James Spader | |
|---|---|
 Spader at the 2014San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | James Todd Spader (1960-02-07)February 7, 1960 (age 65) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Leslie Stefanson (2002–present) |
| Children | 3 |
James Todd Spader (/ˈspeɪdər/SPAY-dər; born February 7, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for often portraying eccentric and morally ambiguous characters. He began his career in critically acclaimed independent films before transitioning into television, where he has received acclaim and many awards, including threePrimetime Emmy Awards and nominations for threeGolden Globe Awards, and tenScreen Actors Guild Awards.
Spader began acting in youth-oriented films such asTuff Turf,The New Kids (both 1985),Pretty in Pink (1986), andMannequin (1987). His breakthrough role came with theSteven Soderbergh dramaSex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), for which he received theCannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He then starred in films such asWhite Palace (1990),True Colors (1991),Stargate (1994),2 Days in the Valley (1996), andSecretary (2002). Spader took supporting roles inBob Roberts (1992),Wolf (1994),Lincoln (2012), andThe Homesman (2014). He also played the role ofUltron in theMarvel Cinematic Universe filmAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015).
His television roles include the attorneyAlan Shore in the last season ofThe Practice (2003–2004) and its spin-offBoston Legal (2004–2008), which earned him threePrimetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He portrayedRobert California in the sitcomThe Office (2011–2012). He then starred asRaymond Reddington in theNBC crime thriller seriesThe Blacklist (2013–2023), for which he received two Golden Globe Award nominations forBest Actor – Television Series Drama.
Spader was born on February 7, 1960, inBoston, Massachusetts, and is the youngest of three children. His parents, Jean (née Fraser) and Stoddard ("Todd") Greenwood Spader, were both teachers. He grew up on the north shore nearAndover, Massachusetts, and inMarion, Massachusetts, nearCape Cod. He worked at the General Grocery Store where he was simply known as "Jimmy".[1][2][3] He has two older sisters, Libby Spader and Annie Spader. According to Spader, he had a veryprogressive andliberal upbringing. "I was always around dominant and influential women, and that left a great impression".[4][5] Spader is a sixth-generation descendant ofConnecticut politicianSeth P. Beers.[6]Laurent Clerc, co-founder of theAmerican School for the Deaf, is his 3rd great-grandfather.[7]
During his early education, he attended many private schools, includingThe Pike School inAndover where his mother taught art, and theBrooks School inNorth Andover where his father was a teacher.[5] He later transferred toPhillips Academy, befriended PresidentJohn F. Kennedy's sonJohn F. Kennedy Jr., dropped out at the age of seventeen, and moved to New York City to pursue his acting career.[8][2] While studying to become a full-time actor, Spader undertook jobs including bartending, teaching yoga, driving a meat truck, loading railroad cars, and being a stable boy.[8]
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Spader's first major film role was in the filmEndless Love (1981), and his first starring role was inTuff Turf (1985). He rose to stardom in 1986, when he played the rich, arrogant playboy Steff inPretty in Pink. He co-starred inMannequin (1987) and the film adaptation ofLess than Zero (1987), in which he played a drug dealer named Rip. Supporting roles in films such asBaby Boom (1987) andWall Street (1987) followed until his breakthrough inSex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), in which he played a sexualvoyeur who complicates the lives of threeBaton Rouge, Louisiana residents. For this performance he received the Best Actor Award at theCannes Film Festival.[9]
Spader's roles in the early 1990s included a young, affluent widower oppositeSusan Sarandon in the romantic dramaWhite Palace (1990), a yuppie who meets the mysteriousRob Lowe in the Noir dramaBad Influence (1990),John Cusack's best friend in the dramaTrue Colors (1991), and a poker-playing drifter inThe Music of Chance (1993). In 1994, he starred asEgyptologistDaniel Jackson in the sci-fi filmStargate. In 1996, he played car accident fetishist James Ballard in the controversial Canadian filmCrash and assassin Lee Woods in2 Days in the Valley. In 1997, Spader guest starred in theSeinfeld episode "The Apology", as an angry recovering alcoholic who refuses to apologize toGeorge for making fun of him. In 2000, he played a drug-addicted detective tracking aserial killer inThe Watcher. In 2002, he starred as asadomasochistic boss inSecretary.
From 2004 to 2008, Spader starred asAlan Shore in the seriesBoston Legal, in which he reprised his role from the television seriesThe Practice (2003). Longtime writer-producerDavid E. Kelley said there was resistance when he first tried to cast Spader in the role, "I was told that no one would ever welcome James Spader into their living room". During a TV Game Changers interview Kelley noted, "People will watch him (Spader) in the movies, but they will never let him in their own home."[10]
He won theEmmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2004 for his portrayal onThe Practice and won it again in 2005 and 2007 forBoston Legal.[9][11][12] With the 2005 win, he became one of only a few actors to win an Emmy Award while playing the same character in two series. Even rarer, he won a second consecutive Emmy while playing the same character in two series. He also won theSatellite Award for Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical forBoston Legal in 2006.[9]
In October 2006, Spader narrated "China Revealed", the first episode ofDiscovery Channel's documentary seriesDiscovery Atlas. He also didvoice-over in several television commercials forAcura.[13] He starred inRace, a play written and directed byDavid Mamet, which opened on December 6, 2009, at theEthel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway.[14] The show closed on August 21, 2010, after 297 performances.[15] In March 2011, he was named to star in the filmBy Virtue Fall, written and to be directed bySheldon Turner. As of June 2011[update], the movie was in pre-production.[16]
Spader guest-starred asRobert California in "Search Committee", theseason 7 finale ofThe Office. He then joined the cast as a regular member for theeighth season. While the original plan was just to do a guest appearance, executive producer Paul Lieberstein later said, "Those two scenes became a season".[17]
Spader starred in the television series,The Blacklist, which premiered onNBC September 23, 2013, and which had its series finale on July 13, 2023, a total of ten seasons. He portrayed Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of theFBI's most wanted fugitives.
He also played the villainous robotUltron inAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and will reprise the role in the upcomingDisney+ seriesVisionQuest (2026).[18]
Spader met his wife, decorator Victoria Kheel, while working in a yoga studio after he moved to New York City in the 1980s. They married in 1987 and had two sons. Spader filed for divorce from Kheel in 2004. He began dating his formerAlien Hunter (2003) co-star,Leslie Stefanson, in 2002.[19] They have one son together.[3]
In an interview withRolling Stone in 2014, Spader revealed he hasobsessive–compulsive disorder.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Team Mates | Jimmy | Acting debut |
| 1981 | Endless Love | Keith Butterfield | Credited as Jimmy Spader |
| 1985 | Tuff Turf | Morgan Hiller | |
| The New Kids | Eddie "Dutra" Dutra | ||
| 1986 | Pretty in Pink | Steff | |
| 1987 | Mannequin | Richards | |
| Baby Boom | Ken Arrenberg | ||
| Less than Zero | Rip | ||
| Wall Street | Roger Barnes | ||
| 1988 | Greasy Lake | Digby | Short film |
| Jack's Back | John / Rick Westford | ||
| 1989 | Sex, Lies, and Videotape | Graham Dalton | |
| The Rachel Papers | Deforest | ||
| 1990 | Bad Influence | Michael Boll | |
| White Palace | Max Baron | ||
| 1991 | True Colors | Tim Gerrity | |
| 1992 | Storyville | Cray Fowler | |
| Bob Roberts | Chuck Marlin | ||
| 1993 | The Music of Chance | Jack Pozzi | |
| Dream Lover | Ray Reardon | ||
| 1994 | Wolf | Stewart Swinton | |
| Stargate | Dr. Daniel Jackson | ||
| 1996 | Crash | James Ballard | |
| 2 Days in the Valley | Lee Woods | ||
| 1997 | Keys to Tulsa | Ronnie Stover | |
| Driftwood | The Man | ||
| Critical Care | Dr. Werner Ernst | ||
| 1998 | Curtain Call | Stevenson Lowe | |
| 2000 | Supernova | Nick Vanzant | |
| The Watcher | Joel Campbell | ||
| Slow Burn | Marcus | ||
| 2001 | Speaking of Sex | Dr. Roger Klink | |
| 2002 | Secretary | E. Edward Grey | |
| The Stickup | John Parker | ||
| 2003 | I Witness | Douglas Draper | |
| Alien Hunter | Julian Rome | ||
| 2004 | Shadow of Fear | William Ashbury | |
| 2009 | Shorts | Carbon Black | |
| 2012 | Lincoln | William Bilbo | |
| 2014 | The Homesman | Aloysius Duffy | |
| 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Ultron | Voice and motion-capture |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Diner | Fenwick | Television short |
| The Family Tree | Jake Nichols | 6 episodes | |
| Cocaine: One Man's Seduction | Buddy Gant | Television film | |
| A Killer in the Family | Donny Tison | ||
| 1984 | Family Secrets | Lowell Everall | |
| 1985 | Starcrossed | Joey Callaghan | |
| 1994 | Frasier | Steven | Voice; episode: "Slow Tango in South Seattle" |
| 1997 | Seinfeld | Jason "Stanky" Hanke | Episode: "The Apology" |
| 2003 | The Pentagon Papers | Daniel Ellsberg | Television film |
| 2003–2004 | The Practice | Alan Shore | 22 episodes |
| 2004–2008 | Boston Legal | Alan Shore | 101 episodes |
| 2006 | Discovery Atlas | Narrator | Voice; episode: "China Revealed" |
| 2011–2012 | The Office | Robert California | 20 episodes |
| 2013–2023 | The Blacklist | Raymond "Red" Reddington | 218 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2026 | VisionQuest | Ultron | Voice and motion-capture; Post-production |
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