James Martin Lafferty (born July 25, 1985) is an American actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of
Nathan Scott on
The WB
The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
/
CW teen drama television series ''
One Tree Hill'' (2003–2012).
Early life
Lafferty was born in
Hemet, California
Hemet is a city in the San Jacinto Valley in Riverside County, California, United States. It covers a total area of , about half of the valley, which it shares with the neighboring city of San Jacinto, California, San Jacinto. The population w ...
, to Angelica and Jeffrey Lafferty, who own a local construction company. He has a younger brother, actor
Stuart Lafferty
Stuart Lyle Lafferty (born October 1, 1987) is an American actor. He is the younger brother of James Lafferty.
Early life
Lafferty was born in Hemet, California, to Angelica and Jeffrey Lafferty, who own a local construction company. His older ...
.
Having worked as an uncredited extra on television shows including ''
Beverly Hills, 90210
''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to as ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling via his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for 10 seasons on Fo ...
'' and ''
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'', Lafferty received his first significant acting role in a school play when he was 10 years old. Lafferty attended
Hemet High School (where he played on the school's basketball team) until 2003, after which he enrolled at
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...
. At age 18, he moved to
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
, having been cast as
Nathan Scott in ''
One Tree Hill''.
Career
In 1997, at age 12, Lafferty made his small-screen acting debut with a voice-over role in the made-for-television film ''
Annabelle's Wish''. Lafferty has since made guest appearances on television series' such as ''
Once and Again
''Once and Again'' is an American family drama television series that aired on ABC from September 21, 1999, to April 15, 2002. It depicts the family of a single mother and her romance with a single father. It was created by Marshall Herskovi ...
'', ''
Get Real'', and ''
Boston Public
''Boston Public'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. Set in Boston, the series centers on Winslow High School, a fictional public high sc ...
''. In 2002, Lafferty starred in the
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
made-for-television film ''
A Season on the Brink'', an adaptation of the book of the same name by
John Feinstein
John Feinstein ( ; July 28, 1955 – March 13, 2025) was an American sportswriter, author, and sports commentator.
Background
Feinstein was born to a Jewish family in New York City on July 28, 1955. His father was heavily involved in the arts, ...
. The film centered on the 1985–86 season of
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
's college basketball team.
In 2003, Lafferty was cast in his breakout role of
Nathan Scott on
The WB
The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
/
The CW
The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...
teen drama series ''
One Tree Hill''. The series follows two estranged half-brothers, Nathan and
Lucas Scott, who are put on the same basketball team, jeopardizing Nathan's position as the star player. In May 2011, The CW renewed the series for a ninth and final season, for which Lafferty chose to return on a recurring basis rather than in a full-time starring role. Over the course of the later seasons, Lafferty directed four episodes. He received four
Teen Choice Award
The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
nominations throughout his time on the series.
In February 2008, Lafferty was cast in the straight-to-DVD sequel to the cult film ''
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 ...
''. Titled ''
S. Darko
''S. Darko'', also known as ''S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale'' is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Chris Fisher and starring Daveigh Chase, Briana Evigan, and Ed Westwick. It is a sequel to the 2001 cult film ''Donnie D ...
'', the film was released in May 2009, and received mostly negative reviews from critics. In April 2011, Lafferty was confirmed to star alongside ''One Tree Hill'' castmate
Stephen Colletti
Stephen Colletti (born February 7, 1986) is an American actor and television personality. He portrayed Chase Adams on The CW drama series '' One Tree Hill'' and appeared for two seasons on the MTV reality television series '' Laguna Beach: The R ...
and brother
Stuart Lafferty
Stuart Lyle Lafferty (born October 1, 1987) is an American actor. He is the younger brother of James Lafferty.
Early life
Lafferty was born in Hemet, California, to Angelica and Jeffrey Lafferty, who own a local construction company. His older ...
in a planned adventurous reality television series entitled ''Wild Life: A New Generation of Wild'', for which he was an executive producer. A pilot episode was filmed, but the series failed to find a network. In 2013, Lafferty was cast in the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
crime thriller series
''Crisis'', as Mr Nash. This was followed by landing the lead role of Jimmy Adams in the independent movie ''
Waffle Street'', alongside Danny Glover, and being cast in a recurring role during the first season of
WGN America
WGN America was an American subscription television network that operated from November 9, 1978 to February 28, 2021. The service was originally uplinked to satellite by United Video Inc. as a national feed of Chicago independent station WGN-T ...
's slave drama
''Underground''. In August 2015, Lafferty directed an episode of the second season of
E! drama series ''
The Royals'', and returned to direct a few more episodes during season three.
In 2018, James along with costar and friend Stephen Colletti started an indiegogo campaign for their show ''Everyone is Doing Great'' The show was acquired by Hulu in 2020
Personal life
Lafferty currently resides in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. For four years until 2015, he was in a relationship with Irish actress
Eve Hewson
Memphis Eve Sunny Day Iris Hewson (born 7 July 1991) is an Irish actress. A daughter of activist Ali Hewson and singer Bono, she had her first major role in the 2011 drama film '' This Must Be the Place'', and subsequently starred in the 2014 ...
. He began dating Australian actress
Alexandra Park in 2015 after meeting on the set of ''
The Royals'', when Lafferty directed several episodes. The couple became engaged on September 7, 2020. They got married on May 23, 2022, in Hawaii.
Filmography
Film
Television
Other works
Awards and nominations
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafferty, James
1985 births
21st-century American male actors
American male film actors
Male models from California
Television producers from California
American television directors
American male television actors
Basketball players from California
California State University, Long Beach alumni
Living people
Male actors from California
People from Hemet, California
American men's basketball players