New eye candy! Theo James, who stars in the much-anticipated fantasy film Divergent, is bound to become a household name.
The hunky 29-year-old actor plays Four in the film adaptation, based on Veronica Roth's bestselling YA novel, opposite Shailene Woodley's Tris. Together, the two try to overcome the dangers that come with belonging to their Divergent faction, including facing off against Jeanine Matthews (Kate Winslet). Aside from baring his ripped shirtless body in the film, there's much more to this Hollywood newcomer.
Here are 5 things you should know about him:
1. He's actually British. James was born in Oxford, England and is of English and Scottish descent. His real name is Theo Taptiklis.
2. The actor first trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and earned a philosophy degree from the University of Nottingham. He's guest starred in British shows Bedlam and Room at the Top, and the American series Golden Boy. Divergent is his first starring film role, but he did impressively appear in Woody Allen's 2010 film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, as the character Ray with Naomi Watts and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
3. Lady Mary Crawley knows him well! James played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk on Season 1 of Downton Abbey in 2010. With that shoulder–length wig and all, James was the character who died after sleeping with Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) in the smash hit's third episode. His unexpected death led to the hilarious moment when Lady Mary and Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) struggled to remove his body from her bed.
4. He's a rocker. James was previously a singer and guitarist in the London-based band Shere Khan. The band posted on their Facebook page in November 2012 that they would be breaking up to pursue other opportunities.
5. Sorry ladies, he's taken! James is currently dating actress Ruth Kearney. The pair were previously photographed together at James' film premiere for Underworld: Awakening at TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles in January 2012.
