JAMES
MARSDEN

James Marsden is an American actor born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on 18 September 1973. His career spans superhero films, romantic comedies, musicals and television drama.

Marsden gained broad recognition as Scott Summers, or Cyclops, in the X-Men film series. He also played Lon Hammond in The Notebook (2004), appearing in a romantic drama with a very different scale and tone.

In 2007, Hairspray and Enchanted gave him opportunities to sing on screen. As Prince Edward in Enchanted, he played a fairy-tale hero whose earnestness becomes part of the comedy when he enters modern New York.

On television, Marsden played Teddy Flood in Westworld. He later appeared as a fictionalised version of himself in Jury Duty, receiving an Emmy nomination for supporting actor in a comedy series.

His film work also includes the Sonic the Hedgehog series, in which he plays Tom Wachowski. Across these roles, Marsden moves between sincere leading men and characters whose familiar heroic image can itself become a source of humour.