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Stephan James

Stephan James

Actor, also producer · Born December 16, 1993 (32) · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Primetime Emmy nominee · Golden Globe nominee

Stephan James (born December 16, 1993) is a Canadian actor. After starring in a string of television series as a teenager, he rose to prominence upon winning a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor for his role as track and field sprinter Jesse Owens in the 2016 film Race. In 2018, he starred in Barry Jenkins' acclaimed drama film If Beale Street Could Talk, based on the James Baldwin novel of the same name. Also that year, he portrayed Walter Cruz in the Amazon series Homecoming, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 16, 1993 (32)
From
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
27 on MovieCove · 36 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 27% in 30 days

What are Stephan James' films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 88th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
23%
Self
19%
Morality
18%
Survival
13%
Society
11%
Power
10%
Ideas
6%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 13

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 13 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 9 · Intense 9

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 15 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 14 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 8

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

13 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 8 of 13 analyzed roles.

Hero
8 of 13
Ally
5 of 13
Show the 13 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
18
Melancholic
10
Hopeful
8
Contemplative
7
Thrilling
5
Other
13

How their films linger

Thought-provoking13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet10
  • Ambiguous8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Stephan James' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Stephan James' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

36 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I Play Rocky(2026)

    as Carl Weathers

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • War Machine(2026)

    as 7

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Legacy Lounge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 4 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · as Self – Host

  • Night Always Comes(2025)

    as Cody

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Ricky(2025)

    Producer · as Ricardo Smith

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Piano Lesson(2024)

    as Boy Charles

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Babes(2024)

    as Claude

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Beacon 23(2023)

    Show 16 episodes · Executive Producer · as Halan Kai Nielsen

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all shows

  • The Legacy Awards (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Host

  • Delia's Gone(2022)

    as Louis

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Surface(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · as Thomas Baden

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • National Champions(2021)

    as LeMarcus James

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • #FreeRayshawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 15 episodes · as Rayshawn

  • 21 Bridges(2019)

    as Michael Trujillo

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • If Beale Street Could Talk(2018)

    as Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Homecoming(2018)

    Show 17 episodes · as Walter Cruz

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Shots Fired(2017)

    Show 10 episodes · as Preston Terry

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all shows

  • Across the Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Mattie Slaughter

  • Race(2016)

    as Jesse Owens

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Selma(2014)

    as John Lewis

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Lost After Dark(2015)

    as Wesley

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • When the Game Stands Tall(2014)

    as T.K. Kelly

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Clue: A Movie Mystery Adventure(2014)

    as Dmitri

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Dependables (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Shane Jones

  • Apple Mortgage Cake(2014)

    as William Logan

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Perfect Sisters(2014)

    as Donny

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Gabby Douglas Story(2014)

    as John 16-18 Years

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Railpath Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Damon Bishop

  • Home Again(2012)

    as Everton St.Clair

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • 12 Dates of Christmas(2011)

    as Michael

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Clue(2011)

    Show 5 episodes · as Dmitri Grant

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • My Babysitter's a Vampire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Jock #1

  • My Babysitter's a Vampire(2010)

    as Jock

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Listener(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Ibrahim Ayim

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Discretion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · as Logan

  • The Journeyman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 36 titles, 33 of them dated from 2009 to 2026; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office

Selma (2014)

$68M worldwide

Highest rated

I Play Rocky (2026)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

War Machine (2026)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutNomination
20092026

Peak 2015 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting34 of 36: 33 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thProducing3 of 36: 1 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 36: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s1 · acting2010s20 · acting2020s12 · 11 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 14% of 14 roles
1116

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 2019–2020.

  1. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
  2. 2019
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Stephan James' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 27 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 27 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · actor, producer

Ricky (2025)

82nd percentile spread · 19% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

I Play Rocky (2026)

Midcredits 95th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Stephan James' work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore8 titles15–84 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles12–46 · median 24 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles45–80 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles24–56 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles15–67 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Stephan James work with?

People who share at least 2 of Stephan James' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Terry McDonough shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers