Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
August 19, 1948
Place of Birth:
Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, UK
James Edward Carter (born August 19, 1948) is an English actor. He is best known for his role in Downton Abbey (2010–2015) playing Mr Carson, a role that has earned him four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012–2015). He reprised his role in the feature film Downton Abbey (2019).
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale | Charles Carson |
| 2025 | Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale | Self |
| 2023 | Wonka | Abacus Crunch |
| 2022 | The Sea Beast | King (voice) |
| 2022 | Downton Abbey: A New Era | Charles Carson |
| 2020 | Turtle Journey: The Crisis in Our Oceans | Dad Turtle |
| 2019 | Downton Abbey | Charles Carson |
| 2019 | The Good Liar | Vincent |
| 2018 | King Lear | Earl of Kent |
| 2018 | Swimming with Men | Ted |
| 2017 | Transformers: The Last Knight | Cogman (voice) |
| 2017 | The Little Vampire 3D | Rookery (voice) |
| 2016 | Punk Strut: The Movie | Skippy |
| 2016 | Jim Carter: Lonnie Donegan and Me | Self |
| 2015 | Hitler's Supergun | Narrator (voice) |
| 2014 | Nordic Noir - The Rise of Scandi Drama | Self |
| 2014 | One of a Kind | Narrator (voice) |
| 2013 | Secrets of the Stonehenge Skeletons | Narrator (Voice) |
| 2013 | Rock 'n' Roll Britannia | Self |
| 2011 | Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb | Narrator (Voice) |
| 2011 | My Week with Marilyn | Barry |
| 2010 | Burlesque Fairytales | The Compere |
| 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | The Executioner (voice) |
| 2009 | Creation | Parslow |
| 2009 | Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 | Harold Angus |
| 2009 | Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 | Harold Angus |
| 2008 | The Oxford Murders | Inspector Petersen |
| 2008 | Caught in a Trap | Brian Perkins |
| 2007 | The Golden Compass | John Faa |
| 2007 | Recovery | Mr. Lockwood |
| 2007 | Cassandra's Dream | Garage Boss |
| 2006 | The Wind in the Willows | Engine Driver |
| 2006 | The Thief Lord | Victor |
| 2006 | The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton | Henry Dorling |
| 2006 | Aberfan: The Untold Story | Lord Robens |
| 2005 | The Story of Alton Towers | Narrator/The Earl |
| 2005 | The Man Who Is Obsessed With The Number 12 | Narrator |
| 2005 | House of 9 | The Watcher |
| 2004 | Casablanca Driver | Joe Mateo, l'agent |
| 2004 | Von Trapped | Larry Lavelle |
| 2004 | Out of Season | Michael Philipps |
| 2004 | Ella Enchanted | Nish |
| 2004 | Modigliani | Achilles Hebuterne |
| 2003 | Bright Young Things | Chief Customs Officer |
| 2003 | Heartlands | Geoff |
| 2003 | Wilde Stories: The Nightingale and the Rose | Red Rose (voice) |
| 2003 | Hornblower: Duty | Etheridge |
| 2003 | 16 Years of Alcohol | Director |
| 2003 | Pompeii: The Last Day | Polybius |
| 2003 | Cromwell: Warts and All | Oliver Cromwell |
| 2002 | Dinotopia | Mayor Waldo |
| 2002 | Discovering Dinotopia | Mayor Waldo |
| 2001 | According to Beryl | Samuel Johnson |
| 2000 | The Little Vampire | Rookery |
| 2000 | 102 Dalmatians | Detective Armstrong |
| 1999 | Trial by Fire | Geoffrey Bailey |
| 1999 | Tube Tales | Ticket Inspector (segment "Steal Away") |
| 1999 | Tube Tales | Ticket Inspector (Steal Away) |
| 1999 | The Bass Player | |
| 1998 | Shakespeare in Love | Ralph Bashford |
| 1998 | Legionnaire | Lucien Galgani |
| 1998 | Bill's New Frock | Mr. Platworthy |
| 1998 | Vigo | Bonaventure (uncredited) |
| 1997 | Keep the Aspidistra Flying | Erskine |
| 1997 | The Missing Postman | DS Lawrence Pitman |
| 1997 | Bright Hair | Norman Devenish |
| 1997 | The Chest | Roland Blood |
| 1997 | Harpur and Iles: Protection | Tenderness Mellick |
| 1996 | Brassed Off | Harry |
| 1995 | Richard III | Lord Hastings |
| 1995 | The Grotesque | George Lecky |
| 1995 | Mrs Hartley and the Growth Centre | Inspector |
| 1994 | The Madness of King George | Fox |
| 1994 | Black Beauty | John Manly |
| 1994 | Midnight Movie | Henry Harris |
| 1994 | In The Cold Light Of Day | Father |
| 1994 | Open Fire | DCS Young |
| 1994 | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | Executioner (uncredited) |
| 1994 | Julius Caesar | Mark Antony |
| 1993 | The Hour of the Pig | Mathieu |
| 1993 | Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown | Commander |
| 1993 | Resnick: Rough Treatment | Grabianski |
| 1992 | Blame It on the Bellboy | Rossi |
| 1992 | Stalin | Sergo |
| 1992 | A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia | Meinertzhagen |
| 1991 | Hancock | Ray Galton |
| 1990 | The Fool | Mr. Blackthorn |
| 1990 | The Witches | Head Chef |
| 1990 | Crimestrike | The Detective |
| 1989 | The Rainbow | Mr. Harby |
| 1989 | Here Is the News | News Editor |
| 1989 | Erik the Viking | Jennifer the Viking (Another Rapist) |
| 1989 | Precious Bane | Sarn |
| 1988 | Soursweet | Mr. Constantinides |
| 1988 | The Tenth Man | Pierre |
| 1988 | The Raggedy Rawney | The Soldier |
| 1988 | The First Kangaroos | Arthur Hughes |
| 1988 | Star Trap | Dr. Wax |
| 1988 | Duck | |
| 1987 | The American Way | Castro |
| 1987 | A Month in the Country | Ellerbeck |
| 1987 | Harry's Kingdom | Bill |
| 1986 | Haunted Honeymoon | Montego |
| 1985 | Rustlers' Rhapsody | Blackie |
| 1984 | Top Secret! | Déjà Vu |
| 1984 | A Private Function | Inspector Noble |
| 1984 | The Company of Wolves | Second Husband (uncredited) |
| 1984 | Hiawatha | Nawadaha - The Story Teller |
| 1983 | The Oresteia | Agamemnon |
| 1980 | Fox | Cliff Ryan |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hidden Treasures of the National Trust | Narrator |
| 2019 | Inside the Ritz Hotel | Narrator |
| 2017 | Knightfall | Pope Boniface VIII |
| 2010 | Downton Abbey | Charles Carson |
| 2007 | Would I Lie to You? | Self |
| 2007 | Cranford | Captain Brown |
| 2004 | London | Henry Fielding |
| 2003 | Blue Murder | Frank Evans |
| 2003 | Strange | Inspector Stuart |
| 2003 | Trevor's World of Sport | Sir Frank Luckton |
| 2002 | Dinotopia | Mayor Waldo |
| 2001 | Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story | Odin - Member of the Great Council of Mac Slec |
| 2000 | Arabian Nights | Ja'Far |
| 1999 | Blood on the Carpet | Self - Narrator (voice) |
| 1999 | The Scarlet Pimpernel | General La Forge |
| 1998 | Hornblower | Etheridge |
| 1997 | The Missing Postman | DS Lawrence Pitman |
| 1997 | Ain't Misbehavin' | Maxie Morrell |
| 1997 | The View | Self |
| 1997 | Midsomer Murders | Nathan Green |
| 1995 | Coogan's Run | Fraser |
| 1995 | Dangerfield | Stephen Millwood |
| 1994 | Pie in the Sky | Alec Bailey |
| 1993 | A Year in Provence | Ted Hopkins |
| 1993 | Cracker | Kenneth Trant |
| 1993 | Lipstick on Your Collar | Inspector |
| 1992 | Shakespeare: The Animated Tales | Mark Antony (voice) |
| 1991 | Murder Most Horrid | General Alberto |
| 1991 | Murder Most Horrid | Roy Redfern |
| 1991 | Soldier Soldier | Snr Supt Derek Tierney, RHKP |
| 1990 | A Sense of Guilt | Richard Murray |
| 1990 | The Gravy Train | Personip |
| 1988 | Thompson | |
| 1986 | The Monocled Mutineer | |
| 1986 | Casualty | Matthew Charlton |
| 1986 | Lost Empires | Inspector Crabb |
| 1986 | The Singing Detective | Mr Marlow |
| 1985 | The Mysteries | Mak / Fourth Soldier |
| 1983 | Widows | D.I. Frinton |
| 1980 | Fox | Cliff Ryan |
| 1979 | Not the Nine O'Clock News | |
| 1979 | Minder | Tomkins |
| 1976 | I, Claudius | Roman Senate Senator (uncredited) |
| 1974 | NOVA | Narrator |