James Marsters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Marsters
Marsters at 2023 Comic Con Brussels
Born	James Wesley Marsters (1962-08-20) August 20, 1962 (age 63) Greenville, California, U.S.
Other names	David Gray Sam Majesters
Education	Allan Hancock College Juilliard School
Occupation	Actor musician singer comic book writer audiobook narrator
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Liane Davidson ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1997)​ Patricia Jasmin Rahman ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2021)​
Children	2
Signature

James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962) is an American actor, musician, singer, comic book writer, and audiobook narrator. He is widely recognized for his role as the British punk vampire Spike in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel.

Marsters has also played other memorable characters. These include the alien supervillain Brainiac on the Superman-inspired series Smallville, Captain John Hart on Torchwood, and Barnabas Greeley in Syfy's Caprica. He has appeared in films like P.S. I Love You and played Victor Hesse in the TV show Hawaii Five-0. He was also Victor Stein in the Marvel series Runaways.

Beyond live-action roles, Marsters is known for his voice acting. He voiced Zamasu for the Funimation dub of the Dragon Ball franchise. He also voiced Lex Luthor in the film Superman: Doomsday and the video game DC Universe Online. Other voice roles include Sergei in Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, Mister Fantastic in The Super Hero Squad Show, and Korvac in Ultimate Spider-Man.

Sometimes, Marsters uses different names for his voice work in anime and video games. He has been credited as David Gray in Dragon Ball Super and Sam Majesters in Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Early Life and Acting Dreams

James Marsters was born in Greenville, California. His father was a minister, and his mother was a social worker. He grew up in Modesto, California, with his brother, Paul, and sister, Susan.

Marsters dreamed of becoming an actor from a young age. He played Eeyore in a Winnie-the-Pooh play when he was in fourth grade. He later joined the theater group at Grace M. Davis High School and performed in many plays, including musicals. After graduating in 1980, Marsters studied at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, California. In 1982, he moved to New York City to attend the Juilliard School, a famous performing arts school.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out in Theater

After leaving Juilliard, Marsters moved to Chicago. His first professional acting role was in a play called The Tempest in 1987. He also worked with other well-known theater groups in Chicago. In 1989, he was nominated for an award for his role as Robespierre in a long play called Incorruptible: The Life, Death and Dreams of Maximilian de Robespierre.

In 1990, Marsters moved to Seattle and helped start a new theater company called New Mercury Theatre. He acted in many different plays there, including a British play called Teechers and a play based on Dr. Seuss books.

First TV Roles

Marsters got his first TV acting job in 1992 on the show Northern Exposure. He appeared in two episodes. He also made guest appearances on other TV series like Andromeda. He acted in independent films such as Chance (2002) and Winding Roads (1999). In 1999, he had a small role in the movie House on Haunted Hill.

Becoming Spike in Buffy and Angel

James Marsters became widely known for playing the vampire Spike on the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He joined the show in its second season. For this role, Marsters used a London accent, getting tips from his British co-star Anthony Head.

The show's creator, Joss Whedon, originally planned for Spike to be a minor character who would be killed off quickly. However, fans loved Spike so much that they kept him on the show. Marsters explained that Whedon didn't want another romantic vampire to take over the show, as vampires were supposed to be evil and easily defeated. But the huge fan response meant Spike stayed for the rest of the second season.

Spike was not initially planned to be a regular character on Buffy. However, when another character, Cordelia Chase, moved to the spin-off show Angel, the creators needed someone to challenge Buffy. So, they brought Spike back. Surprisingly, Spike became a romantic interest for Buffy and a main cast member until the show ended.

After Buffy finished, Marsters continued playing Spike on the spin-off series Angel for its fifth and final season. His return was meant to be a surprise, but the network announced it early to create excitement.

In April 2004, after Angel ended, Marsters shaved off Spike's famous bleached hair live on TV for charity. There were talks about making a movie about Spike, but these plans were eventually stopped. Marsters said he would only play Spike again if the movie happened within five years, because he felt he would become too old to play an immortal character after that time.

Besides acting as Spike, Marsters also helped write a comic book for Dark Horse Comics called Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru. He continued to be involved with the comic book series of both shows, especially with stories about his character. A graphic novel called Spike: Into the Light, written by Marsters, was released in 2014.

Other Notable Roles

Marsters has narrated many audiobooks, including The Dresden Files series, which are detective novels with supernatural elements. Fans were very happy when he returned to narrate the book Ghost Story after another actor had recorded it.

In 2005, Marsters appeared on the TV series Smallville as Dr. Milton Fine, also known as Brainiac, a famous Superman villain. He played this role in several episodes across different seasons. In September 2006, Marsters performed his stage play Teechers again in Los Angeles.

He co-starred in the 2007 film P.S. I Love You alongside Kathy Bates and Hilary Swank. In the animated film Superman: Doomsday, released in 2007, Marsters voiced the villain Lex Luthor.

In 2008, he guest-starred in Torchwood, a spin-off of the British science fiction series Doctor Who. He played Captain John Hart, a time traveler. He returned for more episodes in the second season.

Marsters played Lord Piccolo in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution, released in 2009. He also portrayed Buzz Aldrin in the film Moonshot, which aired on the History Channel in 2009 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. In August 2009, he joined the cast of Caprica as a terrorist leader named Barnabas Greeley.

In 2011, Marsters appeared on Supernatural and Warehouse 13. In 2018, it was confirmed that Marsters voiced Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super under the name David Gray. He took on this role for free because he is a fan of the Dragon Ball series and wanted to make up for his role in the poorly received Dragon Ball: Evolution film.

Musical Journey

James Marsters has been involved in music for many years. He performed solo in clubs, singing covers of classic folk and rock artists. He also sang in "Once More, with Feeling", a musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

James Marsters performing at the Union Chapel Concert in Islington, London on May 4, 2007

From 2003 to 2004, Marsters was the lead singer for the rock band Ghost of the Robot. Their first album, Mad Brilliant, was released in 2003. The band played concerts in Los Angeles, Paris, and had two sold-out tours in Europe. They released singles and an EP (Extended Play) called It's Nothing. Marsters wrote or co-wrote many of their songs.

Marsters started his solo music career in October 2004 in London. His solo acoustic tour in the United Kingdom in April 2005 sold out. His first solo album, Civilized Man, was released on April 15, 2005. It included new songs and popular ones like "Katie" and "Smile". He performed songs from this album in various cities.

He also wrote new songs that he performed live but were not on his album, such as "Birth of the Blues" and "London City". In 2005, he released a DVD called Words and Music, which included his play Macbeth and a full solo music performance.

In September 2006, Marsters debuted more new songs, including "The Truth Is Heavy" and "Jealous Man". These songs showed his move towards blues and folk music. His second solo album, Like a Waterfall, was released in 2007. It featured twelve songs, all written by Marsters.

In 2010, the band Ghost of the Robot reformed. They have since released albums like B-Sider (2011) and Murphy's Law (2011). In 2023, Ghost of the Robot released the album Tin Man, which includes the song "Don't Worry Son," a song Marsters wrote while working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Personal Life

James Marsters was married to Liane Davidson, and they have one son, born in 1996. In 2002, he began raising his niece, whom he considers his daughter.

On January 14, 2011, Marsters married Patricia Rahman in Los Angeles. They later filed for divorce in February 2021.

Discography

As a solo artist:

• Civilized Man (2005)
• Like a Waterfall (2007)

With California-based rock band Ghost of the Robot:

• Mad Brilliant (2003)
• B-Sider (2011)
• Murphy's Law (2011)
• Bourgeois Faux Pas (2015)
• Pair of Bulls, Vol.1 (2018)
• Tin Man (2023)

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Video Game Voice Roles

Audio Dramas

Audiobooks Narrated

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: James Marsters para niños