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Who is James Tupper?
Canadian actor James Tupper was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on 4 August 1965, making Leo his zodiac sign. He has 57 acting credits, but is perhaps still known best for playing Joseph Cotton in the 2008 comedy movie “Me and Orson Welles”, which starred Zac Efron and Claire Danes, and was directed by Richard Linklater. Set in 1937, the movie follows a teenager who’s been cast to appear in the theatre play “Julius Caesar” by Orson Welles – it won five of its 32 award nominations.
James is today quite active in the film industry, and is currently shooting for the upcoming movie “Good Girl”.
Education and early life
James was raised in Dartmouth by his parents who prefer to be left out of media, which is why James can rarely be heard speaking about them in public; he hasn’t disclosed whether or not he has siblings, so his fans believe that he’s an only child.
James became interested in acting while attending a local high school, but his focus was still on his studies; he was also passionate about sports, excelling in both soccer and ice hockey.
Upon matriculating in 1983, James enrolled at Concordia University, Montreal from which he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1987; he continued his education at Rutgers University in New Jersey USA, from which he graduated with a Master’s degree in 1989.
Prior to launching his career on TV, James was a theatre actor; some of his notable performances were in “After the Rain”, “An Actor Prepares” and “Loudmouth Soup”.
Roles in TV series
James’ debut TV series role was playing Kedrick in the 2000 episode “The Time She Found Her Father” of the drama “Time of Your Life”, and the year 2005 saw him appear in an episode of three series: the comedy “Gilmore Girls”, the crime action “CSI: NY” and the romantic comedy “How I Met Your Mother”.
From 2006 through 2008, he starred as Jack Slattery in all 36 episodes of the romantic comedy “Men in Trees”, which also starred Abraham Benrubi and Anne Heche, and was created by Jenny Bicks. It follows a relationship-advice guru who’s just learned that her fiancé is cheating on her – the series was nominated for a 2007 Casting Society of America Artios Award for Best Comedy Pilot Casting.
In 2009 and 2010, James played Dr. Chris Sands in all 23 episodes of the drama “Mercy”, which starred Michelle Trachtenberg and Taylor Schilling, and was created by Liz Heldens; it follows the lives of three nurses working at Mercy Hospital. Some of his following roles were in the romantic drama “Grey’s Anatomy”, the drama “Marie” and the fantasy “Resurrection”.
From 2011 through 2015, James played David Clarke in the mystery thriller “Revenge”, which starred Emily VanCamp and Madeleine Stowe, and was created by Mike Kelley. It follows an emotionally troubled young woman whose mind is set on revenge, and the series won six of its 35 award nominations.
Some of James’ most recent TV series roles have been in two episodes of the crime documentary “The Detectives”, 13 episodes of the family adventure “The Hardy Boys” both in 2020, and four episodes of the 2023 drama “Ride”.
Roles in movies
James’ debut film role was playing Cop at Bridge in the popular 2001 adventure comedy “Joe Dirt”, which starred Brittany Daniel and David Spade, and was directed by Dennie Gordon. It follows Joe who was abandoned by his parents at the Grand Canyon, and the film won one of its four award nominations. Some of James’ following roles were in the 2001 comedy “Peroxide Passion”, the 2001 crime comedy “Corky Romano” and the 2005 comedy “Loudmouth Soup”.
In 2006, he portrayed Henry Klein in the family western “Love’s Abiding Joy”, which starred Erin Cottrell and Dale Midkiff, and was written and directed by Michael Landon Jr; it follows a family living on the frontier. Some of James’ roles in the remainder of the decade were in the 2006 thriller “Invisible”, the 2007 drama “Pictures of Hollis Woods” and the 2009 western comedy “The Gambler, the Girl and the Gunslinger”.
The year 2011 saw him play Rick in the critically acclaimed family fantasy comedy “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”, which starred Carla Gugino and Jim Carrey, and was directed by Mark Waters. It follows a businessman who’s inherited six penguin – the film won one of its four award nominations. What also marked the 2010s for James was playing Man in Funeral in the 2017 comedy “The Last Word”, which starred Amanda Seyfried and Shirley MacLaine, and was directed by Mark Pellington. It follows a retired businesswoman Harriet who’s about to write her own obituary.
Some of James’ most recent film roles have been in the romantic comedy “Fall Into Winter”, the thriller “Weathering” and another thriller “Cold Copy”, all released in 2023.
Other credits
James wrote the 2005 comedy movie “Loudmouth Soup” and the 2006 thriller film “Invisible”.
He sang the songs “Silent Night” and “O Christmas Tree” in the 2021 romantic movie “My Christmas Family Tree”.
Some of James’ recent talk-show appearances have been in “The Morning Show”, “Made in Hollywood” and “BILD LIVE”.
Awards and nominations
James and his colleagues were nominated for a 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, for “Big Little Lies”.
Love life and wife
James is trying his best to keep his love life away from media, but there are still two women whom he’s dated, that we know about. In 2001, he and American non-celebrity Katherine ‘Kate’ Mayfield exchanged vows in a small, private ceremony; they split in November 2006 but their divorce hasn’t been finalized to this day.
In 2007, James began dating famous American actress Anne Celeste Heche, after having met her on the set of the series “Men in Trees”; Anne gave birth to their son Atlas Heche Tupper in March 2009, and she and James broke up in January 2018. Anne died aged 53 on 11 August 2022, six days after she had been involved in a serious car crash which left her with an anoxic brain injury.
James is still married to Kate Mayfield as of June 2023, even though they separated in November 2006; he has a son with former girlfriend Anne Celeste Heche (deceased).
Interesting facts and hobbies
James is today followed by more than 30,000 people on Instagram, and has posted nearly 700 pictures and videos onto the social media network, with many of these showing him spending time with his son. He’s also highly active on Twitter, having tweeted nearly 1,300 times since the launch of his account in November 2012; James is followed by over 16,000 people on this network.
He loves the open sea, which is amongst the reasons why summer’s his favorite season.
James enjoys playing various sports with his friends, including soccer, tennis and basketball.
He’s a huge lover of animals, and dolphins are his favorites.
James is passionate about travelling, and occasionally uploads pictures taken during these travels onto his Instagram account.
Ryan Gosling is one of his favorite actors, and some of James’ favorite movies include “Drive”, “Blade Runner 2049” and “La La Land”.
Height, eyes and wealth
James’ age is 57. He has blue eyes and brown hair, is 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall and weighs around 180lbs (82kgs).
James’ net worth’s been estimated at over $1 million, as of June 2023.
