James Paul Marsden (born September 18, 1973)[1] is an American actor, singer and former Versace model. Marsden began his acting career guest-starring in multiple television shows such as Saved by the Bell, Touched by an Angel and Party of Five. He would then gain prominence with his portrayal of Scott Summers / Cyclops in the first three films of the X-Men film series and starred in 2006's Superman Returns which earned him a Saturn Award nomination.
Following his breakthrough in comic book films, Marsden went on to star in comedies including 2007's Hairspray which was a critical and commercial success and won many awards for its ensemble cast. As Corny Collins, he sang two songs for the film's soundtrackwhich has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.[2] He would continue his success and star in family friendly films such as Enchanted,Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Hop.
Marsden later starred in a range of independent films such as Small Apartments, Bachelorette, and Robot & Frank. He also returned to television guest-starring in Modern Family and playing Liz Lemon's love interest, Criss Chros in 30 Rock in a supporting role. Marsden then portrayed President John F. Kennedy in Lee Daniels' The Butler, and had a supporting role as a minor antagonist in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.
Early life and family
Marsden was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the son of Kathleen (née Scholtz) and James Luther Marsden.[3] His father, a professor of animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University,[1] and his mother, a nutritionist, divorced when he was nine years old.[4] His ancestry includes English, Scottish, German, and French.[3]
He has four siblings: two younger sisters, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and two brothers, Jeff and Robert. He attended Hefner Middle School and Putnam City North High School, inOklahoma City, and later went on to attend Oklahoma State University, where he studied broadcast journalism.[5] He was also a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. However, Marsden left after one and a half years, opting instead to move out to Los Angeles in order to pursue his acting career.
Career
Early career[edit]
Marsden got his first job on a series of episodes of The Nanny as Eddie, Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend. He then went on to star in the Canadian television series Boogies Diner, which aired for one season. With the end of that series, he guest starred on other television shows such as Saved by the Bell: The New Class and Party of Five. He later starred in the ABC show Second Noah. He lost out to Edward Norton for a role in Primal Fear and turned down the lead role in 54, which later went to Ryan Phillippe. He then went on to star in Disturbing Behavior opposite Katie Holmes and Gossip opposite Kate Hudson. He also appeared in the television series Ally McBeal, as one of the main cast members during the first half of season 5, where he also showcased his singing abilities.
X-Men films
Main article: X-Men (film series)
Marsden was then cast as Cyclops in the X-Men films. His character is prominent in the comics; his screen time in the films, however, is increasingly reduced, particularly in the sequels. Notably, Marsden also appeared in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. Singer dropped out of the third installment to direct Superman and Marsden was cast as Lois Lane's fiancé, Richard White, but due to schedule conflicts, Marsden's screen time in The Last Stand was reduced, stirring controversy from fans of the comics.[6] Marsden's portrayal of Cyclops in the films was well received and garnered him a Blockbuster Award award for Best Supporting Actor.[7]
Breakthrough roles
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In 2004, Marsden appeared as Noah's rival in The Notebook, apparently cast for his close resemblance to James Garner, who played the older Noah, while the actor portraying the younger Noah (Ryan Gosling) looked nothing like Garner. In 2007, Marsden played Corny Collins in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Hairspray, based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name. In which he sang two songs, "The Nicest Kids In Town" and "(It's) Hairspray." Both "Hairspray" and the its soundtrack were critically acclaimed, the latter of which has since sold over 1,200,000 copies to date in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[8] His next role was in the Disney hybrid animated/live action film Enchanted, playing Prince Edward. He sang one song as a duet with Amy Adams at the beginning of the film and a duet with Idina Menzel that was cut from the film. Enchanted was well received critically and proved to be a commercial success, earning more than $340 million worldwide at the box office.[9]
Following his successes in 2007's Hairspray and Enchanted, Marsden played the male lead in the 2008 romantic comedy 27 Dresses opposite starKatherine Heigl, which grossed $160 million worldwide.[10] He also starred in the teen comedy Sex Drive. Though the film was a moderate success, Marsden's performance was heavily praised.[11] Marsden also received a Teen Choice Awards nomination for Choice Movie Actor in a Comedy for his roles in Enchanted and 27 Dresses.[12]
In 2009, Marsden also played the male lead in the film The Box, based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson, which was earlier made into an episode of The Twilight Zone.[13] He starred opposite Cameron Diaz and re-united with Superman Returns co-star Frank Langella.[14] In 2010, Marsden was cast in the comedy Death at a Funeral along with Chris Rock, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover andColumbus Short, which was a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name.
Recent Work
Marsden made an appearance on ABC's Modern Family in January 2011, playing a homeless squatter of Cam and Mitchell.[15] In April, Marsden appeared as the male (live-action) lead in Hop, an Easter-themed comedy co-starring Russell Brand as the Easter Bunny. Although the film was considered a commercial success, opening at the top of the weekend box office and grossing over $100 million in the U.S. box office, Hop generally received negative reviews.[16][17] Later in 2011, Marsden played the lead in the remake of Straw Dogs, re-uniting with Superman Returns co-star Kate Bosworth and Zoolander co-star Alexander Skarsgard. A marked departure from previous roles, the film received mixed reviews and ultimately ended up being a box office flop.[18][19]
In 2012 and 2013, Marsden appeared in a recurring role in the sixth and seventh seasons of 30 Rock, playing Criss Chros, the boyfriend (and later husband) of the series' main character, Liz Lemon. Simultaneously, his range of films were independent films which included Robot & Frank, Small Apartments, Bachelorette and As Cool As I Am. In 2013, he co-starred with Denzel Washington and Mark Walhberg in the action film 2 Guns, which debuted at number one in its weekend release beating out the animated film The Smurfs 2 which came in second. Soon after, he starred in Lee Daniels' historical drama The Butler as President John F. Kennedy. The film, featuring an ensemble, opened at the top spot and received positive reviews. Marsden played Jack Lime in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, a rival reporter to Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy.
Personal life
Marsden married actress Mary Elizabeth "Lisa" Linde, daughter of country music songwriter Dennis Linde, on July 22, 2000. Marsden and Linde have two children: son Jack Holden and daughter Mary James.[20][21] Linde filed for divorce on September 23, 2011.[21] Marsden also has a son, William Luca Costa-Marsden, born on December 14, 2012, with former girlfriend Rose Costa.[22] In April 2010, Marsden was added to the Putnam City Schools Wall of Fame by the Putnam City Public Schools Foundation.[23]
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