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James Callis

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For the editor, see Jim Callis.

James Callis
Callis at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
James Nicholas Callis

(1971-06-04) 4 June 1971 (age 53)
Hampstead, London, England
NationalityEnglish
EducationHarrow School
Alma materUniversity of York (B.A., English and Related Literature, 1993)
London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Years active1996–present
Spouse
Neha Callis
​
(m. 1998)​
Children3

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 miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones's best friend Tom in Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, and Bridget Jones's Baby. He joined the cast of the TV series Eureka, on Syfy, in 2010, and since 2017, he has voiced the character Alucard in the Netflix series Castlevania 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

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Callis was born in Hampstead and brought up in London, where he attended St. Martin's Prep School in Northwood and then Harrow School in north-west London. His parents owned a bed-and-breakfast.[1] He is of Russian, Polish and Ukrainian Jewish descent.[2][3] Callis attended the University of York, 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, including a production of Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter.

Career

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Callis in 2007

Callis went on to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, 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 by Jon Marans, in which he starred alongside Bob Hoskins.

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, Steven Berkoff and Fenella Fielding. 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, 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, alongside Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant, in the summer of 2000 and between a few further film and TV roles went back on stage in the Soho Theatre in December 2002.

In 2003, Callis played the role of Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and continued the role in the regular series that followed. In 2006, Callis won the Best Supporting Actor Saturn Award and an AFI award for his performance as Baltar.

Personal life

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Callis has two sisters. He married on 30 December 1998 and has two sons and a daughter, born 2003, 2005, and 2009.

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 Weekend Bird Mike Short film
1999 Surety Ben Short film;
Also director and producer
2001 Bridget Jones's Diary Tom
Beginner's Luck Mark Feinman Also co-director, co-producer and writer
2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Tom
Dead Cool Josh
2006 One Night with the King Haman, the Agagite
2010 Reuniting the Rubins Danny Rubins
Meet Pursuit Delange Pursuit Short film
2013 Austenland Colonel Andrews
Believe Man in Mac
2016 The Hollow Vaughn Killinger
Bridget Jones's Baby Tom
2017 House by the Lake Scott
2025 Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Tom Post-production

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1996 Murder Most Horrid Mark Episode: "Confess"
Soldier Soldier Maj Tim Forrester 9 episodes
1997 A Dance to the Music of Time Gwinnett Episode: "Post War"
1998 Heat of the Sun Asst. Supt. Clive Lanyard Episode: "Private Lives"
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries Guy Curran Episodes: "Going Wrong: Part 1", "Going Wrong: Part 2" and "Going Wrong: Part 3"
1999 Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll The Wolf Miniseries
The Scarlet Pimpernel Henri Episode: "Valentin Gautier"
2000 Arabian Nights Prince Ahmed Miniseries
Jason and the Argonauts Aspyrtes Miniseries
2001 As If Sebastian Episode: "Nicki's POV"
Victoria & Albert Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha Television film
2002 Relic Hunter Raoul Episode: "Faux Fox"
2003 Helen of Troy Menelaus Miniseries
Battlestar Galactica Dr. Gaius Baltar Miniseries
Blue Dove Dominic Pasco Miniseries
2004–2010 Battlestar Galactica Dr. Gaius Baltar 73 episodes
2007 Battlestar Galactica: Razor Dr. Gaius Baltar Television film
2008 Late Show with David Letterman Gaius Baltar / Top Ten Presenter Uncredited
2009 Merlin and the Book of Beasts Merlin Television film
Numb3rs Mason Duryea Episode: "Angels and Devils"
2010 FlashForward Gabriel McDow Episodes: "The Garden of Forking Paths", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Course Correction" and "The Negotiation"
2010–2012 Eureka Dr. Trevor Grant 10 episodes
2011 Merlin Julius Borden Episode: "Aithusa"
17th Precinct Jeff Bosson TV pilot
2012 Midsomer Murders Toby & Julian DeQuetteville Episode: "The Dark Rider"
DCI Banks Owen Pierce Episodes: "Innocent Graves – Part 1" and "Innocent Graves – Part 2"
2013 Arrow The Dodger Episode: "Dodger"
Key & Peele Shakespeare Episode #3.8
2013–2014 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation John Merchiston Episodes: "Skin in the Game", "The Devil and D.B. Russell" and "Boston Brakes"
2014–2016 The Musketeers Emile Bonnaire Episodes: "Commodities" and "The Queen's Diamonds"
2015 A.D. The Bible Continues Herod Antipas Miniseries
Gallipoli Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett Miniseries
Rick and Morty Pat Gueterman (voice) Episode: "The Wedding Squanchers"
2017–2021 Castlevania Alucard (voice) 27 episodes
2017–2018 12 Monkeys Athan / The Witness 5 episodes
2017 Once Upon a Date Ed Holland Television film
2019–2022 Blood & Treasure Simon Hardwick / Karim Farouk Main cast
2020 MacGyver The Merchant Episodes: "Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan" and "Psy-Op + Cell + Merchant + Birds"
2022 Star Trek: Picard Maurice Picard Episodes: "Monsters" and "Hide And Seek"
2023 Castlevania: Nocturne Alucard (voice) Episode: "Devourer of Light"
2024 Slow Horses Claude Whelan 4 episodes

Radio

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Year Title Role Notes
1997 Daisy Miller Winterbourne
1997 HMS Ulysses Kid Carpenter Radio 4 Saturday Playhouse[4]

Web

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Year Title Role Notes
2014 Caper Doc English Through Geek and Sundry

References

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  1. ^ "James Callis Biography (1971–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  2. ^ "Message 27: 30-Sep-2002". Jamescallis.tripod.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  3. ^ "It is a matter of opinion for time being. But doesn't look like it's going to plan... and consequence we've never seen? I'm a descendent of Ukrainian Jews – I've seen it. Nuclear war – he won't see that either! I think the aggressor is afraid! I'd be – in his position". Twitter.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  4. ^ "BBC Programme Index". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 14 June 1997. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
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