James McDougall is a Canadian actor and filmmaker with a rich background in the entertainment industry. Born in the small town of Cobourg, Ontario, he was raised by his parents, Gail McDougall, a prison manager, and John McDougall, an English teacher.
As a child, James developed a passion for acting and filmmaking, which was nurtured throughout his elementary and high school years. He performed in local plays, school theater, and even created his own home movies with friends. This early interest led him to pursue a major in drama at Canterbury Arts High School and later, a year-long study of theater at York University.
James' journey took him to Ottawa, where he began performing on stage in musicals and dramatic productions with various theater groups, including ASNY, Orleans Young Players, and GOYA. He then ventured to Victoria, British Columbia, where he acted in shows with Atomic Vaudeville, Theatre Inconnu, and Langham Court Theater.
After a few years in British Columbia, James returned to his home province of Ontario and immersed himself in the Toronto film and television scene. He honed his craft by creating his own projects, training, and working at Armstrong Acting Studios, where he filmed thousands of hours of classes and casting sessions with top Canadian casting directors.
James' on-screen resume quickly grew, with notable roles including the lead in Vincenzo Natali's segment in the anthology horror film ABCs of Death 2 (2014),playing Santa Claus in Michael Dowse's heartwarming HBO Max film 8-Bit Christmas (2021),and a supporting role as the bumbling criminal Hammond in Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion's hit thriller Becky (2020),alongside Kevin James, Lulu Wilson, and Joel McHale.
In addition to his acting career, James has spent over a decade working behind the scenes, writing, directing, and producing content at Mountain Man Media. His short film Walking Supply (2016),co-written with Derek Barnes, debuted at The Toronto International Short Film Festival and was later developed into the feature film Whiteout (2023),in which James starred as Henry. The harrowing survival thriller was filmed in the dead of winter, sold at the Cannes Film Market, and landed distribution with Saban Films and Myriad Pictures.
In 2021, James founded his own production company, Galebreak Studios, which focuses on telling captivating narrative stories of all genres, both short and feature length.
