Although he most well known to audiences as platinum, blond vampire
Spike, the acting talents and all round abilities of James Wesley Marsters
stretch much further.
Born in Greenville, California and raised in Modesto, James showcased
his talents at an early age when he played the part of Eeyore in a school
production. This small, but well recieved part caused the young James
to be bitten by the acting bug, which was to begin an amazing career.
After attending the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, James
won a place at Juillard, one of the most precocious Performing Arts
School's in America, where he learned more about his craft and gained
an adoration for William Shakespeare, a love that he still holds to this day.
After graduating, James moved to Chicago where he appeared in a number
of theatre productions, mostly Shakespeare, as well as co-founding the New
Mercury Theatre Company before deciding to change his acting direction
and head back to California to put his stamp on the Television/Movie scene
Luck was definitly on James' side as he quickly landed a steady stream of
small television roles, including "Northern Exposure", "Medicine Bell" and
"Maloney". While attending he endless round of auditions, James was
called by the casting director of "Buffy", Marcia Shulman. James had never
heard of the show, so sat down that night to watch an episoed. As the
credits rolled, James knew that he wanted to be a part of it.
During the auditions, James tried two different accents. One was a southern
drawl and the other was a British one. Fortuatley of us fans, the casting
directors when with the British accent and the role was his.
Although the character of Spie was supposed to be on the show for only
three to five episodes, the audience reaction and the chemistry between
James and Juliet Landau (Drucilla) was so strong that by Season Four he
had become a Series regular. While this would sound like an actors dream,
a part of James' contract required that he never be out in the sun long
enough to get a tan. Thus he lives his life like a real vampire.
