James Spader

James Spader, born on February 7, 1960, in Boston, is an American actor known for his eccentric and morally ambiguous roles. In addition to early cult roles such as in Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989, directed by Steven Soderbergh), he became known to a wider audience with SECRETARY (2002, directed by Steven Shainberg), in which he played the domineering lawyer E. Edward Grey—the film premiered at the Sundance Festival in 2002 and later received widespread acclaim. Other notable films include Stargate (1994, directed by Roland Emmerich), which also brought him international fame, and Lincoln (2012, directed by Steven Spielberg), in which he played William Bilbo. He also lent his voice and motion capture performance to the character Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015, directed by Joss Whedon). Spader made a significant mark on television, playing Alan Shore in The Practice (2003–2004, various directors) and Boston Legal (2004–2008, various directors), for which he won a total of three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor. From 2013, he played Raymond “Red” Reddington in The Blacklist (2013–2023, various directors), a role that earned him several Golden Globe nominations. Spader won the Best Actor Award at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival for Sex, Lies, and Videotape. His Emmy successes, his role in The Blacklist, and his defining presence in genre film make him one of the most dazzling actors in modern cinema and television history.