James Callis

James Callis
Callis at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International
Born	James Nicholas Callis (1971-06-04) 4 June 1971 (age 45) Hammersmith, London, England
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of York, (B.A., English and Related Literature, 1993)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Neha Callis (m. 1998–present)
Children	3

James Nicholas Callis (born 4 June 1971) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Gaius Baltar in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica miniseries and television series, and Bridget Jones' best friend in Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. He later reprised the role in 2016, in "Bridget Jones's Baby." He joined the cast of the TV Series Eureka, on Syfy, in 2010.

Callis was born in Hammersmith and brought up in London, where he attended St. Martin's Prep School in Northwood and then Harrow School in north-west London. His parents owned a bed-and-breakfast. In a comment to a fansite, Callis repudiated the rumour that he comes from aristocratic roots by saying that he is the descendant of poor immigrants from Russia and Poland.

Callis attended the University of York, graduating in 1993 with a BA in English and Related Literature. He was a member of Derwent College, for which he was an enthusiastic rugby player. At university he was also a keen student actor, director and writer. He was a key member of the University of York Gilbert and Sullivan society and even appeared in productions put on by friends at Cambridge University, including a production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party.

Callis went on to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, from which he graduated in 1996. In the same year, he was awarded the Jack Tinker Award (Theatre Record Critic of the Year) for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in Old Wicked Songs, a two-hander by Jon Marans, in which he starred alongside Bob Hoskins.