Lennie James

Lennie James
James at the 2015 San Diego Comic Con International.
Born	(1965-10-11) 11 October 1965 (age 51) Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
Residence	Los Angeles, California, United States
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, playwright
Years active	1988–present
Partner(s)	Giselle Glasman
Children	3

Lennie James (born 11 October 1965) is an English actor, screenwriter, and playwright. He has appeared in many films, including Les Misérables (1998), Snatch (2000), and Colombiana (2011).

Among James' more notable roles in television is Mr. Glen Boyle on the current medical drama Critical on Sky 1. On American television, he portrayed the mysterious Robert Hawkins in the CBS series Jericho and Detective Joe Geddes in the AMC television series Low Winter Sun. James has received praise for his portrayal of Morgan Jones in the popular AMC series The Walking Dead, making guest appearances in the first season and again in the third season. The character has since made three additional appearances in Season 5 before being upgraded to main cast for the sixth season.

James was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. His parents are Afro-Trinidadian. He lived in South London and attended school at Ernest Bevin College. James's mother, Phyllis Mary James, died when he was 10, after which he and his brother, Kester James, chose to live in a children's home instead of being sent to the United States to reside with a relative. James remained in foster care for eight years.

James aspired to be a professional rugby player as a teen, and was introduced to acting after following a girl he was interested in to an audition for a play. James attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1988. While there he helped run a campaign against the school's plan to expel another student, which he has said is the bravest thing he's ever done. "That involved being taken in front of the head and threatening to boycott a big event for the Lord Mayor, even though the head said it would mean they would throw me out," James said in 2015. He was once employed by the British government's social security office.