Bearing the kind of cocksure, "all-American boy" looks that summon comparison to Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and countless Abercrombie & Fitch ads, James Marsden used both his talent and photogenic features to become one of the more talked-about young actors of the late '90s. Winning his first starring role in Disturbing Behavior (1998) — yet another film to take advantage of the late-'90s teen horror craze — Marsden weathered the critical and box-office indifference surrounding that project to quickly resurface in Bryan Singer's fantastically successful adaptation of the X-Men in 2000.
A native of Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he was born on September 18, 1973, Marsden grew up with a sister and two brothers. Following a short stint at Oklahoma State University, he dropped out of school to move to Los Angeles and pursue his interest in acting. Marsden's move led to work as a Versace model and to a brief role as the original Griffin on Fox's Party of Five (the part would later be taken over by Jeremy London), as well as brief stints on a variety of other TV series.…  » Read more