James Brian Mark Purefoy was born and raised in Taunton, Somerset, England, to Shirley Taylor, who ran an employment agency, and Anthony Chetwynd Purefoy. After leaving school at 16, he took various jobs, including working on a pig farm and as a porter at Yeovil District Hospital, before traveling and working extensively throughout Europe.
At 18, James returned to college to take his A-Levels, including Drama, which inspired him to pursue an acting career. He was accepted onto the acting course at the Central School of Speech and Drama, where he was seen by a casting director from the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and invited to join the company immediately.
James played various roles with the RSC, including Ferdinand in "The Tempest," Edgar in "King Lear," and Malcolm in "Macbeth," working with directors such as Adrian Noble, Roger Michell, and Gene Saks. He left the RSC after two years, having performed in eight productions.
Over the next six years, James divided his time between theatre and television, working with renowned directors and actors on productions such as "Women of Troy," "Death of a Salesman," "Hamlet," "The Servant," "The Way of the World," and "Macbeth."
In television, James has appeared in a wide range of roles, from the psychopathic rapist in "Calling the Shots" to the fraudster "Darius Guppy" in "The Prince." He has also appeared in "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall," "A Dance to the Music of Time," and "Metropolis."
In film, James has made an average of three movies per year, including "Feast of July," "Bedrooms and Hallways," "Mansfield Park," "Maybe Baby," "Women Talking Dirty," and "A Knight's Tale." He has continued to surprise audiences by choosing roles that juxtapose strongly with his previous performances.
In recent years, James has returned to the theatre, playing the rake "Ned Loveless" in "The Relapse" at the National Theatre, and is set to star in the big-budget film "George and the Dragon," alongside Michael Clarke Duncan, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo, and Patrick Swayze.
