Oscar James facts for kids

Oscar James, born on July 25, 1942, is an actor from Trinidad who lives in the United Kingdom. He has had a long and interesting career. Many people know him best from British TV shows. He was one of the first actors in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He played the character Tony Carpenter for more than two years.

Early Life and Dreams

Oscar James was born in Trinidad. He grew up in a family that didn't have much money. In the 1950s, he moved to the United Kingdom. Before becoming an actor, he worked in different jobs. He was a taxi driver, a dish-washer, and even a gymnast. But Oscar always dreamed of being an entertainer. He worked hard to make his dream of becoming an actor come true.

Acting Career Highlights

When Oscar James started acting, there were not many roles for black actors. But he kept going and became very successful. He was the fourth black actor to join the famous Royal Shakespeare Company. He was also the first black actor to play the main role in the play Macbeth.

Starting a Theatre Company

In 1972, Oscar James and another actor named Alton Kumalo started their own theatre company. They called it Temba, which means "hope" in the Zulu language. Their goal was to show new plays written by black writers from Britain and South Africa. Temba was the first company in Britain to perform Athol Fugard's play Sizwe Bansi is Dead.

Early TV Roles

Oscar James appeared in many TV shows early in his career. Some of these include Softly, Softly (1966) and Love Thy Neighbour (1975). He also appeared in The Goodies in 1975. Other shows were Gangsters (1976), Angels (1976), and The Professionals. He was also in Minder (1979) and Tales of the Unexpected (1981).

Famous Roles in Soap Operas

Oscar James was the first black actor to appear in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. He played Antony Moeketsi, an African teacher, in 1978. Antony taught the character Seth Armstrong how to read.

However, Oscar James is most famous for his role as Tony Carpenter in the BBC TV show EastEnders. He was one of the very first actors when the show started in 1985. He played Tony Carpenter until 1987.

More TV and Film Appearances

After EastEnders, Oscar James continued to act in many TV shows. These include Casualty (1996), Lovejoy (1994), and London's Burning (2002). He also appeared in Doctors (2002 and 2005) and The Bill (2006).

Oscar James has also been in several movies. In the 1977 film Black Joy, he played a character named Jomo. A role many kids might know him from is in the 2005 movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In this film, he played the kind shopkeeper where Charlie Bucket finds the last Golden Ticket.

In 2004, Oscar James acted in a radio play called Oxford Road: the Story. He also starred in the TV film Elmina's Kitchen in 2005.

Personal Life

Oscar James lives in North London.

Selected Film Roles

• A Matter of Choice (1963)
• Man in the Middle (1964)
• Never Mention Murder (1965)
• ... Evil (1966) - Dupree
• Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)
• The Breaking of Bumbo (1970)
• All the Right Noises (1971)
• Gumshoe (1971)
• Pressure (1976) - Colin
• Black Joy (1977) - Jomo
• Jaguar Lives! (1979) - Collins
• Student Bodies (1981)
• Last Night at the Alamo (1983)
• Water (1985) - Miguel
• Three Kinds of Heat (1987)
• Hardware (1990) - Chief
• My Kingdom (2001) - Desmond
• If Only (2004)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - Shopkeeper
• Shoot the Messenger (2006)
• Oh Happy Day (2007)
• Deadmeat (2007)