JAMES MARSTERS became a favorite of fans around the world when he played the wildly popular Spike, a punk-goth vampire, on the critically acclaimed American TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After six seasons on Buffy, he continued the role of Spike on the equally popular spin-off, Angel. Not only a fan favorite, Marsters has attracted industry-wide attention for his work. He has received numerous nominations and awards, including the Spacey Award, the Saturn Award, the Cinescape Face of the Future Award, the Golden Satellite Award, and the Teen Choice Award.
After a brief, self-imposed hiatus following the end of Angel, Marsters returned to television in March 2005 to star in the USA Original true-crime film, Cool Money. Marsters played Bobby Comfort, a smart, charismatic thief just released from prison. Before he can settle into his new life with his wife and young daughter, Bobby meets a no-good thug who lures him back to a life of crime. Together, the men take New York by storm, staging a string of hotel robberies that humiliates the New York police and culminates in the largest hotel jewel heist in American history.
In the fall of 2005, Marsters joined the cast of Smallville as Brainiac, an artificial intelligence aiming to not only cause a severe rift between Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, but to perhaps unleash darker evils upon the Earth at large. Smallville airs on the WB network on Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Marsters has recently completed the feature film Shadow Puppets, a psychological thriller about a group of people who wake up in an insane asylum with no previous memory of who they are or why they are there. Their situation then takes a turn for the worse as a mysterious force begins to stalk and attack them.
Born in the remote northern logging town of Greenville, California, and raised in Modesto, Marsters knew he wanted to be an actor after making his debut as Eeyore in a fourth-grade production of Winnie-the-Pooh. After honing his skills through his high school drama department, he went on to further study at New York's prestigious Juilliard School.
Marsters began his professional theatrical career after a move to Chicago, performing in stage productions such as The Tempest and Red Noses at Chicago's renowned Goodman Theater. In addition to acting, he has also formed and run successful theater companies in both Chicago and Seattle. It was while living in Seattle that Marsters was locally cast to guest-star on the television series Northern Exposure, first as a hotel bellhop and then as Rev. Harding, an ill-at-ease priest. He was inspired by this success to move to Los Angeles. Within months he was sinking his proverbial teeth into the role of Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Other television work includes a starring role in the anthology series Strange Frequency for VH1, as well as stand-out guest spots in Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Chris Carter's Millennium, and the WB's The Mountain. Feature-film credits include The House on Haunted Hill, a co-starring role in Winding Roads, and the male lead opposite Buffy co-star Amber Benson in Chance, her debut as a writer-director. Marsters revisited the stage with a starring role in The Why, an original play produced in Los Angeles by Noah Wyle.
Marsters is also a successful singer/songwriter who for two years was the front man of Ghost of the Robot, a band that enjoyed sold-out tours on an international level before disbanding in the spring of 2004. In October of 2004, Marsters' musical interests took yet another exciting turn as he discovered a new joy and talent in performing solo acoustic concerts of his own material. In conjunction with the release of his first solo album, Civilized Man, Marsters recently concluded a triumphant 2005 solo tour of the UK and Australia, selling out every performance to enthusiastic crowds. He continues to perform to capacity audiences whenever his schedule permits him to tour.
When he's not working, Marsters enjoys being a father, playing the guitar, watching football, and spending time with friends at the beach.
