# James Frain

James Frain is an English actor. His best known television roles include Thomas Cromwell in the Showtime/CBC historical drama The Tudors (2007–2009), Franklin Mott in the HBO drama True Blood (2010), Warwick the Kingmaker in the BBC drama serial The White Queen (2013), John Sumner in the Sky/Canal+ crime drama The Tunnel (2013), Ferdinand Chevalier in the BBC/Space sci-fi thriller Orphan Black (2015–2017), Theo Galavan/Azrael in Fox's Gotham (2015–2016), and Sarek in Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2019).
In film, he is best known for playing Daniel Barenboim and Álvaro de la Quadra in the biographical dramas Hilary and Jackie and Elizabeth, respectively (both 1998), Bassianus in the Shakespeare adaptation Titus (1999), and Gérard de Villefort in the historical drama The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

## Early life and education

James Frain was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and brought up in Stansted Mountfitchet, near Bishop's Stortford, Essex, the eldest of eight children of a teacher mother and a stockbroker father.
He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School, studied Drama and Film at the University of East Anglia, and trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

## Career
### Screen

In 1993, while in his final year of drama school, Frain made his film debut in Shadowlands, after being spotted by the film director Richard Attenborough. In 1995, He starred as a Northern Irish terrorist in the Thaddeus O'Sullivan directed film, Nothing Personal.
In 2000, he was nominated for Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's 20th Genie Awards in Toronto, for his performance as Gustave Sonnenschein in the István Szabó directed film Sunshine.
Frain has also appeared in a number of television series, including Soldier Soldier (1993); Armadillo (2001); 24 (2005); Invasion (2006); and The Closer (2006). He played Thomas Cromwell in Showtime's The Tudors; the villainous billionaire "Chess" in the NBC superhero/crime drama series The Cape; heroic Templar Sir Gregory in the Syfy original film Dark Relic (2010); and vampire Franklin Mott in the HBO drama True Blood. In season 2 of Grimm, Frain joined the cast as a mysterious recurring character named Eric Renard.
He appeared in the second season of Gotham as Azrael, and portrayed Sarek, the father of Spock, on Star Trek: Discovery, the second prequel TV series in the Star Trek franchise.

### Stage

Frain has been a regular on the stage in the United Kingdom, appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Court Theatre, as well as on the West End. He has also appeared on Broadway in New York. He was a recipient of the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performances along with the rest of the cast of The Homecoming (2007).

## Personal life

In 2004, Frain married director Marta Cunningham; they have two children. The couple announced their separation in February 2023.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Shadowlands | Peter Whistler | |
| 1995 | An Awfully Big Adventure | John Harbour | |
| 1995 | Nothing Personal | Kenny | |
| 1995 | Bruised Fruit | Dan | Short film |
| 1996 | Loch Ness | Adrian Foote | |
| 1997 | Red Meat | Victor | |
| 1997 | Robinson Crusoe | Robert | |
| 1998 | What Rats Won't Do | Jack | |
| 1998 | Hilary and Jackie | Daniel Barenboim | |
| 1998 | Elizabeth | Álvaro de la Quadra | |
| 1998 | Vigo: A Passion for Life | Jean Vigo | |
| 1999 | Sunshine | Gustave Sonnenschein | |
| 1999 | Titus | Bassianus | |
| 2000 | Zero Eight | | Short film |
| 2000 | Reindeer Games | Nick Cassidy | |
| 2000 | The Miracle Maker | Thomas (voice) | |
| 2000 | Where the Heart Is | Forney Hull | |
| 2002 | The Count of Monte Cristo | J.F. Villefort | |
| 2005 | Into the Blue | Reyes | |
| 2006 | The Front Line | Eddie Gilroy | |
| 2008 | Quid Pro Quo | Father Dave | |
| 2009 | Everybody's Fine | Tom | |
| 2010 | Tron: Legacy | Jarvis | |
| 2011 | Water for Elephants | Rosie's Caretaker | |
| 2012 | Transit | Marek | |
| 2012 | Bert and Dickie | Jack Beresford | |
| 2013 | All Things to All Men | Attorney General | |
| 2013 | The Lone Ranger | Barret | |
| 2013 | Alpha Alert | Andrews | |
| 2014 | Born of War | Simon | |
| 2015 | Olivia Martha Ilse | William Bailey | Short film |
| 2016 | The Architect | Miles Moss | |
| 2019 | Against the Clock | Dr. A | |
| 2021 | Escape Room: Tournament of Champions | Henry | Extended cut version |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993 | Soldier Soldier | Lt. Giles Chapman | Episode: "Disintegration" |
| 1993 | Prime Suspect 3 | Jason Baldwin | Miniseries |
| 1995 | Devil's Advocate | Doctor Vesti | TV movie |
| 1995 | The Buccaneers | Julius Folyat | Miniseries |
| 1996 | Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny | Prince Felix Yusupov | TV movie |
| 1996 | Tales from the Crypt | Elliot | Episode: "Report from the Grave" |
| 1996 | Strangers | Dirk | Episode: "Ceremony" |
| 1997 | The Mill on the Floss | Philip Wakem | TV movie |
| 1997 | Macbeth on the Estate | Macbeth | TV movie |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Schahzenan/Harun al-Rashid | Miniseries |
| 2001 | Armadillo | Lorimer Black | Miniseries |
| 2001 | The Vice | Gordon Ellis | Episode: "Trade" |
| 2002 | Path to War | Richard N. Goodwin | TV movie |
| 2002 | The Project | Harvey | TV movie |
| 2003 | Leonardo | Cesare Borgia | Miniseries |
| 2004 | Spartacus | David | Miniseries |
| 2004 | Pilot Season | Jeremy Pilodes | Miniseries |
| 2005 | 24 | Paul Raines | 10 episodes |
| 2005 | Strong Medicine | Art Gallery Painter | Episode: "Clinical Risk" |
| 2005 | Empire | Marcus Junius Brutus | Miniseries |
| 2005 | Medium | Calley | Episode: "Light Sleeper" |
| 2005 | Threshold | Reverend Lavory | Episode: "Revelations" |
| 2006 | Invasion | Eli Szura | Recurring |
| 2006 | The Closer | Paul Andrews | Episode: "Critical Missing" |
| 2007 | Numbers | Allister McClair | Episode: "The Janus List" |
| 2007–2009 | The Tudors | Thomas Cromwell | Main role; 24 episodes |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dean Holiday | Episode: "Vanishing Act" |
| 2008–2009 | Fringe | Salman Kohl | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | In Plain Sight | Phillip Ashmore/Phillip Andrews | Episode: "Once a Ponzi Time" |
| 2009 | Grey's Anatomy | Tom Crowley | Episode: "I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me" |
| 2009 | Lie to Me | Lance McClellan | Episode: "Grievous Bodily Harm" |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Martin Gold | Episode: "Users" |
| 2009 | Californication | Paul Rider | Episode: "Mia Culpa" |
| 2009–2010 | FlashForward | Dr. Gordon Myhill | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Jeffrey Hughes | Episode: "Sin City Blue" |
| 2010 | Dark Relic | Sir Gregory | TV movie |
| 2010 | Miami Medical | Brian | Episode: "Man on the Road" |
| 2010 | Leverage | John Douglas Keller | Episode: "The King George Job" |
| 2010 | True Blood | Franklin Mott | 8 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: Miami | Richard Ellison | Episode: "Sudden Death" |
| 2011 | The Cape | Peter Fleming/Chess | Main cast |
| 2011 | Burn Notice | James Forte | Episode: "Eye for an Eye" |
| 2012 | The Mentalist | Terry Murphy | Episode: "At First Blush" |
| 2012–2013 | Grimm | Eric Renard | 8 episodes |
| 2013 | The White Queen | Warwick the Kingmaker | Miniseries |
| 2013 | Sleepy Hollow | Rutelidge | Episode: "The Sin Eater" |
| 2013 | The Tunnel | John Sumner | Main role; 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Reckless | Stanford Ashby | Episode: "When the Smoke Clears" |
| 2014 | Intruders | Richard Shepherd | Main cast |
| 2015 | Agent Carter | Leet Brannis | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | True Detective | Kevin Burris | Main role; 7 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Gotham | Theo Galavan/Azrael | Main role; 16 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Orphan Black | Ferdinand Chevalier | 8 episodes |
| 2017 | Hawaii Five-0 | Sebastian Wake | Episode: "Kama' oma' o ka 'aina huli hana" |
| 2017–2019 | Star Trek: Discovery | Sarek | Recurring role |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | Agent Allendale | Episode: "Point of Origin" |
| 2019 | Elementary | Odin Reichenbach | 7 episodes |
| 2020 | What We Do in the Shadows | Black Peter | Episode: "Witches" |
| 2021 | Showtrial | Sir Damian Campbell | Mini-Series |
| 2023 | Quantum Leap | Gideon Rydge | |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2010 | Tron: Evolution | Zuse |
| 2021 | Call of Duty: Vanguard | Major Henry Hamms |

### Theatre

| Year | Play | Role | Venue | Notes |
| 1991 | All for Love | Myris | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| 1992 | The Rules of the Game | Giorgo | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| 1993 | She Stoops to Conquer | George Hastings | Queen's Theatre, London | with Peter Hall Company |
| 1995 | Zenobia | Wahballat | Young Vic, London | with Royal Shakespeare Company |
| 2000 | Other People | Mark | Royal Court Theatre, London | |
| 2001 | King Lear | Edmund | Almeida Theatre, London | |
| 2007 | The Homecoming | Teddy | Cort Theatre, New York City | |
| 2019 | The King's Speech | Lionel Logue | Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago | |