James Edward Duval (born September 10, 1972) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in ''

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'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), ''

Donnie Darko ''Donnie Darko'' is a 2001 American Science fiction film, science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly (filmmaker), Richard Kelly in his List of directorial debuts, directorial debut, and produced by Flower ...

'' (2001), ''

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...

'' (2002), and the films of

Gregg Araki Gregg Araki (born December 17, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is noted for his involvement with the New Queer Cinema movement. His ''Teenage Apocalypse'' film trilogy, consisting of ''Totally F***ed Up ''(1993), ''The Doom Generation ''(1995) ...

. Duval has starred in numerous

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

s, including the 2009 psychological thriller '' The Black Waters of Echo's Pond'' and the mystery crime-thriller film ''Noirland''.

Personal life

Born in

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in 1972 to a Franco- Vietnamese mother from

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

and a father with Irish and Native American ancestry, Duval's family moved to

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when he was 2 years old. He grew up around the

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area, going to

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in Redondo Beach before graduating from Gladstone High School in

Covina Covina (Help:IPA/English, /koviːnə/) is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

in 1989. As a teenager in his early career with Gregg Araki's ''Teenage Apocalypse'' films, he identified with the themes of

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and not fitting in: "I was 18 and living that, searching for myself who I was, where I belonged. I was really confused. Working with Gregg gave me something to move towards. ... there were things I was feeling—that I wasn’t liked, that there were things I couldn’t do to fit in. I was attracted to

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and feeling what they were singing about, even though I hadn’t really lived. I was so distraught. I was only 18–19. Everything weighed on that on a daily basis. It was so intense, and almost overwhelming." In a 1997 interview promoting Araki's '' Nowhere'', as well as discussing the racism he experienced in his youth, he expressed frustration with being asked about his sexuality as a result of playing queer roles, and mentioned that he was dating his ''Nowhere'' co-star Sarah Lassez.

Filmography

References

External links

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Youthquake Magazine Article
Cathy L. Witbrodt {{DEFAULTSORT:Duval, James 1972 births Living people American male film actors Male actors from California Male actors from Michigan 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Detroit American actors of Vietnamese descent American musicians of Vietnamese descent American people of French descent American people of Irish descent