James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962) is an American actor,
musician and voice actor. He is best known for his role as the British
vampire Spike in The WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its
spin-off, Angel. Since then, he has played the alien super villain
Brainiac on the Superman-inspired series Smallville, Captain John Hart
on Torchwood and terrorist Barnabas Greeley in Syfy's Caprica. He
appeared in a supporting role in the film P.S. I Love You, as Victor
Hesse in the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, and Victor Stein in the Marvel
series Runaways.Marsters was born in Greenville, California, the son
of a United Methodist minister and social worker. He grew up with his
brother, Paul, and sister, Susan, in Modesto, California. Dreaming
about becoming an actor since he played Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh in
fourth grade, Marsters joined the theater group at Grace M. Davis High
School and acted in many plays, including musicals. After graduation
in 1980, Marsters studied at the Pacific Conservatory of the
Performing Arts at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California.
In 1982, he moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School, but
left the program after two years.Marsters moved to Chicago, where his
first professional acting role was Ferdinand in The Tempest at the
Goodman Theatre in 1987. In this production, he was rolled onto the
stage strapped naked to a wheel. He talks about this experience and
his other theatrical roles at length in a 2020 interview with Michael
Rosenbaum on the podcast 'Inside of You'. He also appeared with
well-known Chicago companies such as the Northlight and the Bailiwick
and with his own group, the Genesis Theatre Company. Marsters was
nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for his performance of the lead
role of Robespierre in the six-hour drama Incorruptible: The Life,
Death and Dreams of Maximilian de Robespierre in 1989.
musician and voice actor. He is best known for his role as the British
vampire Spike in The WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its
spin-off, Angel. Since then, he has played the alien super villain
Brainiac on the Superman-inspired series Smallville, Captain John Hart
on Torchwood and terrorist Barnabas Greeley in Syfy's Caprica. He
appeared in a supporting role in the film P.S. I Love You, as Victor
Hesse in the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, and Victor Stein in the Marvel
series Runaways.Marsters was born in Greenville, California, the son
of a United Methodist minister and social worker. He grew up with his
brother, Paul, and sister, Susan, in Modesto, California. Dreaming
about becoming an actor since he played Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh in
fourth grade, Marsters joined the theater group at Grace M. Davis High
School and acted in many plays, including musicals. After graduation
in 1980, Marsters studied at the Pacific Conservatory of the
Performing Arts at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California.
In 1982, he moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School, but
left the program after two years.Marsters moved to Chicago, where his
first professional acting role was Ferdinand in The Tempest at the
Goodman Theatre in 1987. In this production, he was rolled onto the
stage strapped naked to a wheel. He talks about this experience and
his other theatrical roles at length in a 2020 interview with Michael
Rosenbaum on the podcast 'Inside of You'. He also appeared with
well-known Chicago companies such as the Northlight and the Bailiwick
and with his own group, the Genesis Theatre Company. Marsters was
nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for his performance of the lead
role of Robespierre in the six-hour drama Incorruptible: The Life,
Death and Dreams of Maximilian de Robespierre in 1989.
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