James Marsden

Infobox actor

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birthname = James Paul Marsden
birthdate = birth date and age|1973|9|18
birthplace = Stillwater, Oklahoma
deathdate =
deathplace =
yearsactive = 1993 — present
othername = Jimmy Marsden
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards =
spouse = Lisa Linde (2000 - present)

James Paul Marsden (born September 18, 1973) is a Saturn Award nominated American actor and former Versace model, perhaps best known for playing Cyclops in the ""X-Men" films". Recently Marsden has also had memorable roles in "Superman Returns", "Hairspray", "Enchanted", and "27 Dresses".

Early life and family

James Paul Marsden was born on September 18th, 1973 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His father, a professor of animal studies and industry at Kansas State University. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/94/James-Marsden.html James Marsden Biography (1973-) ] ] , and his mother, a nutritionist, divorced when he was nine years old.cite news|last=|first=|coauthors=|title=James Marsden Biography|pages=|publisher=|date=|url=http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800355003/bio|accessdate=2008-08-12] Marsden has four siblings, two younger sisters, Jennifer Marsden, 28 and Elizabeth Marsden, 16 and two brothers, Jeff Marsden and Robert Marsden, 32. He attended Putnam City North High School, in Oklahoma City and later went on to attend Oklahoma State University where he studied broadcast journalism. However, Marsden left after one and a half years, opting instead to move out to Los Angeles in order to pursue his acting career.

Career

Marsden got his first job on the pilot episode of "The Nanny" as Eddie, Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend. He then went on to star in the Canadian television series "Boogies Diner", which aired for one season. With the end of that series, he guest starred on other television shows such as "Saved by the Bell" and "Party of Five". He later starred in the ABC show "Second Noah". He lost out to Edward Norton for a role in "Primal Fear" (1996) and turned down the lead role in "54" (1998), which later went to Ryan Phillippe. He then went on to star in "Disturbing Behavior" starring opposite Katie Holmes and "Gossip" opposite Kate Hudson.

Marsden then played Cyclops in the "X-Men" films. His X-Men character Cyclops' lessened screen time in the is because of scheduling conflicts with his prior commitment to Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns", in which he plays Lois Lane's love interest, Richard White. He also appeared in the television series "Ally McBeal", as one of the main cast members during the first half of season 5, where he also showcased his singing abilities (episodes 501-503,506-508) . Marsden later played Lon Hammond Jr. in the romantic movie "The Notebook", which was based on a Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name. "The Alibi" was released in 2006, but only in Europe as of late. An American release date is still to be determined.

In 2007, Marsden played Corny Collins in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical based on the 1988 John Waters movie "Hairspray" alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes, Queen Latifah and John Travolta. There he also made his musical debut by singing two of the film's songs "The Nicest Kids In Town" and "(It's) Hairspray". Both "Hairspray" and the film's soundtrack were critically-acclaimed. His next role was in the Disney hybrid animated/live action film "Enchanted", playing Prince Edward with co-stars Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, Idina Menzel and Patrick Dempsey.

Following his successes in 2007's "Hairspray" and "Enchanted", Marsden played the male lead in the 2008 romantic comedy "27 Dresses" opposite star Katherine Heigl, which scored well in the U.S. box office.

Marsden will also be playing the male lead once again in the upcoming horror film "The Box", based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson. He will star opposite Cameron Diaz

Personal life

Marsden has been married to Lisa Linde ("Days of our Lives") since July 22, 2000. They have a son, Jack Holden (born February 1, 2001) and a daughter, Mary James (born August 10, 2005). Lisa is the daughter of the legendary country music songwriter Dennis Linde.

Miscellaneous

During onstage song commentaries, American singer/songwriter Molly Jenson regularly mentions that the unnamed actor in her song "Thinking of You" is actually James. She was a big fan of his in his role in the TV series "Second Noah".

He is heavily involved in charity.

Filmography

Film

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0005188|name=James Marsden
* [http://movies.ign.com/articles/525/525089p1.html Interview on "The Notebook" and "X-Men 3"]