James Spadermay have shot to prominence as a movie actor in the 1980s, but his best work in recent decades has been playing some of TV’s most memorable characters. With his magnetic screen presence and unmistakable, low-pitched drawl, Spader has become one of the most sought-after actors in television.
Since 2003, he’s made selective appearances on the big screen, includingLincolnandAvengers: Age of Ultron. During the same period,Spader’s three most iconic TV charactershave made him a household name. Prior to appearing in David E. Kelley’s legal drama seriesThe Practicein 2003, the actor had only featured in two TV shows, besides starring in several made-for-television movies of varying quality.
Yet,Spader’s best movie rolesto that point suggested he was well-suited to longer-form, episodic characterization, from voyeuristic drifter Graham Dalton inSex, Lies, and Videotape, to lawyer Cray Fowler inStoryville. Still,the actor’s film career and early TV roles gave us little indication of the generation-defining small-screen characters he was about to playin the 2000s and 2010s.
6Jason “Stanky” Hanke
Seinfeld
James Spader’s role inSeinfeldbears little relation to the characters he’d go on to play later in his career. His turn as George Costanza’s erstwhile friend Jason “Stanky” Hanke in theSeinfeldepisode “The Apology” is a brief footnote in the show’s final season, but it’s an impressive performance nonetheless.
Jason makes amends to various people he feels he’s wronged during his life by giving out a round of apologies, but somehow neglects to apologize to George for refusing to lend him his sweater. The way Spader’s character doubles down on not apologizing to Georgebrings the best out of the actor in ways few others could replicate.
Cast
Seinfeld is a television sitcom that follows stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his three eccentric friends, George, Elaine, and Kramer, as they navigate everyday life in New York City during the 1990s. Premiering in 1989, the series humorously explores the mundane and often trivial aspects of social interactions.
In stark contrast to the conciliatory attitude he adopts with others in the episode, Jason readily insults the size of George’s head and neck, revealing himself to be even more obnoxious and self-righteous than his old friend.Spader’s rare ability to switch from understated humility to haughty arrogancein an instant is what makes Jason Hanke work so well.
5Jake Nichols
The Family Tree
Years before the likes ofPretty in PinkandWall Streethelped put James Spader on the map in Hollywood, his first role as a main character came in this six-episode TV family drama.Spader was just 23 years of agewhen he starred as teenager Jake Nichols inThe Family Tree.
The Family Tree’s pilot episode was originally a TV movie calledThe Six of Us.
The series was cancelled just a month after it premiered because it failed to garner a significant audience.Spader shows glimpses of his talent in scenes as a brooding, melancholy teenwhose dissatisfaction with his life and his family simmers just beneath the surface.
The Family Tree is a 1983 American television series featuring a blended family navigating everyday life. It began with the pilot episode The Six of Us, which aired a year prior, introducing viewers to the dynamic interactions and evolving relationships within the family.
His co-star inThe Family Tree, Melora Hardin, would later become a cast member ofThe Office, a distinction Spader shares with her, although their tenures on the sitcom didn’t overlap. They’re arguably the two standout performers in this short-lived 1983 drama, althoughThe Family Treehad little impact on either actor’s career.
4Daniel Ellsberg
The Pentagon Papers
The only TV movie of James Spader’s career that’s worthy of comparison with his best big-screen feature films,The Pentagon Paperstells the story of how US military analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked classified documentsabout the Vietnam War to major American newspapers in 1973.
This role prefigures the iconic small-screen character he’d first bring to life a decade afterThe Pentagon Papersfirst aired.
Viewers may know Ellsberg’s name from the recentWhite House Plumbers, a satirical miniseries starring Woody Harrelson, or from Steven Spielberg’s 2017 movieThe Post. However, only Spader’s portrayal of Ellsberg furnishes this controversial figure in modern American history with the gravitas his story merits.
The Pentagon Papers is a political drama directed by Rod Holcomb, depicting Pentagon official Daniel Ellsberg’s decision to leak classified documents during the Nixon era. These documents, later known as the Pentagon Papers, exposed the true motives behind U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
Spader is perfectly cast in the role, which prefigures the iconic small-screen character he’d first bring to life a decade afterThe Pentagon Papersfirst aired. Enigmatic yet captivating, brilliant yet somewhat fear-inducing, this version of Daniel Ellsberg is everything that would later come to define a great James Spader TV character.
3Robert California
The Office
DespiteJames Spader only starring as Robert California in 19 episodesofThe Office, the actor managed to make his character one of the standout elements of the show’s final two seasons. California is utterly bizarre and completely electrifying, but pure Spader every step of the way.
It’s hardly surprising when Dunder Mifflin’s new CEO turns out to be a con man in his final appearance, yet even this revelation brings us no closer to solving who Robert California actually is. It matters not, however, asviewers love the character precisely because of the veil of mystery in which he cloaks himself.
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
ImaginingThe Office’s post-Steve Carell era without Robert California puts into perspective how important James Spader’s wonderfully off-the-wall characterization is to the sitcom. He’s the breath of fresh air it needed in season 8, particularly when likelier Michael Scott replacements didn’t work.Spader’s character makes no sense on paper, but somehow charms usinto believing he’s perfect for the job.
2Alan Shore
The Practice, Boston Legal
Alan Shore was supposed to be a one-season wonder in the final season of legal dramaThe Practice. ButJames Spader made such a success of playing Shorethat he got his own spinoff comedy show.Boston Legalremains one of the best legal-procedural TV series ever made, while its central character is arguably the greatest in the genre’s history.
A true maverick of his profession, Alan Shore uses whatever methods he has at his disposal to defend a client, regardless of how legitimate these methods might be. Shore regularly clashes with his superiors and often gives off an air of pompous condescension at work. But his strong moral compass ensures that his heart is invariably in the right place.
Shore is a complex character with many layers to him, with a vast array of neuroses that reveal themselves during the course ofBoston Legal. Perhaps most famously, he has a chronic fear of clowns, which makes one courtroom cross-examination particularly difficult for him to conduct.
Boston Legal
Boston Legal is a legal comedy-drama series created by David E. Kelley and initially premiered in 2004. The series follows the exploits of the Crane, Poole & Schmidt law firm staff helmed by Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Alan Shore (James Spader) as the attorneys dabble into the legal gray area to take on cases deemed “unwinnable.”
The most enjoyable aspect of Alan Shore’s characterization inBoston Legal, however, is his longstanding personal friendship with his loudmouth professional mentor Denny Crane, who’s played by William Shatner. Between them,Spader and Shatner make the greatest double-act in any legal series. They also clearly served as inspiration for Elliott Gould’s performance as Mickey Haller’s mentor inThe Lincoln Lawyer.
1Raymond “Red” Reddington
The Blacklist
When it comes to James Spader TV characters, there can only ever be one name at the top of the pile.Spader’s performance in the crime thrillerThe Blacklistis undoubtedly the greatest of his career, as well as one of the greatest in the entire pantheon of crime thriller protagonists.
Just like with Robert California, it’s never made clear to us who Raymond “Red” Reddington really is, but we don’t actually need to find out.It’s Spader’s characterization that makes slippery master-criminal Red someone we root for and relate to, even though he has no right to receive our sympathy.
Raymond Reddington never denies his dubious moral credentials or the seriousness of his crimes. ThroughoutThe Blacklist, he’s a cold-blooded killer who’s not to be trusted. Yet, Spader makes us feel for – and even with – Red more times than we’d care to admit.He treads a fine line of anti-heroic ambiguity, keeping us both hooked and sympathetic for 10 seasons.
The Blacklist follows Raymond “Red” Reddington, a notorious fugitive, who shocks the FBI by surrendering and offering to help capture dangerous criminals. With a mysterious agenda, Reddington insists on working exclusively with rookie FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen, using his deep knowledge of an elusive criminal network.
Few actors have ever been able to carry off such a masterclass in nuance and complexity on the small screen. It’s a testament toJames SpaderthatThe Blacklistkept going for as long as it did, despite declining in quality during its final years. However, the audience was always with Red, though, whatever he did.
James Spader
Discover the latest news and filmography for James Spader, known for The Blacklist and Boston Legal.
