James Spader

February 7, 1960 (age 66) Boston, Massachusetts, USA
IMDb

James Todd Spader (/ˈspeɪdər/ SPAY-dər; born February 7, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for often portraying eccentric and morally ambiguous characters. He began his career in critically acclaimed independent films before transitioning into television, where he has received acclaim and many awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, and ten Screen Actors Guild Awards. Spader began acting in youth-oriented films such as Tuff Turf, The New Kids (both 1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), and Mannequin (1987). His breakthrough role came with the Steven Soderbergh drama Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), for which he received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He then starred in films such as White Palace (1990), True Colors (1991), Stargate (1994), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), and Secretary (2002). Spader took supporting roles in Bob Roberts (1992), Wolf (1994), Lincoln (2012), and The Homesman (2014). He also played the role of Ultron in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). His television roles include the attorney Alan Shore in the last season of The Practice (2003–2004) and its spin-off Boston Legal (2004–2008), which earned him three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He portrayed Robert California in the sitcom The Office (2011–2012). He then starred as Raymond Reddington in the NBC crime thriller series The Blacklist (2013–2023), for which he received two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor – Television Series Drama. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Spader, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Their titles like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Stargate, and The Blacklist - their biggest roles first.
Last updated: June 14, 2026

46 titles
Community avg: 7.98 /10
  • 1
    1
    2015April 2015 by Joss Whedon
    Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
    Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
    8.20 Excellent+
  • 2
    2
    1994October 1994 by Roland Emmerich
    Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
    Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
    7.95 Excellent
  • 3
    3
    2013–2023 by Jon Bokenkamp
    Drama, Crime, Mystery
    Drama, Crime, Mystery
    8.55 Masterpiece--
  • 4
    4
    2002September 2002 by Steven Shainberg
    Romance, Drama, Comedy
    Romance, Drama, Comedy
    7.73 Excellent-
  • 5
    5
    2012November 2012 by Steven Spielberg
    History, Drama
    History, Drama
    7.78 Excellent-
  • 6
    6
    1996July 1996 by David Cronenberg
    Thriller, Drama
    Thriller, Drama
    7.41 Good++
  • 7
    7
    1989August 1989 by Steven Soderbergh
    Drama
    Drama
    7.87 Excellent-
  • 8
    8
    1987December 1987 by Oliver Stone
    Crime, Drama
    Crime, Drama
    8.12 Excellent+
  • 9
    9
    1994June 1994 by Mike Nichols
    Horror, Drama, Romance
    Horror, Drama, Romance
    7.12 Good+
  • 10
    10
    2000September 2000 by Joe Charbanic
    Mystery, Thriller
    Mystery, Thriller
    6.28 Decent+
  • 11
    11
    1986February 1986 by Howard Deutch
    Romance, Drama
    Romance, Drama
    7.64 Excellent--
  • 12
    12
    2000January 2000 by Walter Hill
    Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller
    Science Fiction, Horror, Thriller
    6.14 Decent+
  • 13
    13
    1987February 1987 by Michael Gottlieb
    Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
    Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
    7.83 Excellent-
  • 14
    14
    2004–2008 by David E. Kelley
    Comedy, Drama
    Comedy, Drama
    8.71 Masterpiece-
  • 15
    15
    2014May 2014 by Tommy Lee Jones
    Western, Drama
    Western, Drama
    7.49 Good++
  • 16
    16
    1990March 1990 by Curtis Hanson
    Thriller
    Thriller
    7.14 Good+
  • 17
    17
    1987October 1987 by Charles Shyer
    Drama, Comedy, Romance
    Drama, Comedy, Romance
    7.38 Good++
  • 18
    18
    1987November 1987 by Marek Kanievska
    Drama, Crime
    Drama, Crime
    7.43 Good++
  • 19
    19
    2003July 2003 by Ron Krauss
    Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
    Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
    6.55 Good--
  • 20
    20
    1990October 1990 by Luis Mandoki
    Drama, Romance
    Drama, Romance
    7.52 Excellent--
  • 21
    21
    1996September 1996 by John Herzfeld
    Comedy, Crime, Thriller
    Comedy, Crime, Thriller
    7.23 Good+
  • 22
    22
    1985January 1985 by Fritz Kiersch
    Drama, Action, Romance
    Drama, Action, Romance
    7.19 Good+
  • 23
    23
    1994November 1994 by Nicholas Kazan
    Drama, Mystery, Thriller
    Drama, Mystery, Thriller
    7.55 Excellent--
  • 24
    24
    1981July 1981 by Franco Zeffirelli
    Romance, Drama
    Romance, Drama
    6.88 Good-
  • 25
    25
    2009August 2009 by Robert Rodriguez
    Family, Fantasy, Comedy
    Family, Fantasy, Comedy
    6.96 Good
  • 26
    26
    1988May 1988 by Rowdy Herrington
    Horror, Thriller, Mystery
    Horror, Thriller, Mystery
    6.92 Good
  • 27
    27
    1985January 1985 by Sean S. Cunningham
    Drama, Crime, Horror
    Drama, Crime, Horror
    7.51 Excellent--
  • 28
    28
    1991March 1991 by Herbert Ross
    Drama
    Drama
    7.45 Good++
  • 29
    29
    1992September 1992 by Tim Robbins
    Comedy, Drama
    Comedy, Drama
    7.53 Excellent--
  • 30
    30
    1997October 1997 by Sidney Lumet
    Comedy, Drama
    Comedy, Drama
    7.58 Excellent--
  • 31
    31
    2003March 2003 by Rod Holcomb
    Drama, Thriller, History
    Drama, Thriller, History
    7.41 Good++
  • 32
    32
    2001October 2001 by John McNaughton
    Comedy, Romance
    Comedy, Romance
    7.29 Good+
  • 33
    33
    1997–2004 by David E. Kelley
    Drama
    Drama
    8.37 Excellent++
  • 34
    34
    1998December 1998 by Peter Yates
    Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy
    Romance, Science Fiction, Comedy
    7.26 Good+
  • 35
    35
    1997April 1997 by Leslie Greif
    Crime, Drama, Thriller
    Crime, Drama, Thriller
    7.12 Good+
  • 36
    36
    2004September 2004 by Rich Cowan
    Thriller
    Thriller
    7.31 Good++
  • 37
    37
    2003April 2003 by Rowdy Herrington
    Action, Adventure, Crime
    Action, Adventure, Crime
    7.31 Good++
  • 38
    38
    1989May 1989 by Damian Harris
    Comedy, Romance
    Comedy, Romance
    7.14 Good+
  • 39
    39
    1997January 1997 by Ronan O'Leary
    Drama, Romance, Thriller
    Drama, Romance, Thriller
    7.62 Excellent--
  • 40
    40
    1985January 1985 by Jeffrey Bloom
    Science Fiction, Romance
    Science Fiction, Romance
    7.49 Good++
  • 41
    41
    1983October 1983 by Richard T. Heffron
    Crime, Drama, Thriller
    Crime, Drama, Thriller
    7.77 Excellent-
  • 42
    42
    1983February 1983 by Paul Wendkos
    Drama
    Drama
    7.88 Excellent-
  • 43
    43
    2006–2008
    Documentary
    Documentary
    Needs more reviews
  • 44
    44
    1984May 1984 by Jack Hofsiss
    Drama
    Drama
    7.70 Excellent-
  • 45
    45
    2015July 2015
    Documentary
    Documentary
    Needs more reviews
  • 46
    46
    Airing since 2026 by Terry Matalas
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    Sci-Fi & Fantasy
    Not released yet