James Frain is one of Hollywood's most versatile and respected actors who has a reputation for bold, intelligent performances in a diverse body of work in which he's collaborated with some of the finest actors and directors working today. In television, he most recently completed filming a leading role in the BBC miniseries Showtrial which airs on AMC in the US. Among many notable appearances on premium streaming and cable, James played Spock's father in Star Trek Discovery and Colin Farrell's nemesis in HBO's True Detective 2. In Season 3 of HBO's True Blood he portrayed the much-talked about character of Franklin Mott. He also portrayed real life historical figures Lord Warwick in The White Queen for BBC/Starz and Thomas Cromwell for three seasons in Showtime's critically acclaimed drama, The Tudors. James' past film credits include Disney's TRON: Legacy opposite Jeff Bridges, Fox's Water for Elephants opposite Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson, The Count of Monte Cristo with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce, Where the Heart Is opposite Natalie Portman, Reindeer Games with Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron, and Elizabeth with Cate Blanchett. In Hilary and Jackie he portrayed world famous conductor and classical musician Daniel Barenboim. James has an extensive theatre background having performed in the UK with The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Almeida, and The Royal Court. In 2007 James co-starred with Ian McShane on Broadway in The Homecoming for which the cast won The Drama Critics Circle Best Ensemble Award. In 2019 James played Lionel Logue in The Chicago Shakespeare Theater's world premiere of The Kings Speech. Born in the north of England he earned his degree in Drama and Film at the University of East Anglia and studied acting at London's Central School of Speech and Drama. While studying in London, James was spotted by Sir Richard Attenborough who immediately cast him in his first feature Shadowlands opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.