbia, South Carolina. Marsden's recent film roles include the sequel comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), the romantic drama The Best of Me (2014), and the comedy Unfinished Business (2015).
James was married to
Lisa Linde, an actress known from her role in
Days of Our Lives (1965).
Lisa is the daughter of legendary country music songwriter Dennis
Linde. The couple wed on July 22, 2000 and have a son, Jack Holden Marsden who
was born on February 1, 2001, and a daughter, Mary James, who was born
on August 10, 2005. They divorced in 2011. James has another son, born in 2012, with model Rose Costa.
Many would assume that with
all this success achieved by James at this age, he would be somewhat
high-headed but James mentioned that despite all the attention he's
getting from the public eye, he tries to keep himself as grounded as
possible. He even admits that he flies coach instead of first class
while traveling with his family. In an interview he mentioned that he
believes he has a certain responsibility to let his children know that
he isn't special because of what he does, but who he is as a person.
With a great humble attitude and a bright future ahead of him, there's
definitely more to expect from this Oklahoma native.
September 18, 1973, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to Kathleen (Scholz) and
James Luther Marsden. His father, a distinguished Professor of Animal
Sciences & Industry at Kansas State University, and his mother, a
nutritionist, divorced when he was nine years old. James grew up with
his four other siblings, sisters, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and brothers,
Jeff and Robert. He has English, German, and Scottish ancestry. During his teen years, he attended Putnam City
North High School which was located in Oklahoma City. After graduating
in 1991, he attended Oklahoma State University and studied Broadcast
Journalism. While in university, he became a member of the Delta Tau
Delta fraternity.
While vacationing with his family in
Hawaii, he met actor Kirk Cameron,
and his actress sister,
Candace Cameron Bure. They
eventually invited James to visit them in Los Angeles. After studying
in Oklahoma State for over a year and appearing in his college
production, "Bye Bye Birdie", he left school and moved to Los Angeles
to pursue his interest in acting. James got his first job on the pilot
episode of The Nanny (1993) as
Eddie, who was Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend. He then became part of
the Canadian television series,
Boogies Diner (1994), which
aired for one season. After that series ended, he got a brief role as
the original Griffin on Fox's
Party of Five (1994). His first
big break came when he became the lead on the short-lived ABC series,
Second Noah (1996). Although the
show didn't last long, the young actor received enough exposure from
the public and even managed to win the hearts of fellow teenage girls.
In 1996, he attended an audition for a movie titled
Primal Fear (1996) but unfortunately
lost that role to Edward Norton.
Two years later, he was offered a lead role in
54 (1998), which he turned down. The role
later went to another actor,
Ryan Phillippe.
James' star power increased when he starred in
David Nutter's
Disturbing Behavior (1998),
alongside Katie Holmes and
Nick Stahl, which had mixed reviews, but
mostly positive ones. His role in the television series as Glenn Foy in
Ally McBeal (1997), is probably
one of his biggest achievement to date. He became one of the main cast
members during the first half of season 5, where he showcased his
singing abilities. It was in that show where he was able to grab the
attention of audiences from different backgrounds. The 5' 10" star
later played Lon Hammon Jr. in the romantic movie,
The Notebook (2004), which was based
on a novel by Nicholas Sparks of the same name. His movies,
Lies and Alibis (2006) and
10th & Wolf (2006) was also released
around the world to audiences in the year 2006. One of his most
memorable roles to fans is his role as Cyclops in the
X-Men (2000) movie franchise. The movie was
well accepted by audiences and critics, which eventually made James one
of the hottest stars since it was released. He was among the actors who
starred in all three of the X-Men movies. James had the honor of
working alongside
Patrick Stewart,
Famke Janssen and
Hugh Jackman in the film. However, not many
people know that he actually had to wear lifts for most of his scenes
in the X-men movies, because his character Cyclops is supposed to be 6"
3" compared to a 5' 3" Wolverine. In reality, he is actually under 6'
0", shorter than Famke Janssen who plays his love interest, Jean Grey,
and even shorter than Hugh Jackman who played Wolverine.
In the year
2006, he played Richard White in the
highly anticipated movie,
Superman Returns (2006), which
coincidentally was directed by
Bryan Singer, who also directed
previous X-Men installments. Although he appeared in
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006),
the third installment of the X-Men franchise, many would notice that he
in fact had more screen time in 'Superman Returns', as Lois Lane's long
awaiting fiancé who had to accept the fact that his fiancée is in love
with the man of steel. James earned great reviews from that movie,
which led to him getting more movie roles. In 2007, James played Corny
Collins in the film Hairspray (2007),
an adaption of the Broadway musical based on
John Waters movie,
Hairspray (1988). He joined a
star-studded cast, starring alongside top names such as
John Travolta,
Queen Latifah and
Michelle Pfeiffer. James not only
acted in that movie, but also sang two of the film's songs, "The Nicest
Kids In Town", and "Hairspray". Being part of Hairspray catapulted
James to a different level of stardom as audiences got to see another
side of him. His next role was in the Disney movie,
Enchanted (2007), playing Prince
Edward, where he acted alongside
Amy Adams,
Susan Sarandon and
Patrick Dempsey. Once again,
James had the opportunity to sing in two songs from the movie, "True
Love's Kiss" and "That's Amore".
Enchanted (2007) appealed to not only
older audiences but also to those who were fans of Disney's network
productions. Following his huge success in the years 2006 and 2007,
James played the male lead role in the romantic comedy,
27 Dresses (2008), opposite actress
Katherine Heigl in 2008. The movie did
well at the box office, earning a gross revenue of over $159
million, which exceeded the expectations of crew members especially
since it was under a $30 million budget.
Marsden played the
male lead in the horror film,
The Box (2009), based on the 1970
short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson. He starred opposite Cameron Diaz in the
movie.
He co-starred in
Accidental Love (2015) (previously Accidental Love (2015), a politically-themed romantic comedy, directed by David O. Russell and filmed in
Columbia, South Carolina. Marsden's recent film roles include the sequel comedy Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), the romantic drama The Best of Me (2014), and the comedy Unfinished Business (2015).
James was married to
Lisa Linde, an actress known from her role in
Days of Our Lives (1965).
Lisa is the daughter of legendary country music songwriter Dennis
Linde. The couple wed on July 22, 2000 and have a son, Jack Holden Marsden who
was born on February 1, 2001, and a daughter, Mary James, who was born
on August 10, 2005. They divorced in 2011. James has another son, born in 2012, with model Rose Costa.
Many would assume that with
all this success achieved by James at this age, he would be somewhat
high-headed but James mentioned that despite all the attention he's
getting from the public eye, he tries to keep himself as grounded as
possible. He even admits that he flies coach instead of first class
while traveling with his family. In an interview he mentioned that he
believes he has a certain responsibility to let his children know that
he isn't special because of what he does, but who he is as a person.
With a great humble attitude and a bright future ahead of him, there's
definitely more to expect from this Oklahoma native.