Michael Raymond-James (born as Michael Weverstad on December 24, 1977) is an accomplished American actor, admired for a number of notable roles across various television series. He first gained popularity for his performance as René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series True Blood. Further gaining attention as Britt Pollack on the FX series Terriers, Raymond-James proved his versatility as an actor by portraying different characters with distinctive traits. His role as Neal Cassidy/Baelfire on the ABC series Once Upon a Time and Mitch Longo on the CBS All Access series Tell Me a Story have left a lasting impact on the audience. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Raymond-James graduated from Clarkston High School in 1996, excelling in football and track. He kicked off his acting journey in theatre and studied at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York, polishing his skills with George Loros, Geoffrey Horne, and Robert Castle.

Raymond-James has made guest appearances in prominent series like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Medium, Boston Legal, ER, and the season two premiere of Lie to Me. His feature debut came when he played the best friend of Justin Timberlake's character in Black Snake Moan, sharing screen with Christina Ricci and Samuel Jackson. The award-winning short film 'The Fix', 'Moonlight Serenade' where he starred as a piano prodigy opposite Academy Award Nominee Amy Adams, are among his noteworthy movie appearances. Raymond-James marked his presence in the popular series The Walking Dead where he played a character named Dave. Once Upon a Time fans remember him as Neal Cassidy/Baelfire, who is a central character as Henry's father, Rumpelstiltskin's son and the grandson of Peter Pan. In 2020, he was cast to play the lead role of Gavin Wolcott in the NBC apocalyptic drama pilot La Brea which was written by David Appelbaum, however, he left the project afterwards. As of the 2021-2022 season, he is recurring on Law & Order: Organized Crime as Jon Kosta, demanding attention with his unique portrayal of the character.