Lennie James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lennie James
James at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Lennie Michael James (1965-10-11) 11 October 1965 (age 59) Nottingham, England
Education	Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA)
Occupation	Actor writer
Years active	1988–present
Spouse(s)	Giselle Glasman
Children	3

Lennie Michael James (born October 11, 1965) is a British actor and writer. He is famous for playing Morgan Jones in the TV shows The Walking Dead and its spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead. He also starred as DCI Tony Gates in the first season of Line of Duty.

James has appeared in many other TV shows and films. These include Glen Boyle in the medical drama Critical. In American TV, he played Robert Hawkins in Jericho and Detective Joe Geddes in Low Winter Sun.

He also created and starred in the TV drama series Save Me. This show was very popular when it came out in 2018. Its second season, called Save Me Too, won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama Series in 2021.

Early Life

James was born in Nottingham, England. His parents were from Trinidad. He grew up in South London and went to Ernest Bevin College.

When James was 10 years old, his mother, Phyllis Mary James, passed away. He and his brother, Kester, decided to live in a children's home. They chose this instead of moving to the United States to live with a relative. James stayed in foster care for eight years.

As a teenager, James wanted to be a professional rugby player. He started acting by chance. He followed a girl he liked to an audition for a play.

James later attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He graduated from there in 1988. While studying, he helped lead a campaign to stop the school from expelling another student. He has said this was the bravest thing he ever did.

Career

James in 2008

Lennie James has acted in more than 20 films. Some of his well-known movies include Les Misérables (1998) and Snatch (2000). He also appeared in Sahara (2005) and the action film Colombiana (2011). In 2012, he was in the sci-fi movie Lockout.

He started his acting journey in theatre. In 1982, he joined a workshop at the Cockpit Theatre. The next year, he won an award for "Most Prominent Playwright Under 21" for his play Trial and Error. This play was later published in 1984. In 1992, he won the Clarence Derwent Award for his role in a play called The Coup.

Writing for TV and Stage

James also writes. In 2000, he wrote an autobiographical TV film called Storm Damage. This film was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series. Storm Damage is about a teacher who goes back to the foster home he grew up in to help the teenagers there. This story was inspired by James's own life.

He also wrote a play called The Sons of Charlie Paora. It opened in London in 2004 at the Royal Court Theatre.

Television Roles

James has had many roles on television. One of his early appearances was in A Touch of Frost in 1994. He later appeared in the prison drama Buried (2003) and the spy drama Spooks.

He played Robert Hawkins in the post-apocalyptic drama series Jericho (2006). In 2008, he was a detective in the TV drama Fallout. He also appeared in an episode of Lie to Me.

In 2012, James received great praise for his role as DCI Tony Gates in the BBC Two series Line of Duty.

The Walking Dead Universe

In 2010, James guest-starred as Morgan Jones in the very first episode of The Walking Dead. He returned to the show in 2013 for an episode in the third season.

He made more appearances in the fifth season, and fans loved his character. Even though he was not in every episode, critics and fans highly praised his acting as Morgan. He even got stopped by a policeman who wanted to talk about the show!

James became a main cast member in the sixth season of The Walking Dead. He stayed on the show until the eighth season. In 2018, he moved his character, Morgan, to the spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead. He became a regular cast member on that show.

When James appeared on the talk show Talking Dead after an episode, he spoke in his natural British accent. This caused the hashtag #morganisbritish to become popular on Twitter.

Other TV Work

James starred as Glen Boyle in the medical drama Critical, which started in 2015. For this role, he spent almost a year away from his home. Each episode of Critical happens in "real time," meaning the medical staff have one hour to save a life. To get ready for the role, James spent a week watching doctors at a London hospital.

James also voices Lord Shaxx in the video games Destiny and Destiny 2. Lord Shaxx is a character who hosts player-versus-player matches. James once said his favorite line from the game is a quote from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The line is: "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and I--I am the Crucible."

Personal Life

Lennie James lives in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is married to Giselle Glasman, and they have three children together. He enjoys cooking for his family and loves Caribbean cuisine. He is also a big fan of two football clubs: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from England and Valencia Club de Fútbol from Spain.

James has written an open "letter to my younger self" for The Big Issue magazine. In his letter from 2015, he wrote about the sadness of losing his mother when he was young. He said it had a "profound, fundamental effect" on him.

James also helps mentor black children from inner-city areas. He believes that fame is not the most important thing. He says that the real heroes are the men who work hard every day to support their families, even if they don't love their jobs.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Stage

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lennie James para niños