Lennie James
Encyclopedia
Lennie James is an English
actor
and playwright
.
(1998 film), the Guy Ritchie
crime caper Snatch
(2000), 24 Hour Party People
(2002), and Sahara
(2005) and wrote the play The Sons of Charlie Paora which was performed at London's Royal Court Theatre
. He appeared in the short-lived Channel 4 prison drama "Buried".
He played Luke Gardner in the BBC
terrorism
drama The State Within
, Bishop David Newman on the BBC
spy drama Spooks
and Robert Hawkins in the CBS
post-apocalyptic television drama series Jericho
. He played the role of Cedric Munroe in the 2007 film Outlaw
.
He was in a 2008 television drama, Fallout
, which aired on Channel 4
, playing the role of a detective alongside another detective solving a teen related murder. James also appeared in an episode of Lie to Me
.
Airing in November 2009, he was "Number 147" in the AMC Television
/ITV
miniseries
The Prisoner. He has also appeared in season 2 of HBO's comedy series Hung
as a fellow pimp who gives Tanya advice. 2010 also saw him star as Morgan Jones, a father protecting his son from the zombie apocalypse, in the AMC series The Walking Dead
. He was recently in episodes of Human Target as the assassin "Baptiste". He appears in a starring role in the 2010 feature film Tic. He also appeared in the 2011 action film Colombiana
.
, England
. His Afro-Trinidadian
parents originate from Nigeria
. James is the main cook for his family, and has professed a fondness for Caribbean cuisine
. His favourite football team is Tottenham Hotspur
. He lived in South London
and went to school at Ernest Bevin College
. He has three daughters – Romy and twins Celine and Georgia with his longtime partner Giselle Glasman.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
Career
James attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1988. He has appeared in over twenty films, including Les MisérablesLes Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
(1998 film), the Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
crime caper Snatch
Snatch (film)
Snatch is a 2000 crime film written and directed by British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, featuring an ensemble cast. Set in the London criminal underworld, the film contains two intertwined plots: one dealing with the search for a stolen diamond, the other with a small-time boxing promoter named Turkish ...
(2000), 24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom...
(2002), and Sahara
Sahara (2005 film)
Sahara is a 2005 action-comedy adventure film directed by Breck Eisner and based on the best-selling book of the same name by Clive Cussler...
(2005) and wrote the play The Sons of Charlie Paora which was performed at London's Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
. He appeared in the short-lived Channel 4 prison drama "Buried".
He played Luke Gardner in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
drama The State Within
The State Within
The State Within is a 2006 Seven-episode British television political drama, written by Lizzie Mickery and Daniel Percival, produced by Grainne Marmion as a joint BBC–BBC America production, that was broadcast by BBC1 in the United Kingdom from Thursday, 2 November 2006.The protagonist of The State...
, Bishop David Newman on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
spy drama Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
and Robert Hawkins in the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
post-apocalyptic television drama series Jericho
Jericho (TV series)
Jericho is an American action/drama series that centers on the residents of the fictional town of Jericho, Kansas, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on 23 major cities in the contiguous United States...
. He played the role of Cedric Munroe in the 2007 film Outlaw
Outlaw (2007 film)
Outlaw is a 2007 action-crime-drama film written and directed by British filmmaker Nick Love. Outlaw stars Sean Bean, Danny Dyer, Bob Hoskins, Lennie James, Rupert Friend and Sean Harris.The film is set in the United Kingdom in 2006...
.
He was in a 2008 television drama, Fallout
Fallout (Channel 4 drama)
Fallout, a feature-length as part of Channel 4's Disarming Britain series, is a drama surrounding the lives of a group of teenagers, following the fatal stabbing of a mutual associate, Kwame in South London.- Sypnosis :...
, which aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, playing the role of a detective alongside another detective solving a teen related murder. James also appeared in an episode of Lie to Me
Lie to Me
Lie to Me is a 2009-2011 American television series.Lie to Me may also refer to:* Lie to Me , a South Korean drama series* "Lie to Me" , an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
.
Airing in November 2009, he was "Number 147" in the AMC Television
AMC (TV network)
AMC is a cable television specialty channel that primarily airs movies, along with a limited amount of original programming. The letters originally stood for American Movie Classics; however since 2002, the full name has been deemphasized as a result of a major shift in programming...
/ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
The Prisoner. He has also appeared in season 2 of HBO's comedy series Hung
Hung (TV series)
Hung is a comedy-drama series, which premiered on HBO on June 28, 2009. The series was created by Dmitry Lipkin and Colette Burson and stars Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, a struggling suburban Detroit high school baseball coach who resorts to male prostitution. The second season premiered on June 27,...
as a fellow pimp who gives Tanya advice. 2010 also saw him star as Morgan Jones, a father protecting his son from the zombie apocalypse, in the AMC series The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead (TV series)
The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror television series developed for television by Frank Darabont and based on the ongoing comic book series, The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard...
. He was recently in episodes of Human Target as the assassin "Baptiste". He appears in a starring role in the 2010 feature film Tic. He also appeared in the 2011 action film Colombiana
Colombiana (film)
Colombiana is a 2011 French-American action film co-written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton. The film stars Zoë Saldana in the lead role...
.
Personal life
James was born in NottinghamNottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His Afro-Trinidadian
Afro-Trinidadian people
Afro-Trinidadian and Tobagonian people are people of Trinidad and Tobagonian descent who are largely of African descent. Black, Negro or Creole are common terms used to describe Afro-Trinidadians. Social interpretations of race in Trinidad and Tobago is often used to dictate who is of African...
parents originate from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. James is the main cook for his family, and has professed a fondness for Caribbean cuisine
Caribbean cuisine
Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Indian, and Chinese cuisine. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region's population...
. His favourite football team is Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. He lived in South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
and went to school at Ernest Bevin College
Ernest Bevin College
Ernest Bevin College is a specialist college in Tooting, London, England. The school is all-boys for ages 11 through 18, but has a co-educational sixth form. It has about 1173 pupils.-History:...
. He has three daughters – Romy and twins Celine and Georgia with his longtime partner Giselle Glasman.