Born in Wichita, KS, James grew up in a small suburb playing football, baseball and wrestling. He eventually went to a small community college on a wrestling scholarship where he discovered theatre. His first role was Claudio in "Much Ado About Nothing". From there, he went on to Wichita State University, where he was captain of his rowing team and was featured in several theatrical productions, working on his bachelor's degree and also catching a break in several independent films, a few commercials and a major motion picture, "About Schmidt". Even though James shot two weeks worth of footage, he ended up with just 5 seconds, but learned a lot, shooting all his scenes with legendary actor, Jack Nicholson. After that, James pursued a life of academics, getting his Master's in History and publishing several books, and also finishing his Master's in Business. He ran a museum and business in Greensburg, KS before following his dream and moving to New York, where he currently lives.