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Factsheet

• Didn't begin acting until 2005, when a friend asked if he'd appear in a student film that he was shooting. Prior to that, he was pursuing the career he'd gone to college for—marketing.
• Found an acting teacher via the Yellow Pages after deciding he wanted to give acting a go.
• Among the jobs he took while supporting his acting aspirations: bricklayer and pastry packer.  
• Hyphenated his name to James-Collier to placate the acting union Equity, as there was already an actor named Rob Collier.
• Scored a supporting role in a series (Down to Earth) on one of his first auditions. 
• Appeared in catalogs for Argos (a British retail chain) in 2007 and '08.
• Anointed "Sexiest Male" at the 2007 and 2008 British Soap Awards for his work on Coronation Street.