Bradley James

Bradley James (born 1983 or 1984) is an English actor. He is best known for starring as Arthur Pendragon in the BBC series Merlin (2008–12), Damien Thorn in Damien (2016), Varga in Underworld: Blood Wars, Giuliano de' Medici in Medici: The Magnificent (2018–2020), and Lieutenant Colonel Felix Sparks in The Liberator (2020).

Early life and education
James was born in Exeter, Devon, England. He became interested in acting at the early age of six, whilst in primary school. His family moved to Jacksonville, Florida, when he was nine. During his time there, he attended Crown Point Elementary School and then Fletcher Middle School, before returning to England to attend Madeley High School in Madeley, Staffordshire, England. From 2004 to 2007 James attended Drama Centre London, graduating after three years.

Career


In 2008, James appeared in an episode of Lewis, then played the part of Ben Davis in the BBC Three comedy-drama film Dis/Connected. The same year, he was cast as Arthur Pendragon, in the BBC One fantasy TV series Merlin. The show was a consistent hit series in the US; its first season was shown on the broadcast network NBC and its second, third, fourth, and fifth seasons on NBC's affiliate cable network Syfy. Merlin ended its 5-year run in 2012. James went on an exploration of Arthurian legends for BBC Wales, The Real Merlin & Arthur, in 2009.

In 2014, James guest-starred as Edgar in the fourth season of the Emmy Award-winning political thriller television series Homeland.

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. He starred as title character Damien Thorn on the television series Damien, created by Glen Mazzara a sequel to the Omen film series.

In 2018, James was cast as Giuliano de' Medici in Medici: The Magnificent, alongside Daniel Sharman as Lorenzo de' Medici, a series which follows the Medici family, bankers of the Pope, during Renaissance Florence.

In 2020, James played the lead role of American war hero Felix Sparks in The Liberator, Netflix's four-part World War II drama series based on the book by Alex Kershaw. This is the first project produced in Trioscope, a new enhanced hybrid technology that combines state-of-the-art CGI with live-action performance.

In 2023, he starred as a local Norwegian farmer and chieftain Harekr, in the second season of the Netflix historical drama Vikings: Valhalla, created by Jeb Stuart as a sequel to History's Vikings, and was filmed in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Personal life
James has two sisters, Natalie and Stephanie. He is a big Arsenal F.C. supporter. He is also a keen football player, and likes to play for charity whenever possible. He is also a fan of the Miami Dolphins of the American Football Conference.