Brian d'Arcy James

Brian d'Arcy James is a renowned American actor and musician, best known for his notable Broadway roles like Shrek in Shrek the Musical, Nick Bottom in Something Rotten!, King George III in Hamilton, and The Baker in Into the Woods. His acclaimed performances have earned him five Tony Award nominations. His on-screen contributions include portraying Andy Baker on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, Officer Krupke in West Side Story, and reporter Matt Carroll in Spotlight.

Born in Michigan, James is the son of Mary Kelly, a seller of children's books, and Thomas F James, a lawyer. He has a rich family heritage related to the entertainment industry; his maternal grandfather is ex-Governor Harry Kelly of Michigan, and his uncle, Brian Kelly, was an actor on the series Flipper and a producer of the movie Blade Runner. Graduating from Northwestern University's School of Communication, James launched his acting career in 1993 and has remained active till date. He has diverse Broadway credits which include Titanic, Lincoln Center's Carousel, and Blood Brothers. Also a musician, James released a Christmas album titled From Christmas Eve to Christmas Morn in 2004.