James Spader

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James Spader
James Spader.jpg
Biographical information
Birth name James Todd Spader
Birth date (1960-02-07) February 7, 1960 (age 64)
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Gender
Nationality American
Professional information
Occupation Actor
Years active 1978—present
Television Alan Shore in Boston Legal and The Practice
Stargate-related information
Related series Stargate
Occupation Actor
Character Dr. Daniel Jackson

James Todd Spader (born February 7, 1960) is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in films such as Pretty in Pink; Less Than Zero; Sex, Lies, and Videotape; Crash; Stargate; and Secretary; and Lincoln. His most famous television roles are those of the colorful attorney Alan Shore in The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal, for which he won three Emmy Awards, and Robert California in The Office. He portrayed Doctor Daniel Jackson in the 1994 featured movie Stargate. He currently stars as Raymond "Red" Reddington in The Blacklist, and he is set to play Ultron in Marvel Studios' upcoming film Avengers: Age of Ultron.[1]

Early life[edit | edit source]

Spader was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Jean (née Fraser) and Stoddard Greenwood "Todd" Spader, both teachers.[2][3] One of Spader's great-great-grandfathers was William Ingersoll Bowditch (of the historic William Ingersoll Bowditch House); Spader's ancestors also include deaf educator Laurent Clerc, mathematician Nathaniel Bowditch, American Revolution general Joshua Babcock, and Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia Paul Mascarene.[4]

During his early education, Spader attended The Pike School (where his mother taught art) and enrolled in the Brooks School (where his father taught), for one year, in North Andover, Massachusetts. Spader later transferred to Phillips Academy, but dropped out of school in the eleventh grade to pursue acting at the Michael Chekhov School in New York City.[5] Before becoming a full-time actor, Spader held a variety of jobs including being a yoga instructor, busboy, truck driver, stable boy, and railroad-car loader.[5]

Career[edit | edit source]

Spader's first major film role was in 1981 as Brooke Shields' brother in Endless Love, and his first starring role was in Tuff Turf alongside good friend Robert Downey, Jr. However, he did not rise to stardom until 1986, when he played Molly Ringwald's foil Steff in Pretty in Pink. He starred opposite Andrew McCarthy, another friend, in Mannequin, and in the film adaptation of Less Than Zero, where he played a drug dealer named Rip. Supporting roles in movies such as Baby Boom and Wall Street followed until his critical breakthrough in 1989. In Sex, Lies, and Videotape, he played a sexual voyeur named Graham Dalton who complicates the lives of three Baton Rouge residents. For this performance, he received the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.[6] His roles in the early 1990s included playing a young, affluent widower opposite Susan Sarandon in White Palace, John Cusack's best friend in True Colors, and a poker-playing drifter who collides with Mandy Patinkin in The Music of Chance. In 1994, he starred as Egyptologist Daniel Jackson in the blockbuster film Stargate. He played car-accident fetishist James Ballard in the controversial Canadian film Crash in 1996 and assassin Lee Woods in 2 Days in the Valley. In 1997, Spader guest starred in an episode of Seinfeld as an angry recovering alcoholic who refuses to apologize to George for making fun of him. In 2000, he played a drug-addicted detective tracking down serial killer Keanu Reeves in The Watcher. In 2001, he starred as Maggie Gyllenhaal's sadistic boss in the critically acclaimed Secretary.

From 2004 to 2008, Spader starred as the lead character Alan Shore in the television series Boston Legal, in which he reprised his role from the television series The Practice. Spader won the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy Award[7] for his portrayal of Alan Shore in 2004, on The Practice and won it again in 2005 and 2007, for Boston Legal.[8][6] With the 2005 Emmy Win, Spader became one of the few actors (along with co-star William Shatner as Denny Crane) to win an Emmy award while playing the same character in two different series. Even rarer, Shatner and Spader each won a second consecutive Emmy while playing the same character in two different series. Spader also won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for Boston Legal in 2006.[6]

In October 2006, Spader narrated China Revealed, the first episode of Discovery Channel's documentary series Discovery Atlas.

Spader starred as a lead character in Race, a play written and directed by David Mamet. It opened on December 6, 2009[9] at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. The show closed on August 21, 2010 after 297 performances.[10]

In March 2011, Spader was named to star in By Virtue Fall, a film written and to be directed by Sheldon Turner. As of June 2011, the movie is in pre-production, and set to be released 2013.[11]

Spader was one of a number of prominent guest stars in "Search Committee," the final episode of season 7 of The Office. He portrayed a man named Robert California. On June 27, 2011, Ricky Gervais (an executive producer on the show) announced Spader was to join the cast on a permanent basis.[12] Spader planned to stay only through the eighth season, and while the original plan was just to do the guest appearance, executive producer Paul Lieberstein said, "those two scenes became a season."[13]

On August 29, 2013, Marvel Studios announced that Spader will join the Avengers: Age of Ultron cast as villainous robot Ultron. Scheduled for a 2015 release, the film is the sequel to the 2012 release The Avengers.

Spader currently stars in NBC's television series, The Blacklist, which began in September 2013. He portrays the fictional Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives.

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Spader met his first wife, Victoria Kheel, a decorator, while working in a yoga studio, after he moved to New York in the 1980s. They married in 1987 and have two sons, Elijah and Sebastian. Spader filed for divorce from Kheel in 2004 and, as of June 2011, has plans to marry his girlfriend (and former Alien Hunter co-star), Leslie Stefanson,[14] with whom he had a child in August 2008.

Involvement in the Stargate universe[edit | edit source]

Actor[edit | edit source]

Filmography[edit | edit source]

Film and Television
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Ultron (voice) Film, post-production
2013-2014 The Blacklist Raymond 'Red' Reddington TV Series, 23 episodes
2014 The Homesman Aloysius Duffy Film
2012 Lincoln W.N. Bilbo Film
2011-2012 The Office Robert California TV series, 25 episodes
2009 Shorts Mr. Black Film
2004-2008 Boston Legal (TV series) Alan Shore TV series, 101 episodes
2004 Shadow of Fear William Ashbury Film
2003-2004 The Practice Alan Shore TV series, 22 episodes
2003 Alien Hunter Julian Rome Film
2003 I Witness Douglas Draper Film
2003 The Pentagon Papers Daniel Ellsberg TV movie
2002 The Stickup John Parker Film
2002 Secretary Mr. Grey Film
2001 Speaking of Sex Dr. Roger Klink Film
2000 Slow Burn Marcus Film
2000 The Watcher Campbell Film
2000 Supernova Nick Vanzant Film
1998 Curtain Call Stevenson Lowe Film
1997 Seinfeld Jason 'Stanky' Hanky TV series, 1 episode
1997 Critical Care Dr. Werner Ernst Film
1997 Driftwood The Man Film
1996 Keys to Tulsa Ronnie Stover Film
1996 2 Days in the Valley Lee Woods Film
1996 Crash James Ballard Film
1994 Stargate Dr. Daniel Jackson Film
1994 Frasier Steven TV series, 1 episode
1994 Wolf Stewart Swinton Film
1993 Dream Lover Ray Reardon Film
1993 The Music of Chance Jack Pozzi Film
1992 Bob Roberts Chuck Marlin Film
1992 Storyville Cray Fowler Film
1991 True Colors Tim Gerrity Film
1990 White Palace Max Baron Film
1990 Bad Influence Michael Boll Film
1989 The Rachel Papers Deforest Film
1989 Sex, Lies, and Videotape Graham Dalton Film
1988 Jack's Back John/Rick Westford Film
1988 Greasy Lake Digby Video
1987 Wall Street Roger Barnes Film
1987 Less Than Zero Rip Film
1987 Baby Boom Ken Arrenberg Film
1987 Mannequin Richards Film
1986 Pretty in Pink Steff Film
1985 Starcrossed Joey Callaghan TV movie
1985 The New Kids Dutra Film
1985 Tuff Turf Morgan Hiller Film
1984 Family Secrets Lowell Everall TV movie
1983 The Family Tree Jake Nichols TV series
1983 A Killer in the Family Donny Tison TV movie
1983 Diner Fenwick TV short
1983 Cocaine: One Man's Seduction Buddy Gant TV movie
1981 Endless Love Keith Butterfield (as Jimmy Spader) Film
1978 Team-Mates Jimmy Film

Awards and nominations[edit | edit source]

Spader has won 5 awards, out of 26 nominations.

Year Award Category Work Result
1989 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Sex, Lies, and Videotape Won
1990 Saturn Award Best Actor Jack's Back Nominated
1990 CFCA Award Best Actor Sex, Lies, and Videotape Nominated
1990 Independent Spirit Award Best Male Lead Sex, Lies, and Videotape Nominated
1990 Independent Spirit Award Best Male Lead Sex, Lies, and Videotape Nominated
1995 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor Wolf Nominated
2003 Chlotrudis Award Best Actor Secretary Nominated
2004 Primetime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The Practice Won
2005 Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama Boston Legal Nominated
2005 People's Choice Award Favorite Male Television Star Nominated
2005 Primetime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Boston Legal Won
2005 Satellite Award Outstanding Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical Boston Legal Nominated
2005 Golden Satellite Award Best Actor in a Series, Drama Boston Legal Nominated
2006 Satellite Award Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical Boston Legal Won
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Boston Legal Nominated
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series Boston Legal Nominated
2007 Primetime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Boston Legal Won
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2008 Primetime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2008 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2009 Golden Nymph Outstanding Actor - Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2009 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Boston Legal Nominated
2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Office Nominated

References[edit | edit source]

Wikipedia-logo-v2.svg This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at James Spader . The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Semantic Stargate Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0).