James Marsters: Summary

Recent Role:: Damian Lake on Numb3rs

Gender:: Male

Birthday:: 8-20-1962

Birthplace:: Greenville, CA

Birth Name:: James Wesley Marsters

AKA:: Spike

James Wesley Marsters was born August 20, 1962. He is originally from Greenville, California, but grew up in Modesto. His father used to be a minister, and his mother, a social worker, almost became a nun. He has one brother and one sister and graduated from Davis High School in Modesto. He studied at Juilliard, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American Conservatory Theatre. While doing regional theatre in Chicago, he co-founded the New Mercury Theatre company (named after Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre). In 1990, New Mercury's founders packed the operation up and relocated to Seattle in the hopes of finding more opportunity. They played there for a number of years, using any available space, including the basements of restaurants and churches, but eventually found themselves a more permanent space near Pioneer Square. Acting on advice from fellow actors and seeing only meager future earnings on the stage, Marsters eventually departed to seek a more solid salary in Hollywood.

After taking several small guest starring roles on shows like Northern Exposure and Moloney, he landed the role of a vampire named Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That short-term guest role turned into a long-term contract and James became a regular on the series in its fourth season. He also guest starred on Millennium on the FOX network and had a role in the 1999 horror film House on Haunted Hill. In 1998, he filmed only a single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but kept himself busy with a fairly large role in an independent film called Winding Roads.

James has appeared as a guest star on a number of series including Smallville and Torchwood. James also spends much of his time doing convention appearances around the world and filming guest-starring roles for other series.

When he's not on camera, he works on his car, drives in the desert, paints, and writes. He also plays guitar and sings on stage at the Santa Monica nightclub 14 Below. James lives in the greater Los Angeles area and is currently single.

In addition to his acting talents, James is also a musician and performs regularly at California nightclubs. Typically, he sings his original compositions with a few cover songs thrown into the mix. Some of the artists he covers include Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Neil Young, and Nirvana.

James has traditionally been a solo act, but recently he's formed a band with Buffy the Vampire Slayer writers Steve DeKnight and Doug Petrie, as well as Soccer Hooligans guitarist Charlie DeMars. The band is called Ghost of the Robot and they have been touring around a bit. James Wesley Marsters was born August 20, 1962. He is originally from Greenville, California, but grew up in Modesto. His father used to be a minister, and his mother, a social worker, almost became a nun. He has one brother and one sister and graduated from Davis High School in Modesto. He studied at Juilliard, the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, and the American...

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Dragon Ball film dated, cast
Live-action translation of popular Japanese manga will hit theaters next summer; Justin Chatwin, Buffy's Spike to star.
- 11/15/07 11:30 AM
- 115 comments \ add yours
Buffy's Spike may bite back
Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon may reanimate Spike character in a TV movie.
- 09/15/05 3:00 PM
- 56 comments \ add yours

10
10
elainecleo
member since: Oct 21, 2007
I fell in love with James watching Buffy and Angel, in fact if it had not been for Spike I would not have watched the last 4 years of Buffy. If he is in a movie or TV show I am going to watch if for no other reason than James is in it. ...Continue »
I had seen the trailers for Dragonball Evolution and did not think I would like it, but went just to see James as Piccolo and was very surprised at how much I loved the movie. James brought Piccolo to life and I am looking forward to the next DB movie, already ordered my DVD. I have every movie James has been in except Cool Money and I can not find it anywhere. Loved him in Chance and Shadow Puppet and can't believe the BBC is only going to have 5 eps of Torchwood this year and Capt John is not going to be in it. Those two eps Capt John Hart were in were the best ones. James is just so much fun when he is a Big Bad. His readings of the audio books of The Dresden Files are amazing, with all his voices and accents he makes me forget it is just James and not a whole cast, but then a word or two will slip in sounding like Spike and I LOVE IT. He has great comic timing and oh so sexy as a lover. James Marsters is by far my favorite actor...ever.
04/13/09 04:15pm | report abuse
9.5
32
Friendsfan121
member since: Nov 30, 2008
Great actor; loved him on Buffy. ...Continue »
He did such a great job on Buffy! I don't think anyone could have done better. His English accent is so realistic that he sounds odd talking normally to me. He also sang great in Once More, With Feeling. While I like Angel and Buffy way more, James Marster's portrayal of Spike made me feel for him so much. I wish he was in more movies! It's too bad Buffy ended. It's also too bad that a Spike movie was never made, because I think that a lot of people would see a movie with him in it as there are a lot of fans.
01/15/09 06:14pm | report abuse
10
10
E_Oshields
member since: Dec 31, 2008
James is so my favorite actor. I think he is a classic bad boy that looks so so good. ...Continue »
No one on God's green earth could pull off bleach blonde hair, tight black pants, and a leather trench coat quite as well as he. Instead of Angel getting his own show, it should have been spike all the way. And that voice of his makes my insides absolutely melt every single time he utters a word. The only thing I feel he is lacking is more more more of himself on the television screen. I just can't get enough! I watch buffy all the time, but I want to see what other big roles he can play! So in conclusion I just want to say.....GIVE ME MORE, and move over buffy, I feel like demolishing a building while getting dirty with SPIKE!!!!!
12/30/08 07:29pm | report abuse
9
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MWoodford
member since: Dec 13, 2008
James Marsters is fabulously brilliant. ...Continue »
I fell in love with James after his appearance as Spike on Joss Whedon's 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' I continued to love him when he moved to Whedon's 'Angel.' I went out of my way to rent 'Shadowpuppets' when it was released. It was a horrible movie, but James did an amazing job. He's completely talented and even his voice work is amazing. If one has not listened to Jim Butcher's 'Dresden Files' one should. James is Harry Dresden. He takes the role just as seriously and it shows. The point I'm trying to make is; James Marsters is an extremely talented actor.
12/16/08 08:33pm | report abuse
9.3
10
serina86
member since: Jan 16, 2008
James Marsters is just Bloody Brilliant!! ...Continue »
First of I have to say that James Marsters is a brilliant actor. I just Love Love Love him as Spike. This guy, I just can't believe he doesn't have is his own show yet. He was able to turn a character who was soulless and just plain evil into a guy you can sympathize with. He has done almost 7 seasons of Buffy/Angel. And in all those seasons he was the character for me who stole the show. That guy has charisma. I can't name any other person in the world who can still look that sexy with dyed blond hair. And now on Smallville again as Milton Fine AKA brianiac he is just brilliant. He can make you believe that he is a computer. And although he is getting older and he is not that sexy anymore (in my eyes anyway) he remains a great actor. How crazy is that. And for the life of me I can NOT understand why he doesn't have his own show yet!.
07/08/08 12:45pm | report abuse