Stephan James

Biography

Stephan James is a Canadian actor who first gained attention on television before winning a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor as sprinter Jesse Owens in Race (2016). Born in Scarborough, Ontario, he began with a recurring role on Degrassi and supporting parts in series and the 2011 movie 12 Dates of Christmas. He was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Home Again (2012), then played John Lewis in Selma (2014). In 2018 he starred in Barry Jenkins's If Beale Street Could Talk and appeared as Walter Cruz in the Amazon series Homecoming, which brought a Golden Globe nomination. He also played Preston Terry in the Fox limited series Shots Fired and was named a Rising Star at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

32years old

Turns 33 on December 16in 36 days

Born December 16, 1993Toronto
Star sign: SagittariusThe sign runs November 22 to December 21

Movie Career

Films: 14
Career span: 15 years2011 to 2026

Genres

Drama57%, 8 films
Thriller29%, 4 films
Biography21%, 3 films
Crime21%, 3 films
Action14%, 2 films

First and latest

Did you know?!

A role that slipped away
James replaced John Boyega as Jesse Owens in the 2016 biopic Race, and won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for the role.
First role
James began his television career on Degrassi, the long-running Canadian teen series, where he played a recurring role across two seasons.
A first
In 2015, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Stephan James was picked as one of the industry's foremost "Rising Stars".

Stephan James movies on Netflix

War Machine2026IMDb rating 6.3as 7
Night Always Comes2025IMDb rating 5.9as Cody
Babes2024IMDb rating 6.3as Claude
The Piano Lesson2024IMDb rating 6.1as Boy Charles
National Champions2021IMDb rating 5.7as LeMarcus James
21 Bridges2019IMDb rating 6.7as Michael
If Beale Street Could Talk2018IMDb rating 7.1as Alonzo 'Fonny' Hunt
Race2016IMDb rating 7.1as Jesse Owens
Lost After Dark2015IMDb rating 4.8as Wesley
Perfect Sisters2014IMDb rating 5.6as Donny
Selma2014IMDb rating 7.5as John Lewis
The Gabby Douglas Story2014IMDb rating 6.9as John 16-18 Years
When the Game Stands Tall2014IMDb rating 6.6as T.K. Kelly
12 Dates of Christmas2011IMDb rating 6.3as Michael

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top

War Machine2026 Action, Sci-Fi, Thrilleras 7
IMDb rating 6.3119K votes
Race2016 Biography, Drama, Sportas Jesse Owens
IMDb rating 7.144K votes
If Beale Street Could Talk2018as Alonzo 'Fonny' Hunt
IMDb rating 7.155K votes
21 Bridges2019as Michael
IMDb rating 6.782K votes
Selma2014as John Lewis
IMDb rating 7.5100K votes
Night Always Comes2025as Cody
IMDb rating 5.917K votes
When the Game Stands Tall2014as T.K. Kelly
IMDb rating 6.618K votes
National Champions2021as LeMarcus James
IMDb rating 5.72.1K votes

Most often with

Four actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

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J.K. Simmons

Regina King

Colman Domingo

Alexander Ludwig

Films together

J.K. Simmons2 films together, 2019 to 2021
J.K. Simmons's page
- National Champions2021IMDb rating 5.7James as LeMarcus JamesSimmons as Coach James Lazor
- 21 Bridges2019IMDb rating 6.7James as MichaelSimmons as Captain McKenna
Regina King2 films together, 2014 to 2018
Regina King's page
- If Beale Street Could Talk2018IMDb rating 7.1James as Alonzo 'Fonny' HuntKing as Sharon Rivers
- The Gabby Douglas Story2014IMDb rating 6.9James as John 16-18 YearsKing as Natalie Hawkins
Colman Domingo2 films together, 2014 to 2018
Colman Domingo's page
- If Beale Street Could Talk2018IMDb rating 7.1James as Alonzo 'Fonny' HuntDomingo as Joseph Rivers
- Selma2014IMDb rating 7.5James as John LewisDomingo as Ralph Abernathy
Alexander Ludwig2 films together, 2014 to 2021
Alexander Ludwig's page
- National Champions2021IMDb rating 5.7James as LeMarcus JamesLudwig as Emmett Sunday
- When the Game Stands Tall2014IMDb rating 6.6James as T.K. KellyLudwig as Chris Ryan

Online

Official profiles and reference pages.

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