Editing James Spader

{{short description|American actor (born 1960)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = James Spader
| image              = James Spader by Gage Skidmore.jpg
| caption            = Spader at the 2014 [[San Diego Comic-Con]]
| birth_name         = James Todd Spader
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|1960|2|7}}
| birth_place        = [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S.
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1978–present
| spouse             = {{marriage|Victoria Kheel|1987|2004|reason=divorced}}
| partner            = [[Leslie Stefanson]] (2002–present)
| children           = 3
}}

'''James Todd Spader''' (born February 7, 1960; {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|p|eɪ|d|ər}} {{respell|SPAY|dər}}) 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, for which he received acclaim and many awards, including three [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] and nominations for three [[Golden Globe Awards]], and ten [[Screen Actors Guild Awards]].

Spader began acting in youth-oriented films such as ''[[Tuff Turf]]'', ''[[The New Kids]]'' (both 1985), ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'' (1986), and ''[[Mannequin (1987 film)|Mannequin]]'' (1987). His breakthrough role came with the [[Steven Soderbergh]] drama ''[[Sex, Lies, and Videotape]]'' (1989), for which he received the [[Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor]]. He then starred in films such as ''[[White Palace (film)|White Palace]]'' (1990), ''[[True Colors (film)|True Colors]]'' (1991), ''[[Stargate (film)|Stargate]]'' (1994), ''[[2 Days in the Valley]]'' (1996), and ''[[Secretary (2002 film)|Secretary]]'' (2002). Spader took supporting roles in ''[[Bob Roberts]]'' (1992), ''[[Wolf (1994 film)|Wolf]]'' (1994), ''[[Lincoln (film)|Lincoln]]'' (2012), and ''[[The Homesman]]'' (2014). He also played the role of [[Ultron (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Ultron]] in the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] film ''[[Avengers: Age of Ultron]]'' (2015).

His television roles include the attorney [[Alan Shore]] in the last season of ''[[The Practice]]'' (2003–2004) and its spin-off ''[[Boston Legal]]'' (2004–2008), which earned him three [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]]. He portrayed [[Robert California]] in the sitcom ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'' (2011–2012). He then starred as Raymond Reddington in the [[NBC]] crime thriller series ''[[The Blacklist]]'' (2013–2023), for which he received two Golden Globe Award nominations for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama|Best Actor – Television Series Drama]].

== Early life and education ==
Spader was born on February 7, 1960, in [[Boston]], [[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 near [[Andover, Massachusetts]] and in [[Marion, Massachusetts]] near Cape Cod. He worked at the General Grocery Store where he was simply known as "Jimmy".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wareham.wickedlocal.com/article/20071031/NEWS/310319728|title=Jean Fraser Spader, 84, "Gigi", musician, teacher, volunteer}}</ref><ref name="James Spader Biography">{{cite web|author=<!--Not stated-->|title=James Spader Biography|url=http://www.biography.com/people/james-spader-21241255|website=The Biography.com website|publisher=A&E Television Networks|access-date=December 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210001414/http://www.biography.com/people/james-spader-21241255|archive-date=December 10, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=RS /> He has two older sisters, Libby Spader and Annie Spader. According to Spader, he had a very [[Progressivism|progressive]] and [[Liberalism|liberal]] upbringing. "I was always around dominant and influential women, and that left a great impression".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/569719/james-spader-reveals-his-childhood-sexual-fantasy-and-what-he-regrets-most-about-it|title = James Spader Reveals His Childhood Sexual Fantasy (And What He Regrets Most About It)|date = August 15, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Playboy>{{cite web|last1=Rebello|first1=Stephen|title=PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: JAMES SPADER|url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-magazine-james-spader|website=[[Playboy (magazine)|Playboy]]|date=August 18, 2014|access-date=December 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211003119/http://www.playboy.com/articles/playboy-interview-magazine-james-spader|archive-date=December 11, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Spader is a sixth-generation descendant of [[Connecticut]] politician [[Seth P. Beers]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://famouskin.com/family-group.php?name=54073+james+spader&ahnum=40 |title=James Spader Family Group |access-date=September 21, 2020}}</ref> co-founder of American School for the Deaf. [[Laurent Clerc]] is his 3rd great-grandfather.<ref>[https://famouskin.com/famous-kin-chart.php?name=54073+james+spader&kin=54090+laurent+clerc Family Relationship of James Spader]</ref>

During his early education, he attended many private schools, including [[The Pike School]] in [[Andover, Massachusetts|Andover]] where his mother taught art, and the [[Brooks School]] in [[North Andover, Massachusetts|North Andover]] where his father was a teacher.<ref name=Playboy/> He later transferred to [[Phillips Academy]], befriended President [[John F. Kennedy]]'s son [[John F. Kennedy Jr.]], dropped out at the age of seventeen, and moved to New York City to pursue his acting career.<ref name="tvguide-bio">{{cite web | work = [[TV Guide]] | url = http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-spader/bio/155526 | title = James Spader Biography | access-date = September 23, 2007}}</ref><ref name="James Spader Biography"/> 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.<ref name="tvguide-bio"/>

== Acting career ==
[[File:The Blacklist - James Spader (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Spader features in ''The Blacklist'' as Raymond Reddington]]
Spader's first major film role was in the film ''[[Endless Love (1981 film)|Endless Love]]'' (1981), and his first starring role was in ''[[Tuff Turf]]'' (1985). He rose to stardom in 1986, when he played the rich, arrogant playboy Steff in ''[[Pretty in Pink]]''. He co-starred in ''[[Mannequin (1987 film)|Mannequin]]'' (1987) and the film adaptation of ''[[Less than Zero (film)|Less than Zero]]'' (1987), in which he played a drug dealer named Rip. Supporting roles in films such as ''[[Baby Boom (film)|Baby Boom]]'' (1987) and ''[[Wall Street (1987 film)|Wall Street]]'' (1987) followed until his breakthrough in ''[[Sex, Lies, and Videotape]]'' (1989), in which he played a sexual [[voyeur]] who complicates the lives of three [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]] residents. For this performance he received the Best Actor Award at the [[Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="imdb-awards" />

Spader's roles in the early 1990s included a young, affluent widower opposite [[Susan Sarandon]] in the romantic drama ''[[White Palace (film)|White Palace]]'' (1990), a yuppie who meets the mysterious [[Rob Lowe]] in the Noir drama ''[[Bad Influence (1990 film)|Bad Influence]]'' (1990), [[John Cusack]]'s best friend in the drama ''[[True Colors (1991 film)|True Colors]]'' (1991), and a poker-playing drifter in ''[[The Music of Chance (film)|The Music of Chance]]'' (1993). In 1994, he starred as [[Egyptology|Egyptologist]] [[Daniel Jackson (Stargate)|Daniel Jackson]] in the sci-fi film ''[[Stargate (film)|Stargate]]''. In 1996, he played car accident fetishist James Ballard in the controversial Canadian film ''[[Crash (1996 film)|Crash]]'' and assassin Lee Woods in ''[[2 Days in the Valley]]''. In 1997, Spader guest starred in the ''[[Seinfeld]]'' episode "[[The Apology (Seinfeld)|The Apology]]", as an angry recovering alcoholic who refuses to apologize to [[George Costanza|George]] for making fun of him. In 2000, he played a drug-addicted detective tracking a [[serial killer]] in ''[[The Watcher (2000 film)|The Watcher]]''. In 2002, he starred as a [[sadomasochism|sadomasochistic]] boss in ''[[Secretary (2002 film)|Secretary]]''.

From 2004 to 2008, Spader starred as [[Alan Shore]] in the series ''[[Boston Legal]]'', in which he reprised his role from the television series ''[[The Practice]]'' (2003). Longtime writer-producer [[David 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."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/james-spader-casting-pushback-boston-legal-1052384|title=David E. Kelley Reveals Why James Spader Almost Didn't Star in 'Boston Legal'|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=January 7, 2018|language=en}}</ref>

He won the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series|Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series]] in 2004 for his portrayal on ''The Practice'' and won it again in 2005 and 2007 for ''Boston Legal''.<ref name="imdb-awards">{{cite web | title = Awards for James Spader | publisher = Internet Movie Database | url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000652/awards | access-date = September 17, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/james-spader |title=James Spader Emmy Award Winner|website=Emmys.com}}</ref><ref>[http://www.emmys.com/award_history_search?person=james+spader&program=&start_year=1949&end_year=2010&network=All&web_category=All&winner=All James Spader] at the Primetime Emmy Award Database</ref> 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 the [[Satellite Award]] for Best Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for ''Boston Legal'' in 2006.<ref name="imdb-awards" />

In October 2006, Spader narrated "China Revealed", the first episode of [[Discovery Channel]]'s documentary series ''[[Discovery Atlas]]''. He also did [[voice-over]] in several television commercials for [[Acura]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Acura Targets 'Alpha' Driver In New Ads |work=Marketing Daily |first=Karl |last=Greenberg |url=http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=49536 |date=October 13, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429074439/http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=49536 |archive-date=April 29, 2007 }}</ref> He starred in ''[[Race (Mamet play)|Race]]'', a play written and directed by [[David Mamet]], which opened on December 6, 2009, at the [[Ethel Barrymore Theatre]] on Broadway.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.backstage.com/bso/production-listings/new-york-production-listings-1003987293.story |title=New York Production Listings|work=[[Backstage (magazine)|Backstage]]|date= June 24, 2009}}</ref> The show closed on August 21, 2010, after 297 performances.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/james-spader-rips-into-mamets-race/|title= James Spader Rips Into Mamet's 'Race'|work=[[The New York Times]]|date= May 12, 2009}}</ref> In March 2011, he was named to star in the film ''By Virtue Fall'', written and to be directed by [[Sheldon Turner]]. {{as of|2011|6}}, the movie was in pre-production.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/james-spader-carla-gugino-ryan-172370/|title= James Spader, Carla Gugino, Ryan Phillippe Join Cast of 'By Virtue Fall'|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

Spader guest-starred as [[Robert California]] in "[[Search Committee]]", the [[The Office (American TV series) season 7|season 7]] finale of ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]''. He then joined the cast as a regular member for the [[The Office (American TV series) season 8|eighth season]]. While the original plan was just to do a guest appearance, executive producer Paul Lieberstein later said, "Those two scenes became a season".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://downriversundaytimes.com/2012/03/16/celebrity-extra-139/|title=Celebrity Extra|last=Elavsky|first=Cindy|work=Downriver Sunday Times|date=March 16, 2012|access-date=March 23, 2012}}</ref>

Spader starred in the television series, ''[[The Blacklist]]'', which premiered on [[NBC]] 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 the [[FBI]]'s most wanted fugitives.

He also played the villainous robot [[Ultron (Marvel Cinematic Universe)|Ultron]] in ''[[Avengers: Age of Ultron]]'' (2015), and will reprise the role in the upcoming [[Disney+]] series ''[[Vision Quest (miniseries)|Vision Quest]]'' (2026).<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 23, 2024 |title=James Spader Returning as Ultron for Marvel's Vision Series |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/marvel-sets-james-spader-ultron-vision-quest-1235982271/ |website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Spader met his first 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 former ''[[Alien Hunter]]'' (2003) co-star, [[Leslie Stefanson]], in 2002.<ref>{{cite news | title = James Spader Plans to Wed Again | date = December 29, 2005 | publisher=Contact Music | url =http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/spader%20plans%20to%20wed%20again | access-date = September 17, 2007}}</ref> They have one son together.<ref name=RS>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/james-spader-the-strangest-man-on-tv-173892/|title=James Spader, the strangest man on TV|first=Andres|last=Goldman|date=April 21, 2014|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=October 15, 2015}}</ref>

In an interview with ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in 2014, Spader revealed he has [[obsessive–compulsive disorder]].<ref name=RS/>

== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title 
!Role
!Notes 
|-
| 1978 || ''Team Mates'' || Jimmy || Acting debut
|-
| 1981 || ''[[Endless Love (1981 film)|Endless Love]]'' || Keith Butterfield || Credited as Jimmy Spader
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1985 || ''[[Tuff Turf]]'' || Morgan Hiller ||
|-
| ''[[The New Kids]]'' || Eddie "Dutra" Dutra ||
|-
| 1986 || ''[[Pretty in Pink]]'' || Steff ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1987 || ''[[Mannequin (1987 film)|Mannequin]]'' || Richards ||
|-
| ''[[Baby Boom (film)|Baby Boom]]'' || Ken Arrenberg ||
|-
| ''[[Less than Zero (film)|Less than Zero]]'' || Rip ||
|-
| ''[[Wall Street (1987 film)|Wall Street]]'' || Roger Barnes ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1988 || ''[[Greasy Lake & Other Stories#Media adaptations|Greasy Lake]]'' || Digby || Short film
|-
| ''[[Jack's Back]]'' || John / Rick Westford || 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1989 || ''[[Sex, Lies, and Videotape]]'' || Graham Dalton || 
|-
| ''[[The Rachel Papers]]'' || Deforest || 
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1990 || ''[[Bad Influence (1990 film)|Bad Influence]]'' || Michael Boll ||
|-
| ''[[White Palace (film)|White Palace]]'' || Max Baron ||
|-
| 1991 || ''[[True Colors (film)|True Colors]]'' || Tim Gerrity ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1992 || ''[[Storyville (film)|Storyville]]'' || Cray Fowler ||
|-
| ''[[Bob Roberts]]'' || Chuck Marlin ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1993 || ''[[The Music of Chance (film)|The Music of Chance]]'' || Jack Pozzi ||
|-
| ''[[Dream Lover (1993 film)|Dream Lover]]'' || Ray Reardon ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1994 || ''[[Wolf (1994 film)|Wolf]]'' || Stewart Swinton || 
|-
| ''[[Stargate (film)|Stargate]]'' || [[Daniel Jackson (Stargate)|Dr. Daniel Jackson]] ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1996 || ''[[Crash (1996 film)|Crash]]'' || James Ballard ||
|-
| ''[[2 Days in the Valley]]'' || Lee Woods ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1997 || ''[[Keys to Tulsa]]'' || Ronnie Stover ||
|-
| ''Driftwood'' || The Man ||
|-
| ''[[Critical Care (film)|Critical Care]]'' || Dr. Werner Ernst ||
|-
| 1998 || ''[[Curtain Call (1998 film)|Curtain Call]]'' || Stevenson Lowe ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2000 || ''[[Supernova (2000 film)|Supernova]]'' || Nick Vanzant ||
|-
| ''[[The Watcher (2000 film)|The Watcher]]'' || Joel Campbell ||
|-
| ''[[Slow Burn (2000 film)|Slow Burn]]'' || Marcus ||
|-
| 2001 || ''[[Speaking of Sex]]'' || Dr. Roger Klink ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002 || ''[[Secretary (2002 film)|Secretary]]'' || E. Edward Grey ||
|-
| ''[[The Stickup]]'' || John Parker ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2003 || ''[[I Witness]]'' || Douglas Draper ||
|-
| ''[[Alien Hunter]]'' || Julian Rome ||
|-
| 2004 || ''Shadow of Fear'' || William Ashbury ||
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Shorts (2009 film)|Shorts]]'' || Carbon Black ||
|-
| 2012 || ''[[Lincoln (film)|Lincoln]]'' || [[William Bilbo]] || 
|-
| 2014 || ''[[The Homesman]]'' || Aloysius Duffy ||
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Avengers: Age of Ultron]]'' || [[Ultron]] || Voice and motion-capture
|}

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1983 || ''Diner'' || Fenwick || Television short
|-
| ''[[The Family Tree (TV series)|The Family Tree]]'' || Jake Nichols || 6 episodes
|-
| ''[[Cocaine: One Man's Seduction]]'' || Buddy Gant || rowspan="4" | Television film
|-
| ''[[A Killer in the Family]]'' || Donny Tison 
|-
| 1984 || ''[[Family Secrets (1984 film)|Family Secrets]]'' || Lowell Everall 
|-
| 1985 || ''Starcrossed'' || Joey Callaghan 
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Frasier]]'' || Steven || Voice; episode: "Slow Tango in South Seattle"
|-
| 1997 || ''[[Seinfeld]]'' || Jason "Stanky" Hanky || Episode: "[[The Apology (Seinfeld)|The Apology]]"
|-
| 2003 || ''[[The Pentagon Papers (film)|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 (American TV series)|The Office]]'' || [[Robert California]] || 20 episodes 
|-
| 2013–2023 || ''[[The Blacklist]]'' || Raymond "Red" Reddington || 218 episodes; also executive producer
|-
| 2026 || ''[[Vision Quest (miniseries)|Vision Quest]]'' || [[Ultron]] || Voice and motion-capture; Filming
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
{{Main|List of awards and nominations received by James Spader}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* {{Emmys person|james-spader}}

{{Navboxes
|title = [[List of awards and nominations received by James Spader|Awards for James Spader]]
|list  = 
{{Cannes Film Festival Best Actor Award}}
{{EmmyAward DramaLeadActor 2001–2025}}
{{Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy}}
}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Film|Television|United States}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Spader, James}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:Brooks School alumni]]
[[Category:Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor winners]]
[[Category:Male actors from Boston]]
[[Category:Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:People with obsessive–compulsive disorder]]
[[Category:Phillips Academy alumni]]