Biography
A swarthy, versatile performer possessed of a strong screen presence, British actor James Frain first made an impression on audiences with his portrayal of a rebellious young student opposite
Anthony Hopkins in
Shadowlands (1993). A graduate of London's Central School of Speech and Drama, he then did strong work in
Mike Newell's
An Awfully Big Adventure (1994) and Thaddeus O' Sullivan's acclaimed
Nothing Personal (1995), the latter of which cast him as the leader of a militant anti-IRA group. Frain's international recognition increased in 1998, thanks to strong performances in two highly acclaimed films,
Elizabeth and
Hilary and Jackie. The first featured him in a supporting role as Spaniard Alvaro de la Quadra, while in the latter, he played pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim, the husband of musical prodigy Jaqueline DuPre (
Emily Watson).
Frain's profile was given even greater exposure in 1999, when he appeared in a number of star-studded films.
Titus, Julie Taymor's lavish adaptation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus cast Frain as Bassianus, while
István Szabó's equally lavish epic
Sunshine -- a drama chronicling over a century of history in a family of Hungarian Jews -- saw him playing
Ralph Fiennes' hot-tempered brother. Vigo: Passion for Life, meanwhile, starred Frain as the title character, a French filmmaker whose movies were as influential as his life was brief. In 2000,
John Frankenheimer's
Reindeer Games thrust the actor into the more modern milieu of underworld crime alongside the likes of
Ben Affleck,
Gary Sinise, and
Charlize Theron. Later that same year, he displayed his softer side in
Where the Heart Is, playing an awkward, kind-hearted small town librarian who falls in love with a young single mother (
Natalie Portman).
In addition to his screen work, Frain has performed in a number of stage productions. He has worked with such prestigious groups as the Peter Hall Company in London's West End and Stratford-Upon-Avon's Royal Shakespeare Company. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide