David James (actor, born 1972)

David James
David James at the November 2009 screening of The Ultimate Gift for South African charity Faces of Hope.
Born	(1972-10-28) 28 October 1972 (age 45) South Africa
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present

David James (born 28 October 1972) is a South African film, theatre, and television actor known mainly for playing the villainous Koobus Venter in the 2009 Oscar-nominated science fiction film District 9. He is also known to South African audiences for his 2004-2006 appearance as "Mad Dog" on the long-running soap opera Isidingo, for his portrayal as Joel Joffe in the large-scale and well-received 2010 and 2011 stage productions of Rivonia Trial, and for his current role as radio station manager Hermanus Meyer on the soap opera Rhythm City.

James grew up in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa, on a wine farm. His family were conservatives and separatists, his father a Dutch Reformed man, whereas James was liberal. He and his family also clashed early on regarding his choice of careers. As a young man, James struck a bargain with his family that if he were to receive his WP-colours in sports, he could then pursue his choice of studies. After accomplishing this and after his tour of duty in the military, he chose to study acting.

From 1995-2001, James studied acting, singing, dancing, and the flute. One of his instructors was the famous Joan Brickhill, a "grand dame" of South African theatre and a Tony Award-nominated choreographer, under whom James studied from 1997 through 2001. During this time he also worked selling cars, washing cars, cleaning pools, and even caring for the elderly.

On stage he has costarred in productions of The Picture of Dorian Gray (2002), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005) and My Fair Lady (2006), and others, as well as in the locally written and well-reviewed 2007 Fangs, a comedic telling of a Johannesburg vampire that loses his fangs. He also costarred in Everybody Else (is Fucking Perfect), a 2007 comedy about a married couple forced to face the husband's sexuality and infidelity.