Home

Biography

James Wesley Marsters was born August 20th in Greenville, California. His father, a former minister, and his mother, an almost nun turned social worker, raised James and his brother and sister in the town of Modesto.

In a fourth grade production of Winnie the Pooh, James made his acting debut as "Eyeore". A star was born.

After graduating from Davis High School in Modesto, James studied at Juilliard (where they are no doubt regretting telling him he had no talent), the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American Conservatory Theatre.

James began his profession career in the theatre. For almost 10 years, he did stage work and performed in various plays in New York, Chicago, and Seattle.

While doing regional theatre in Chicago, he co-founded the New Mercury Theatre Company (named after Orson Welles' "Mercury Theatre"). In 1990, New Mercury's founders packed the operation up and relocated to Seattle in hopes of finding more opportunity; they played there for a number of years, using any available space, including the basements of restaurants and churches, but eventually found themselves a more permanent space near Pioneer Square.

While working in Seattle, James landed his first on-screen role guest-starring in the television series Northern Exposure as an ill-at-ease priest. Acting on advice from fellow actors and seeing only meager future earnings on the stage, James eventually departed to seek a more solid salary in Hollywood.

After taking several small guest-starring roles in series television, James landed the role of Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What started out as a short-term guest role in Buffy's second season turned into a long-term contract in the fourth season when James became a regular cast member.

Between seasons two and four of Buffy, James guest-starred on Millennium, Strange Frequency, and Andromeda, had a role in the 1999 horror film The House On Haunted Hill, and starred in an independent film called Winding Roads.

James appeared in the film written and produced by Amber Benson (Tara, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) entitled Chance. He also appeared in another independent film called The Enforcers which has yet to be released.

Addition projects include: Narrating Storm Front and Fool Moon written by James Butcher; providing the voice of Sergei, a villainous Russian, in the animated Spiderman series; and supplying the voice of Spike for Chaos Bleeds, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer video game.

He appeared in the fifth and final season of The WB's Angel: the Series as a series regular continuing his role as Spike.

During the summer of 2003 James along with his now defunk band, Ghost of the Robot, toured Europe promoting their new album - Mad Brilliant. He also appeared at several Sci-Fi and Buffy conventions. Because of his immense talent, sexy good looks, and genuine appreciation for his fans, he has become an extremely popular actor on the Convention circuit. If you have an opportunity to see him, take it. You won't regret it. He's a genuinely nice person.

Although Ghost of the Robot disbanded, James has continued with his music. In early 2005, he released his first solo album - "Civilized Man." Following the release of his solo album, James embarked on the "Live in Five" UK Tour promoting "Civilized Man." He played to sold out audiences in venues all over the UK.

He just finished a guest run in the fifth season of The WB's "Smallville" as the recurring character Professor Fine, aka Brianiac.

James filmed his first feature, "Shadow Puppets," with Jolene Blalock. The film is set for a Halloween 2006 release.

Between acting and singing and touring and attending conventions, James is one busy fella. In his spare time, he plays with his PlayStation and his kids, takes baths, and sleeps.

James lives in the greater Los Angeles area and is currently single.

Random Facts:

James is about 5'9" with blue eyes. Also, the Spike accent is fake. He's a native Californian.

For those who just have to know his marital status, according to the man himself, he is divorced with a son. Anything else is his business. Unless he mentions it at a Con, in which case everyone in the online community will know within the hour.

For those pondering bleaching their hair, James recommends adding four to seven packets of Sweet 'n' Low to the bleaching solution to take the sting out.

The scar above his eyebrow is real. He was mugged while living in NYC.

A few of the musicians whose work James has covered in his 14 Below shows are Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Nirvana. His own musical tastes are varied, but he's a big fan of Miles Davis.

James did have a cat named Zachary, who had been with him since his New York days; regrettably, Zachary passed away in 2000.

James' favorite play is Shakespeare's Macbeth, in which he performed the lead role for a production in Seattle. If someone would be willing to give him about eight million dollars, he'd love to make it into a movie.

Most bizarre thing he did in theatre (and something I wish I had seen): Appeared naked and strapped to a wheel in a Chicago production of The Tempest.

Depending on what source you choose, James is anywhere from 28-40 years of age. Wish I was aging that well. However, according to the man himself (and he should know), he turned 41 on August 20, 2003 making his year of birth 1962 if my math is correct.

James' favorite color is green and he's a lefty.

Contact Information:

James Marsters

c/o Steve Himber Enterprises

211 S. Beverly Drive #208

Beverly Hills, California 90212