James Frain
James Frain is an English actor. His best known television roles include Thomas Cromwell in the Showtime/CBC historical drama The Tudors (2007–2009), Franklin Mott in the HBO drama True Blood (2010), Warwick the Kingmaker in the BBC drama serial The White Queen (2013), John Sumner in the Sky/Canal+ crime drama The Tunnel (2013), Ferdinand Chevalier in the BBC/Space sci-fi thriller Orphan Black (2015–2017), Theo Galavan/Azrael in Fox's Gotham (2015–2016), and Sarek in Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2019). In film, he is best known for playing Daniel Barenboim and Álvaro de la Quadra in the biographical dramas Hilary and Jackie and Elizabeth, respectively (both 1998), Bassianus in the Shakespeare adaptation Titus (1999), and Gérard de Villefort in the historical drama The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).
James Frain

vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England · Star Trek: Discovery · CC BY 2.0
- Full name
- James Dominic Frain.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom.
- Occupation
- actor, film director and theatre director.
- Fields
- Shakespearean comedy.
- Education
- Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of East Anglia, Hockerill Anglo-European College, Joyce Frankland Academy and Newport.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q535507 · wikipedia · James Frain
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
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Early life and education
Early life and education
James Frain was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and brought up in Stansted Mountfitchet, near Bishop's Stortford, Essex, the eldest of eight children of a teacher mother and a stockbroker father. He was educated at Newport Free Grammar School, studied Drama and Film at the University of East Anglia, and trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.
Documentary record
James Frain, recorded as an actor and film actor, was born on 14 March 1968 in Leeds. The birth is recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Screen
Screen
In 1993, while in his final year of drama school, Frain made his film debut in Shadowlands, after being spotted by the film director Richard Attenborough. In 1995, He starred as a Northern Irish terrorist in the Thaddeus O'Sullivan directed film, Nothing Personal. In 2000, he was nominated for Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's 20th Genie Awards in Toronto, for his performance as Gustave Sonnenschein in the István Szabó directed film Sunshine. Frain has also appeared in a number of television series, including Soldier Soldier (1993); Armadillo (2001); 24 (2005); Invasion (2006); and The Closer (2006). He played Thomas Cromwell in Showtime's The Tudors; the villainous billionaire "Chess" in the NBC superhero/crime drama series The Cape; heroic Templar Sir Gregory in the Syfy original film Dark Relic (2010); and vampire Franklin Mott in the HBO drama True Blood. In season 2 of Grimm, Frain joined the cast as a mysterious recurring character named Eric Renard. He appeared in the second season of Gotham as Azrael, and portrayed Sarek, the father of Spock, on Star Trek: Discovery, the second prequel TV series in the Star Trek franchise.
Stage
Stage
Frain has been a regular on the stage in the United Kingdom, appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Court Theatre, as well as on the West End. He has also appeared on Broadway in New York. He was a recipient of the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performances along with the rest of the cast of The Homecoming (2007).
Personal life
Personal life
In 2004, Frain married director Marta Cunningham; they have two children. The couple announced their separation in February 2023.

Cast creators panel at SDCC 2017
vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England · Star Trek: Discovery

Cast creators panel at SDCC 2017
vagueonthehow from Tadcaster, York, England · Star Trek: Discovery
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article James Frain, revision 1374335839 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.James Frain. Empire.
- 2.TV Guide. Nothing Personal.
- 3.James Frain. hamiltonhodell.co.uk.
- 4.True Blood star James Frain reveals what he likes to do on date nights with his wife Marta. Read on for the full scoop.
- 5.'Star Trek' Star James Frain & Marta Cunningham Split. Extra.
- 6.DreadCentral. The Tudors James Frain joins True Blood recurring Role.
- 7.tvline.com. Sleepy Hollow Exclusive: True Blood Baddie to Butt Heads With Ichabod. 18 September 2013.
- 8.Don't watch 'Gotham' Season 2 Episode 12 'Mr. Freeze' while eating; 'Law & Order: SVU' alum BD Wong plays Professor Strange. 13 February 2016.
- 9.Nellie Andreeva. 'Gotham' Casts James Frain As Regular, Will Play New Villain & Tigress' Brother. Deadline Hollywood. 24 June 2015.
- 10.'Orphan Black' Adds 'Shameless' Alum Justin Chatwin, James Frain For Season 3. Variety. 25 November 2014.
- 11.James Frain Joins Discovery As Sarek. Startrek.com. 2017-01-18.
- 12.Petski, Denise. 'The Twilight Zone': Ginnifer Goodwin To Star in Episode of CBS All Access Reboot. Deadline Hollywood. 7 February 2019.
- 13.Rudolph, Ileane. 'Elementary' Sneak Peek: Is James Frain's Odin the Newest Foe to Holmes & Watson? (VIDEO). TVInsider. 20 June 2019.
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