Born in Nottingham and raised in South London, England, Lennie James trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His many theatre credits include Etta Jenks, opposite Miranda Richardson and Roy Williams’ Fallout at The Royal Court; August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Coup with Norman Beaton at The National; The Young Vic’s production of A Raisin In The Sun; and the eponymous hero in the Tricycle’s production of Macbeth.
James has many notable film credits to his name, including Sol in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, starring Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro; Sahara, alongside Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz; Michael Winterbottom&rsq
Born in Nottingham and raised in South London, England, Lennie James trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. His many theatre credits include Etta Jenks, opposite Miranda Richardson and Roy Williams’ Fallout at The Royal Court; August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Coup with Norman Beaton at The National; The Young Vic’s production of A Raisin In The Sun; and the eponymous hero in the Tricycle’s production of Macbeth.
James has many notable film credits to his name, including Sol in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch, starring Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro; Sahara, alongside Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz; Michael Winterbottom’s 24-Hour Party People; Nick Love’s Outlaw, with Bob Hoskins; The Next Three Days, with Russell Crowe; Luc Besson’s Colombiana, with Zoe Saldana; and Lockout, opposite Guy Pearce. James also starred in the modern-day Western Swelter; Tate Taylor’s James Brown biopic Get On Up, opposite Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman; Double Play – the film adaptation of Frank Martinus Arion’s novel, and Warner Bros. Blade Runner 2049 sequel opposite Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling.
James has had a rich and varied television career on both sides of the Atlantic, including Civvies and Comics by Lynda La Plante; Undercover Heart; Out Of The Blue; the Award-winning programs Buried (BAFTA) he wrote and starred in Storm Damage (RTS-Royal Television Society). He starred in Channel 4’s critically acclaimed Run as well as Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty for BBC Two, which saw him receive Best Actor nominations for both at the RTS Awards in 2013/14. James can be seen as the lead in the UK series ground-breaking medical drama Critical for Sky One. In the USA, he has been praised for his performances as the mysterious Robert Hawkins in CBS’ history-making series Jericho; HBO’s Hung; Detective Joe Geddes in AMC’s Low Winter Sun as well as eight seasons as Morgan Jones in AMC’s The Walking Dead, where he won Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the OFTA (Online Film & Television Awards) in 2013. James was also nominated for Drama Guest Actor at the Golden Derby Awards in 2013, as well as Best TV Supporting Actor at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards in 2016 for his role of Morgan. In 2018 James starred in the fourth season of AMC’s companion series Fear The Walking Dead, going on to appear in the fifth season in 2019 and can soon be seen in the upcoming sixth season. Other notable television credits include: Buried; The State Within; Spooks; Fallout and The Prisoner.
James created, wrote and starred in the award-winning series Save Me for Sky Atlantic. The show won the Best Writer for a Drama Series and Best Drama Series awards at the 2019 RTS Awards and was nominated for a BAFTA for the Outstanding Drama Series Award. Following its huge success, James also created and can now be seen starring in Sky Atlantic’s follow-up series Save Me Too.
