James Corden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Corden OBE
Corden at the 2015 PaleyFest
Born	James Kimberley Corden (1978-08-22) 22 August 1978 (age 46) Hillingdon, London, England
Education	Holmer Green Upper School
Occupation	Actor comedian writer producer singer television host
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Julia Carey ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	3
Awards	Full list
Comedy career
Medium	Television film theatre podcast
Genres	Observational comedy sketch comedy musical comedy physical comedy satire
Subject(s)	American politics British politics English culture American culture current events pop culture everyday life social awkwardness
Signature

James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is a famous English comedian, actor, writer, producer, singer, and television host. In the United Kingdom, he is well-known for creating and starring in the popular BBC show Gavin & Stacey. In the United States, he became famous as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden. This late-night talk show was on CBS from 2015 to 2023.

Gavin & Stacey first aired from 2007 to 2010. Corden wrote and starred in it with Welsh actress Ruth Jones. He won a BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy Performance for his role. He also had a UK number one song called "Shout" with artist Dizzee Rascal. Corden created his famous Carpool Karaoke sketch in 2011. He has hosted many big awards shows, including the Brit Awards, the Tony Awards, and the Grammy Awards. From 2010 to 2019, he hosted the sports comedy show A League of Their Own on Sky One.

Corden has acted in several films. These include Gulliver's Travels (2010) and Peter Rabbit (2018). He voiced the main character, Peter Rabbit, in that film and its 2021 sequel. He also appeared in musical films like Into the Woods (2014), Cats (2019), The Prom (2020), and Cinderella (2021).

In 2011, Corden starred in the play One Man, Two Guvnors at the Royal National Theatre. This play moved from London's West End to Broadway. Corden won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance. In 2015, he received the BAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year. Corden has won 12 Primetime Emmy Awards. These include awards for The Late Late Show and Carpool Karaoke. He was also honored with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for his contributions to drama.

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Early Life and Education

James Corden was born in Hillingdon, Greater London. His mother, Margaret, was a social worker. His father, Malcolm, was a musician in the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. Later, his father became a salesman for Christian books.

Corden grew up in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire. He went to Park Middle School and Holmer Green Upper School. He has two sisters.

Career Highlights

Starting Out: 1996–2006

Corden's first time on stage was at age 18 in the 1996 musical Martin Guerre. He had a small role. His first TV reporter job was on the BBC show Good Morning with Anne and Nick. He interviewed the singer Meat Loaf.

Early in his TV career, he played Gareth Jones in the 1999 series Boyz Unlimited. He also appeared in Tango advertisements in 1998. He had a role as a student in Teachers. In 2000, he had a small part in an episode of Hollyoaks. Corden also made guest appearances on Little Britain and Dalziel and Pascoe in 2004.

His early film roles include Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) and All or Nothing (2002). He also appeared in Heartlands (2002) and Cruise of the Gods (2002).

From 2000 to 2005, Corden starred as Jamie Rymer in the British TV series Fat Friends. He was nominated for an award for his work in 2000. Starting in 2004, Corden played Timms in the play The History Boys. He performed in London, on Broadway, and in other cities. He also appeared in the radio and 2006 film versions of the play. In 2006, he was in the film Starter for 10.

Gavin & Stacey and Growing Fame: 2007–2010

Corden co-created the sitcom Gavin & Stacey with Ruth Jones.

From 2007 to 2010, Corden starred in his own show, the BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey. He wrote the series with his Fat Friends co-star Ruth Jones. Corden played Smithy, a friend of the main characters. The show was very popular and received good reviews.

For Gavin & Stacey, Corden won Best Male Comedy Performer in 2007. The show also won Best New British Television Comedy. In 2008, Corden won a BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance. Gavin & Stacey won the BAFTA's Audience Award for Programme of the Year. In December 2008, it won Best TV Comedy at the British Comedy Awards. The show also won Most Popular Comedy Programme at the National Television Awards in 2010. In 2019, Gavin & Stacey returned for a Christmas special. This episode had the highest Christmas Day viewership in the UK for over ten years.

During this time, Corden also tried other projects. He guest-hosted Big Brother's Big Mouth with Gavin & Stacey co-star Mathew Horne in 2007. In 2008, he appeared in the film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. He worked with Horne again on a 2009 sketch show called Horne & Corden. This show was not well-received by critics. Corden later said he "wasn't good enough."

In 2009, Corden starred in the film ... Vampire Killers, which was not successful. He also played Clem Cattini in the film Telstar. He voiced a character in the animated film Planet 51. In February 2009, he co-hosted the Brit Awards with Horne and Kylie Minogue. In March 2009, he appeared in a sketch for the charity event Comic Relief. He gave a motivational talk to the England football team.

In March 2010, Corden started hosting the Sky 1 comedy/sports show A League of Their Own. He hosted Sport Relief 2010 and performed his England World Cup song with Dizzee Rascal on Britain's Got Talent. The money from the song went to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital.

In June 2010, Corden played Craig Owens in the Doctor Who episode "The Lodger". He returned as Owens in "Closing Time" in the sixth series. In December 2010, he wrote and produced sketches for This Is JLS, a Christmas special. In 2010, he was in the film Gulliver's Travels. He also voiced Billy the Meerkat in the English version of the animated film Animals United.

One Man, Two Guvnors Success: 2011–2014

Corden arriving at 10 Downing Street to interview then British Prime Minister David Cameron in March 2014

In February 2011, Corden hosted the 2011 Brit Awards. In March, he played Smithy again in a Red Nose Day sketch for Comic Relief. This sketch included appearances by then UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, JLS, Paul McCartney, and Justin Bieber. This show also featured the first Carpool Karaoke sketch. He sang songs with pop star George Michael while driving around London. In 2011, he appeared in The Three Musketeers.

Starting in June 2011, Corden played the main role in the comedy play One Man, Two Guvnors. The play was shown in cinemas worldwide and moved to the West End after a tour. The show received excellent reviews. Critics called it "A triumph of visual and verbal comedy" and "the feelgood hit of the Summer".

Corden made a small appearance in the music video for "Mama Do the Hump" by Rizzle Kicks in December 2011. In April 2012, One Man, Two Guvnors moved to Broadway. Corden continued to play the lead role. In June 2012, he won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his acting.

In February 2012, Corden hosted the Brit Awards for the third time. Corden starred as the Baker in the Disney film Into the Woods (2014). In 2015, Corden narrated Roald Dahl's Esio Trot, a BBC TV film based on Roald Dahl's book. In 2016, he voiced Biggie, a friendly Troll, in the animated film Trolls.

For his next project, Corden worked with his friend and Gavin & Stacey co-star Mathew Baynton. They created, wrote, and starred in The Wrong Mans. This was a six-part comedy-thriller for BBC Two. It started in September 2013. The series was also shown on Hulu in the United States.

The Late Late Show and Global Stardom: 2015–2023

The Late Late Show with James Corden set

In March 2015, Corden became the host of the American late-night talk show The Late Late Show. His most popular comedy parts included "Drop the Mic," "Fill Your Guts or Spill Your Guts," "Crosswalk the Musical," and "Carpool Karaoke".

Corden's Carpool Karaoke with pop singer Adele in January 2016 was a huge hit online. It was the most watched YouTube video of 2016. Corden did many "Carpool Karaoke" segments with famous singers. These included Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Harry Styles, and Katy Perry. Apple TV+ later made the segment into a streaming series called Carpool Karaoke: The Series.

Corden's special Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney, Live From Liverpool with Sir Paul McCartney was very popular. It won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special. In the special, Corden and McCartney sang Beatles songs like "Drive My Car" and "Let It Be". They visited places in Liverpool important to McCartney, including his childhood home. The special ended with McCartney surprising people at a pub with a 13-song performance. In April 2022, Corden announced he would leave The Late Late Show in 2023.

Corden hosted the Tony Awards in 2016 and 2019. He also hosted the Grammy Awards in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Corden's production company, Fulwell 73, produced the Seatbelt Psychic TV series.

In 2019, Corden starred as Bustopher Jones in the film Cats. This film received many negative reviews. Some critics called it one of the worst films of the year. Corden received an award for Worst Supporting Actor for his performance.

Corden's role in the 2020 musical comedy film The Prom also received negative reviews. Some critics felt his portrayal of a character was not accurate or respectful. This performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Corden also received negative reviews for his performance in the 2021 film Cinderella, which he also produced.

Recent Work: 2024–Present

In March 2024, it was announced that Corden would return to theatre. He starred as Alec in a new play called The Constituent. The play ran in London from June to August 2024. Corden also teamed up with Ruth Jones again to write and star in the final episode of Gavin & Stacey. This special episode aired on Christmas Day 2024.

Influences

Corden has mentioned that his comedy influences include Graham Norton, Chris Evans, Jonathan Ross, Conan O'Brien, David Letterman, and Stephen Colbert.

Personal Life

James Corden lived with his The History Boys co-star Dominic Cooper for several years. Cooper introduced Corden to his future wife, Julia Carey. Corden and Carey married on 15 September 2012. They have three children. Corden supports the Premier League football club West Ham United.

Corden was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for his services to drama. He received this honor from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in June 2015.

Corden lives in Los Angeles with his family. He also has homes in Belsize Park, London, and Wargrave in Berkshire.

In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Corden paid the salaries of Late Late Show employees who were not working. He also started a fundraising campaign with the NBA to help Feed the Children. In January 2022, Corden announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. He said he was fine and had been fully vaccinated.

In 2022, Corden had an issue at a New York restaurant called Balthazar. The owner, Keith McNally, banned him for being "ungracious" to staff. The ban was later removed after Corden apologized.

Filmography

Films

Television Shows

Theatre Performances

Video Games

Music Videos

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Music

Singles

Other Song Appearances

Published Works

• Corden, James (2011). [James Corden at Google Books May I Have Your Attention, Please?: The Autobiography]. London: Century. ISBN 978-1846059353. OCLC 751720297. James Corden at Google Books.

See also

In Spanish: James Corden para niños