James Callis

James Callis
Callis at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	James Nicholas Callis (1971-06-04) 4 June 1971 (age 50) Hampstead, London, England
Nationality	British
Education	Harrow School
Alma mater	University of York (B.A., English and Related Literature, 1993) London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Neha Callis ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	3

James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is an English actor. He is known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones's best friend Tom in Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and Bridget Jones's Baby. He joined the cast of the TV series Eureka, on Syfy, in 2010, and in 2017, he voiced the character Alucard on the Netflix series Castlevania, based on the video game series of the same name.

Early life[]

Callis was born in Hampstead and brought up in London, where he attended St. Martin's Prep School in Northwood and then Harrow School in north-west London. His parents owned a bed-and-breakfast.^[1] In a comment to a fansite, Callis repudiated the rumour that he comes from aristocratic roots by saying that he is the descendant of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland.^[2]

Callis attended the University of York, graduating in 1993 with a BA in English and Related Literature. He was a member of Derwent College, for which he was an enthusiastic rugby player. At university he was also a keen student actor, director and writer. He was a key member of the University of York Gilbert and Sullivan society and even appeared in productions put on by friends at Cambridge University, including a production of Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter. After graduating from university, Callis trained at LAMDA.

Career[]

Callis in 2007

Callis went on to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 1996. In the same year, he was awarded the Jack Tinker Award (Theatre Record Critic of the Year) for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in Old Wicked Songs, a two-hander by Jon Marans, in which he starred alongside Bob Hoskins.

Callis has appeared in various West End productions and television series as well as on radio. He has also been involved in writing and directing. His directorial debut was Beginner's Luck, a co-production of his and writer/director Nick Cohen's Late Night Pictures and Angel Eye Film & TV, starring Julie Delpy, Steven Berkoff and Fenella Fielding. Beginner's Luck was critically panned, but ran for almost three weeks on one print (all the low-budget film could afford) in one cinema in central London, then went on a tour of student cinemas around the UK The UK distributor was Guerrilla Films. The film is still on the Icon Catalogue.

Callis finished filming his first role in a cinema film, Bridget Jones's Diary, alongside Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant, in the summer of 2000 and between a few further film and TV roles went back on stage in the Soho Theatre in December 2002.

In 2003, Callis played the role of Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and continued the role in the regular series that followed. In 2006, Callis won the Best Supporting Actor Saturn Award and an AFI award for his performance as Baltar.

Personal life[]

Callis has two sisters. He married on 30 December 1998 and has two sons and a daughter, born 2003, 2005, and 2009. Callis is Jewish.

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

Radio[]

Web[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to James Callis.

• James Callis at IMDb
• James Callis at TV Guide