James was born and raised in Australia by a beautiful couple of ballroom dancers from South Africa and England. In his high school years, James was encouraged to begin his craft in The Tempest and also directed the play I.D, where he was able to connect to his South African roots. After trying his hand at the saxophone and guitar, James realised he wanted to be an actor when he played the lead in his high school musical, My Favorite Year. James’ love for musical theatre encouraged him to play Toro in Packemin Productions’ West Side Story (dir. Craig Stewart, Prod, Neil Gooding) and Aaron Burr in a Lin Manuel Miranda Concert with Manly Musical Society (dir. by Sam Ducker, prod. Keith Muir).
His passion for hip-hop was also nurtured during these years. James has written and recorded a dozen songs and has even battled the likes of Sydney-based rapper, Kwame. You can find James in Kwame’s music video, NOBODY, ft. E^ST. Which was officially selected by the LA International Music Video Festival awards in 2020.
During James’ time at ACA he has been proactive in playing various roles in short films such as It Sets You Free and Threshold which played at the Byron Bay Film Festival. James also played Mr Guest in Hiding Jekyll, dir. Liviu Monsted which was recorded at the Factory Theatre with Kore Productions.
James’ theatre credits during his time at ACA include Trofimov in The Cherry Orchard (dir. by Adam Cook), William Hastings/James Tyrell in Richard III (dir. by Adam Cook), Jackie in The Motherfucker with the Hat (dir. by Troy Harrison), and most recently, Aimwell in The Beaux’ Stratagem (dir. by Claudia Barrie) to name a few!
