James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is an English actor. He is known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

'' miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones' best friend Tom in the ''Bridget Jones'' film series. He appeared in the television series '' Eureka'' and ''

12 Monkeys ''12 Monkeys'' is a 1995 American Science fiction film, science fiction thriller film directed by Terry Gilliam from a screenplay by David Peoples and Janet Peoples, based on Chris Marker's 1962 short film ''La Jetée''. It stars Bruce Willis, M ...

'' on Syfy as Dr. Trevor Grant and Athan Cole "The Witness", respectively. Since 2017, he has voiced the character Alucard in the Netflix series ''

Castlevania ''Castlevania'' (), known in Japan as is a gothic horror action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Konami. The series is largely set in the castle of Count Dracula, the arch-enemy of the Belmont clan of vampire hunters. ...

'' and '' Castlevania: Nocturne'', based on the video game series of the same name. In 2022, he appeared in season 2 of '' Star Trek: Picard'' as Jean-Luc's father in childhood flashbacks.

Early life

Callis was born in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

and brought up in London, where he attended St. Martin's Prep School in Northwood and then

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

in north-west London. His parents owned a bed-and-breakfast. He is of Russian, Polish and Ukrainian Jewish descent. Callis attended the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

, graduating in 1993 with a BA in English and Related Literature. He was a member of Derwent College, for which he was an enthusiastic rugby player. At university he was also a keen student actor, director and writer. He was a key member of the University of York Gilbert and Sullivan society and appeared in productions put on by friends at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, including a production of

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's ''

The Dumb Waiter ''The Dumb Waiter'' is a one-act play by Harold Pinter written in 1957. Plot Two Hitman, hit-men, Ben and Gus, are waiting in a basement room for their assignment. As the play begins, Ben, the senior member of the team, is reading a newspaper ...

''.

Career

Callis went on to attend the

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

, from which he graduated in 1996. In the same year, he was awarded the ''Jack Tinker Award'' (Theatre Record Critic of the Year) for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in '' Old Wicked Songs'', a

two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as t ...

by Jon Marans, in which he starred alongside

Bob Hoskins Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor and film director. Known for his intense but sensitive portrayals of "tough guy" characters, he began his career on stage before making his screen breakthrough pl ...

. Callis has appeared in various West End productions and television series as well as on radio. He has also been involved in writing and directing. His directorial debut was '' Beginner's Luck'', a co-production of his and writer/director Nick Cohen's Late Night Pictures and Angel Eye Film & TV, starring

Julie Delpy Julie Delpy (; born 21 December 1969) is a French and American actress, screenwriter, and film director. She studied filmmaking at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has directed, written, and acted in more than 30 films, including '' Europa Eur ...

Steven Berkoff Steven Berkoff (born Leslie Steven Berks; 3 August 1937) is an English actor, author, playwright, theatre practitioner and theatre director. As a theatre maker he is recognised for staging work with a heightened performance style known as "Be ...

and

Fenella Fielding Fenella Fielding (born Fenella Marion Feldman; 17 November 1927 – 11 September 2018) was an English stage, film and television actress who rose to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, and was often referred to as "England's first lady of t ...

. '' Beginner's Luck'' was critically panned, but ran for almost three weeks on one print (all the low-budget film could afford) in one cinema in

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

, then went on a tour of student cinemas around the UK. Callis finished filming his first role in a cinema film, ''

Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Fielding, which was itself a loose ...

'', alongside

Renée Zellweger Renée Kathleen Zellweger ( ; born April 25, 1969) is an American actress. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Renée Zellweger, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and four ...

and

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

, in the summer of 2000 and between a few further film and TV roles went back on stage in the

Soho Theatre Soho Theatre is a theatre and registered charity in the Soho district of the City of Westminster, and Soho Theatre Walthamstow in north-east London. It produces and presents new works of theatre, together with comedy and cabaret, across three pe ...

in December 2002. In 2003, Callis played the role of Dr.

Gaius Baltar Dr. Gaius Baltar is a fictional character in the TV series ''Battlestar Galactica'' played by James Callis, a reimagining of Lord Baltar from the 1978 ''Battlestar Galactica'' series. He is one of the show's primary characters. Personality Gaiu ...

in the re-imagined ''

'' miniseries and continued the role in the regular series that followed. In 2006, Callis won the Best Supporting Actor

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

and an AFI award for his performance as Baltar.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio

Web

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Callis, James 1971 births Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art Alumni of the University of York English male film actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Polish descent English people of Russian descent Male actors from London People educated at Harrow School Actors from the London Borough of Camden People from Hampstead English people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent