Quick Facts
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Biography
Bradley James (born 11 October 1983) is a British actor. He is best known for portraying Arthur Pendragon (previously Prince Arthur) in the television programme Merlin.
Debuting in 2008, his breakthrough role as Arthur Pendragon in Merlin came later that year. He has since appeared in Homeland and iZombie, and stars as the title character in the television series Damien. His film roles include Carl in Fast Girls in 2012 and Varga in Underworld: Blood Wars.
Early and personal life
James was born at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter, Devon in England. He and his family then moved to Jacksonville, Florida in the United States when he was nine years old. During his time there, he attended Crown Point Elementary School and then Fletcher Middle School, before attending Madeley High School in Madeley, England.
James is a fan of football and participates annually in sporting charity events. When he was younger, he wanted to be either a footballer or an actor.
Career
James first appeared in an episode of Lewis in 2008 and also played the part of Ben in the BBC Three drama Dis/Connected.
His breakthrough came in 2008, when he was cast as Prince Arthur, who later becomes the legendary King Arthur, in the BBC One fantasy TV series Merlin. The show was also a consistent hit series in the US; its first series was shown on the broadcast network NBC and its second, third, fourth, and fifth series on NBC's affiliate cable network Syfy. Merlin ended its 5-year run in 2012. James and co-star Colin Morgan went on an exploration of Arthurian legends for BBC Wales, The Real Merlin & Arthur, in 2009.
James also guest starred as Edgar in the fourth season of the Emmy Award winning political thriller television series Homeland in 2014.
In 2015, James was cast as a villain in Underworld: Blood Wars. The same year, he appeared in the television series iZombie as recurring character Lowell Tracey, a love interest for main character Liv. The character appears in five episodes before being killed off in episode 9. He starred as main character Damien Thorn on television series Damien, a sequel to the Omen film series. The show debuted in March 2016 and was cancelled amid poor ratings in May 2016.
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Lewis | Jack Roth | Series 2, episode 6: "Music to Die For" | |
| 2008 | Dis/Connected | Ben | TV movie | |
| 2008–2012 | Merlin | Arthur Pendragon | Series 1-5: 65 episodes (main role) | |
| 2009 | Merlin: Secrets and Magic | Self | Documentary: 14 episodes | |
| 2009 | The Real Merlin and Arthur | Self | TV Documentary co-starring Colin Morgan | |
| 2009 | Portobello 196 | Jude | Short | |
| 2010 | Colin & Bradley's Merlin Quest | Himself | Short: 13 online episodes | |
| 2014 | Homeland | Lt JG Edgars | Season 4, episode 1: "The Drone Queen" | |
| 2015 | iZombie | Lowell Tracey | Season 1, episodes 5-13 (recurring role) | |
| 2016 | Damien | Damien Thorn | Season 1: 10 episodes (lead role) |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Fast Girls | Carl | ||
| 2016 | Underworld: Blood Wars | Varga |