James Chalmers (actor)

James Robert Alexander Chalmers (born September 1974) is an English actor who has performed in film, television and theatre. Chalmers graduated from the University of Edinburgh and continued his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He first performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Spanish Golden Age productions and made his West End debut when the season transferred to the Playhouse Theatre in 2005. He has performed with Shakespeare's Globe and the Read Not Dead project, Royal Court Theatre, Northcott Theatre, Royal National Theatre (studio), Theatre503, and the Park Theatre (London).

James Chalmers
BornSeptember 1974 (age 49)
NationalityBritish
Alma materBradfield College
University of Edinburgh
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation(s)Actor, Director, Producer
Years active2000–present
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Children2

Early life

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Chalmers was educated at Eagle House School in Berkshire and Bradfield College. He went on to study at the University of Edinburgh from 1994 to 1998, where he was awarded a BSc in Civil Engineering. He then trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), London, where fellow students included Daisy Haggard and Benedict Cumberbatch, graduating in 2000.

Selected career

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Film

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In 2008 he was main cast in the British zombie movie Within The Woods directed by Luke Massey.[1] In 2019 he was main cast in the independent feature film Kill Ben Lyk.

Television

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In 2006 he guest starred in The Bill as Environmental Protection Officer Alistair Maddison. In 2008 he guest starred in the Casualty as the scam artist Steve Denver. In 2020 he played the role of William Ponsonby (British Army officer) in Belgravia (TV series). In 2022 he played the role of George in Midnight at the Pera Palace on Netflix.

Theatre

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He is most known on stage, for his role in Tamar's Revenge (by Tirso de Molina 2004) performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he played the lead role of Absalom. In that season he also appeared in Pedro, the Great Pretender (by Miguel de Cervantes), Dog in a Manger (by Lope De Vega), and House of Desires (by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz).[2]

In 2016 he appeared in The Patriotic Traitor with Tom Conti and Laurence Fox, written and directed by Jonathan Lynn.

Filmography

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Film

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YearTitleRoleNotes
2010A Good LifePolicemanShort film by Rowan Athale
2016DaisyDadNominated Best Supporting Actor Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema
2017ChokeJohnNominated Best Actor 48 Film Festival
2017The Current WarSouth Dakota Delegate
2018Kill Ben LykScott

Television

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YearTitleRoleNotes
2001The VicePolice Recruit
2006The BillAlistair Maddison
2008CasualtySteve Denver
2009DoctorsFelix Bell
2015EastEndersClerk of the Court
2018Vanity FairVicarunder production by ITV and Amazon Studios,[3]
2020BelgraviaSir William Ponsonby
2022Midnight at the Pera PalaceGeorgeReleased on Netflix Worldwide 3 March 2022

Theatre

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Selected Stage Credits

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YearTitleRoleNotes
2004Tamar's RevengeAbsalom (lead)RSC - directed by Simon Usher
2004Pedro The Great PretenderDiego TarugoRSC - directed by Mike Alfreds
2004Dog In A MangerAntoneloRSC - directed by Laurence Boswell
2006The Daughter In LawJoe
2008WarmMan 2By Jon Fosse, directed by Simon Usher
2010If So, Then YesRobert/Kevin/RobinBy N.F. Simpson, directed by Simon Usher
2012Richard IIIBuckingham
2014OthelloDuke of Venice/Montano
2016The Patriotic TraitorGeneral Le Gallet/Captain De CourcelWritten and directed by Jonathan Lynn, with Tom Conti and Laurence Fox[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Beware of the zombies at Binswood Hall". warwickcourier.co.uk. 14 April 2008. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  2. ^ Fischer, Susan L. (2005). "The Hispanic Golden Age Season at the Royal Shakespeare Company". Shakespeare Bulletin , Vol. 22, No. 4. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  3. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (25 September 2017). "'Vanity Fair': Suranne Jones, Michael Palin Join Olivia Cooke In ITV/Amazon Drama". deadline.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  4. ^ Cox, Anne (23 December 2015). "CONTI & FOX STAR IN JONATHAN LYNN'S THE PATRIOTIC TRAITOR". stagereview.co.uk. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
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