David James (South African actor)
Encyclopedia
David James is a South African film, theater, and television actor known mainly for playing the villainous Koobus Venter in the 2009 Oscar-nominated science fiction
film District 9
.
, Western Cape, South Africa
, on a wine farm. He has an older sister, Lorraine, who owns and operates a vacation resort property in Paarl. His family were conservatives and separatists, his father a Dutch Reformed man, whereas James was liberal. He and his family also clashed early on regarding his choice of careers. As a young man, James struck a bargain with his family that if he were to letter in sports, he could then pursue his choice of studies. After accomplishing this and after his tour of duty in the military, he chose to study acting.
James currently lives in Parkview
, a suburb of Johannesburg
. He is bilingual, speaking both English and Afrikaans
, single, and keeps a cat, Gypsey.
in Johannesburg. Coincidentally, this is the same private school that his District 9 costar Sharlto Copley
and director Neill Blomkamp
both previously attended. In March 2010 James was a celebrity presenter at the Naledi Theatre Awards, which recognizes excellence in South African Professional Live Theatre and the Performing Arts.
, a "grand dame" of South African theater and a Tony Award
-nominated choreographer, under whom James studied from 1997 through 2001. During this time he also worked selling cars, washing cars, cleaning pools, and even caring for the elderly.
, Charlotte's Web
, A Picture of Dorian Gray, and My Fair Lady
, and others, as well as in the locally written plays Fangs and Everybody Else is F***ing Perfect. He has also appeared in numerous commercials and corporate promotional materials, including ads and promotions for Toys 'R Us, Ford, Compaq
, and Cipler Insurance.
James has also appeared in many South African television series and soaps
, including roles in Criminal Minds, Snitch, Jozi Street, Binnelanders, Wild at Heart
, and Isidingo, where from 2004-2006 he portrayed a hired assassin called Mad Dog.
To prepare for the role, James took a course of steroids to put on 10kg (approx. 22lbs) of muscle. His actual experience in the military made him comfortable with the various weapons and battle sequences, but he did struggle with the amount of profanity expected of him. While his was only a supporting role, it did still garner the attention of critics; The Coventry Telegraph (UK) says, "David James is spot on as the merciless Colonel Venter."
in the infamous 1963-64 anti-apartheid
trials of the same name. The play was generally well-received critically and described by the State Theatre as being a "complete sell-out." Also that year, he portrayed Afrikaner Sergeant Hattingh in a production of Biko: Where the Soul Resides, the story of South African martyr
Steven Bantu Biko
. It is widely believed that Biko died at the hands of Hattingh during police interrogations in 1977.
Later in 2010 he costarred in Jock of the Bushveld - the Musical, the story of a dog lost in the African bush, where he portrayed one of three hungry yet comical vultures waiting for the animal to become dinner. The large-scale play itself was lauded by critics, as were all the performers.
In September 2010, James was featured in an episode of the South African television series Solving It, a true-crime re-enactment drama that airs on the SABC. In 2010 James also had a role in the South African modern-day Twilight-esque vampire
film Eternity
. As with the movie District 9, James was working with a first-time feature film director, Chris dos Santos, who surprisingly admitted in one interview that he "hadn't had a chance" to talk to James about his character until after filming began, and who stated on his directorial blog, "David James for example, I only met 2 days before principal photography ... He had created this whole character that he was briefed on from the original director and of course himself, and suddenly this young dude (yours truly) comes in 2 days before shoot and tries to cock it up... Ha ha... Man, what a ride. But seriously, David James did a great job working with me and allowing me to mess up his six months of prep ...". Not surprisingly, unlike the overall acclaim received for District 9, Eternity was lambasted by critics.
. In April and May of 2011, he reprised his role as Joel Joffe in an encore presentation of Rivonia Trial at the State Theatre in Pretoria. As with its previous showing, the play received generally positive reviews. James also filmed a costarring part in Angus Buchan's Ordinary People, the story of South African preacher Angus Buchan
. The movie is scheduled for release in spring of 2012.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film District 9
District 9
District 9 is a 2009 South African science fiction thriller film directed by Neill Blomkamp. It was written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James...
.
Personal life
James grew up in PaarlPaarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
, Western Cape, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, on a wine farm. He has an older sister, Lorraine, who owns and operates a vacation resort property in Paarl. His family were conservatives and separatists, his father a Dutch Reformed man, whereas James was liberal. He and his family also clashed early on regarding his choice of careers. As a young man, James struck a bargain with his family that if he were to letter in sports, he could then pursue his choice of studies. After accomplishing this and after his tour of duty in the military, he chose to study acting.
James currently lives in Parkview
Parkview, Gauteng
Parkview is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It borders the suburb of Greenside and overlooks Zoo Lake, a park which lies on the opposite side of Jan Smuts Avenue from the Johannesburg Zoo. All of its streets are named after Irish counties....
, a suburb of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. He is bilingual, speaking both English and Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
, single, and keeps a cat, Gypsey.
Charity work
James has assisted in fundraising for Faces of Hope, a local South African charity that raises money for those with life-threatening illnesses that do not have adequate medical coverage or funds to pay for their treatments. In April 2010, an article regarding Faces of Hope and his participation was featured in O: The Oprah Magazine South African edition.Public appearances
James appeared as a celebrity judge for the February 2010 young thespians "High Flyer" contest at Redhill SchoolRedhill School
Redhill School is an independent, private, co-educational multi-faith day school located in Morningside, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.It was founded in 1907 as an interdenominational Christian school and today educates over a thousand pupils from pre-primary to high school .There is also a...
in Johannesburg. Coincidentally, this is the same private school that his District 9 costar Sharlto Copley
Sharlto Copley
Sharlto Copley is a South African producer, actor, and director who has produced and co-directed short films which have appeared at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as commercials and music videos...
and director Neill Blomkamp
Neill Blomkamp
Neill Blomkamp is an Afrikaner-Canadian film and advertisement writer and director. Blomkamp employs a documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects. He is best known as the co-writer and director of critically acclaimed...
both previously attended. In March 2010 James was a celebrity presenter at the Naledi Theatre Awards, which recognizes excellence in South African Professional Live Theatre and the Performing Arts.
Training and career
James studied acting, singing, dancing, and even the flute early on. One of his instructors was the famous Joan BrickhillJoan Brickhill
Joan Brickhill is an award-winning South African actress who has worked in radio, theatre, television, and film. She is widely regarded as one of the most talented and respected South African actors of the twentieth century. Together with Louis Burke, Brickhill founded Brickhill-Burke...
, a "grand dame" of South African theater and a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-nominated choreographer, under whom James studied from 1997 through 2001. During this time he also worked selling cars, washing cars, cleaning pools, and even caring for the elderly.
Early work
On stage he has costarred in productions of Kiss Me KateKiss Me Kate
Kiss Me Kate was a British sitcom that ran from 1998 until 2000. It followed the everyday life of a woman counsellor, Kate , who must not only manage her clients' problems, but must also help her neighbours and unsuccessful business partner, Douglas, played by Chris Langham. Amanda Holden played...
, Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web is an award-winning children's novel by acclaimed American author E. B. White, about a pig named Wilbur who is saved from being slaughtered by an intelligent spider named Charlotte. The book was first published in 1952, with illustrations by Garth Williams.The novel tells the story...
, A Picture of Dorian Gray, and My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
, and others, as well as in the locally written plays Fangs and Everybody Else is F***ing Perfect. He has also appeared in numerous commercials and corporate promotional materials, including ads and promotions for Toys 'R Us, Ford, Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
, and Cipler Insurance.
James has also appeared in many South African television series and soaps
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, including roles in Criminal Minds, Snitch, Jozi Street, Binnelanders, Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart
Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula is a 1990 pulp, "neo-noir" novel by Barry Gifford which was adapted to film in 1990.The novel begins the adventures of two sex-driven, star crossed protagonists on the road, Sailor and Lula...
, and Isidingo, where from 2004-2006 he portrayed a hired assassin called Mad Dog.
District 9
Perhaps his best known role to date is that of Koobus Venter, the ruthless colonel that heads up the military arm of the fictional Multi-National United (MNU) in the 2009 film District 9.To prepare for the role, James took a course of steroids to put on 10kg (approx. 22lbs) of muscle. His actual experience in the military made him comfortable with the various weapons and battle sequences, but he did struggle with the amount of profanity expected of him. While his was only a supporting role, it did still garner the attention of critics; The Coventry Telegraph (UK) says, "David James is spot on as the merciless Colonel Venter."
2010
In 2010, in Rivonia Trial, James portrayed Joel Joffe, the attorney that represented Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
in the infamous 1963-64 anti-apartheid
Anti-apartheid
Anti-apartheid may refer to any opposition to the former South African apartheid policy. More specifically, it may refer to:* Anti-Apartheid Movement, British organisation* The internal resistance to South African apartheid within South Africa...
trials of the same name. The play was generally well-received critically and described by the State Theatre as being a "complete sell-out." Also that year, he portrayed Afrikaner Sergeant Hattingh in a production of Biko: Where the Soul Resides, the story of South African martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
Steven Bantu Biko
Steve Biko
Stephen Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the...
. It is widely believed that Biko died at the hands of Hattingh during police interrogations in 1977.
Later in 2010 he costarred in Jock of the Bushveld - the Musical, the story of a dog lost in the African bush, where he portrayed one of three hungry yet comical vultures waiting for the animal to become dinner. The large-scale play itself was lauded by critics, as were all the performers.
In September 2010, James was featured in an episode of the South African television series Solving It, a true-crime re-enactment drama that airs on the SABC. In 2010 James also had a role in the South African modern-day Twilight-esque vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
film Eternity
Eternity (2010 South African film)
Eternity is a South African horror film which tells the story of a clash between vampires over the use of a serum that would allow them to walk in the daylight...
. As with the movie District 9, James was working with a first-time feature film director, Chris dos Santos, who surprisingly admitted in one interview that he "hadn't had a chance" to talk to James about his character until after filming began, and who stated on his directorial blog, "David James for example, I only met 2 days before principal photography ... He had created this whole character that he was briefed on from the original director and of course himself, and suddenly this young dude (yours truly) comes in 2 days before shoot and tries to cock it up... Ha ha... Man, what a ride. But seriously, David James did a great job working with me and allowing me to mess up his six months of prep ...". Not surprisingly, unlike the overall acclaim received for District 9, Eternity was lambasted by critics.
2011
In January 2011 James played Dieter, one of a gang of ruthless kidnappers, in the British miniseries Kidnap and RansomKidnap and Ransom
Kidnap and Ransom is a three-part television miniseries which aired on the ITV in January 2011. The series revolves around the latest case for expert British hostage negotiator Dominic King...
. In April and May of 2011, he reprised his role as Joel Joffe in an encore presentation of Rivonia Trial at the State Theatre in Pretoria. As with its previous showing, the play received generally positive reviews. James also filmed a costarring part in Angus Buchan's Ordinary People, the story of South African preacher Angus Buchan
Angus Buchan
Angus Buchan was originally a Zambian maize and cattle farmer of Scottish descent who started farming in Zambia but was forced to sell everything and move to Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa in 1978 due to political unrest in that country....
. The movie is scheduled for release in spring of 2012.
External links
- David James at the Internet Movie Database
- see Discussion page for translation of above-referenced news article, "Koobus Was Quickly in His Blood"
- Gallo Images of David James (and his cat)