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
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 actor, comedian, writer, producer, singer, and television host. In the United Kingdom, he is best known for creating and starring in the popular BBC show Gavin & Stacey. In the United States, he became very well known as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden, a late-night talk show on CBS from 2015 to 2023.

Corden co-wrote and co-starred with Ruth Jones in Gavin & Stacey, which aired from 2007 to 2010. For this show, he won a BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy Performance. He also had a UK number one song called "Shout" with grime artist Dizzee Rascal. In 2011, Corden created his famous Carpool Karaoke sketch. He has hosted many big awards shows, including the Brit Awards (2009, 2011, 2014), the Tony Awards (2016, 2019), and the Grammy Awards (2017, 2018). From 2010 to 2019, he hosted the sports panel show A League of Their Own on Sky One.

Corden has acted in many films, like Gulliver's Travels (2010) and Peter Rabbit (2018), where he voiced the main character. He also appeared in musical films such as 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 to Broadway, where Corden won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. In 2015, he received the BAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year. Corden has won 12 Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Late Late Show and Carpool Karaoke. He also received a special award called an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for his contributions to drama.

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 and later sold Christian books. James grew up in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire, with his two sisters. He went to Park Middle School and Holmer Green Upper School.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Roles (1996–2006)

Corden's first stage role was a small part in the musical Martin Guerre when he was 18. He also had an early TV reporter role on Good Morning with Anne and Nick, where he interviewed Meat Loaf. He appeared in TV shows like Boyz Unlimited (1999) and Teachers. He also had small parts in films such as Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999) and All or Nothing (2002).

From 2000 to 2005, Corden played Jamie Rymer in the British TV series Fat Friends. From 2004 to 2007, he played Timms in the stage play The History Boys in London and on Broadway. He also appeared in the radio and 2006 film versions of the play.

Gavin & Stacey and Growing Fame (2007–2010)

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

From 2007 to 2010, Corden became very well known for Gavin & Stacey, a BBC Three sitcom he co-wrote and co-starred in with Ruth Jones. Corden played Smithy, a friend of the main characters. The show was very popular and received great reviews. For Gavin & Stacey, Corden won Best Male Comedy Performer at the 2007 British Comedy Awards. The show also won the BAFTA Audience Award in 2008. In 2019, Gavin & Stacey returned for a Christmas special, which was watched by many people in the UK.

During this time, Corden also hosted Big Brother's Big Mouth with his Gavin & Stacey co-star Mathew Horne. They also created a sketch show called Horne & Corden in 2009, but it was not as successful. Corden also appeared in films like Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009) and voiced a character in the animated film Planet 51. He co-hosted the Brit Awards in 2009.

In March 2010, Corden started hosting the Sky 1 comedy/sports panel show A League of Their Own. He also appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Lodger" in June 2010, and returned for another episode in 2011. In 2010, he was in the film Gulliver's Travels.

One Man, Two Guvnors and Film Roles (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 brought back his Gavin & Stacey character, Smithy, for a Red Nose Day sketch to raise money for charity. This sketch featured famous people like then UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, JLS, Paul McCartney, and Justin Bieber. This sketch also showed the first version of his famous Carpool Karaoke segment, where he sang with pop star George Michael while driving. In 2011, he appeared in The Three Musketeers.

Starting in June 2011, Corden played the main role in the popular comedy play One Man, Two Guvnors. The play was shown in cinemas worldwide and moved to the West End in London and then to Broadway. The show was praised by critics and won Best Play at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2011. In June 2012, he won a Tony Award for Best Actor for his performance in the play.

In February 2012, Corden hosted the Brit Awards for the third time. He also 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 novel. He also voiced Biggie, a friendly Troll, in the animated film Trolls (2016).

Corden also worked with his friend Mathew Baynton to create, write, and star in The Wrong Mans, a comedy-thriller for BBC Two. It started in September 2013 and was also shown on Hulu.com in the United States.

Hosting The Late Late Show (2015–2023)

The Late Late Show with James Corden set

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

His Carpool Karaoke with pop singer Adele in January 2016 was one of the most watched videos on YouTube that year. Corden did many Carpool Karaoke segments with famous singers like Sir Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Harry Styles, and Katy Perry. Apple TV+ later made a TV series based on this segment called Carpool Karaoke: The Series.

Corden's special Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney, Live From Liverpool with Sir Paul McCartney was very popular and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special. In this special, Corden and McCartney sang Beatles songs and visited places in Liverpool that were important to McCartney. In April 2022, Corden announced that he would leave The Late Late Show in 2023.

Corden hosted the Tony Awards in 2016 and 2019, and the Grammy Awards in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, his production company Fulwell 73 produced the Seatbelt Psychic TV series. Corden also starred in the films Cats (2019), The Prom (2020), and Cinderella (2021).

Recent Work (2024–Present)

On 20 March 2024, it was announced that Corden would return to theatre. He starred as Alec in a new play called The Constituent at The Old Vic in London. He also teamed up with Ruth Jones again to write and star in the final episode of Gavin & Stacey, which aired on Christmas Day 2024.

Personal Life

James Corden shared a flat with his The History Boys co-star Dominic Cooper for several years. Cooper introduced Corden to his future wife, Julia Carey. Corden married Julia Carey on 15 September 2012. They have three children together. Corden is a big fan of the Premier League football club West Ham United.

In June 2015, Corden received the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award from Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace. This award was for his services to drama. Corden lives in Los Angeles with his family. He also has homes in London and Wargrave in Berkshire.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, Corden paid the salaries of employees on The Late Late Show who could not work. He also started a fundraising campaign with the NBA to help Feed the Children. In January 2022, Corden shared that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but was feeling fine because he was fully vaccinated.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Video Games

Music Videos

Advertising

Discography

Singles

Other 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