Theo James

James has been married to actress Ruth Kearney since 2018. They met while training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and have two children.

James has two older brothers and two older sisters. His family background includes Greek, Scottish, English and New Zealand connections.

James studied philosophy at the University of Nottingham before training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Before becoming an established actor, he worked as a bartender, lifeguard and NHS employee.

He made his television debut in two episodes of A Passionate Woman in 2010. The same year, he played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in an episode of Downton Abbey and appeared in the film You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.

His early television work included the horror series Bedlam, in which he played Jed Harper, and the crime drama Golden Boy, where he played Detective Walter William Clark Jr.

James's breakthrough came with Divergent (2014), in which he played Tobias "Four" Eaton opposite Shailene Woodley. He reprised the role in The Divergent Series: Insurgent (2015) and The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016), performing his own stunts in the film series.

His other film roles during this period included David in Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars. He also appeared in The Benefactor with Richard Gere and Dakota Fanning, and in London Fields alongside Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess.

For his performance in Divergent, James won Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Actor: Action and Choice Movie Breakout Star. He and Woodley also won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Movie Duo.

James executive produced and starred in Backstabbing for Beginners (2018), executive produced and starred in Lying and Stealing (2019), and played Will Younger in the Netflix film How It Ends. He also executive produced and starred as Sidney Parker in the first season of Sanditon.

He produced and starred in the science fiction film Archive (2020), playing robotics scientist George Almore. His later screen roles included Henry DeTamble in The Time Traveler's Wife, Cameron Sullivan in the second season of The White Lotus, and Eddie Horniman, Duke of Halstead, in Guy Ritchie's series The Gentlemen.

In The Monkey (2025), James played twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn. His performance in The White Lotus earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, while the show's ensemble won a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Outside acting, James was the lead singer and guitarist of the London-based band Shere Khan, which disbanded in 2012. He has also played the guitar, harmonica, saxophone and piano, and was previously the lead singer of the band Makora.

James launched the film and television production company Untapped in 2019. He became a brand ambassador for Hugo Boss men's fragrances in 2015 and appeared in Range Rover advertisements in 2024 and 2025.