# James Marshall (actor)
**James Marshall** is the professional name of James David Greenblatt (born 1967), an American actor best known for playing James Hurley, Laura Palmer's secret lover, in [David Lynch](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-lynch) and [Mark Frost](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-frost)'s television series *Twin Peaks*, its 1992 prequel film *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me*, and the 2017 revival, and for his role as Private Louden Downey in *A Few Good Men* (1992).[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/james-marshall/umc.cpc.3td8lrlip56ctck4o4rpmz6t1)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | James David Greenblatt, born 1967 in Queens, New York[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/) |
| Signature role | James Hurley, the motorcycle-riding boyfriend of Laura Palmer, in *Twin Peaks* (1990–1991), *Fire Walk with Me* (1992), and the 2017 revival[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/james-marshall/umc.cpc.3td8lrlip56ctck4o4rpmz6t1) |
| How he was cast | Director David Lynch found him while he was delivering pizzas and cast him on sight[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall) • [4](https://twinpeaksblog.com/2025/05/17/james-marshall-in-a-1990-magazine-article-by-carol-wolper/) |
| Best-known film roles | Lamar in *Cadence* (1990), Tommy Riley in *Gladiator* (1992), Pfc. Louden Downey in *A Few Good Men* (1992)[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-marshall/) |
| Box office | His film credits total $248,915,173 worldwide, of which $236,500,000 comes from *A Few Good Men*[6](https://oak3.the-numbers.com/person/92630401-James-Marshall) |
| Rotten Tomatoes range | Highest rated 85% for *A Few Good Men*; lowest rated 20% for *Down* (2001)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall) |
| Family | Married actress Renee Allman in May 1998; their son James David was born in 2002[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/) |
## Early life
Marshall was born James David Greenblatt in Queens, New York, to Charlotte (Bullard), a dancer and former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, and William R. Greenblatt, a producer and director. His father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and his mother has English and Irish ancestry. He grew up in [Bergen County, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/bergen-county-new-jersey), and moved with his family to the Los Angeles area at fifteen, attending [Santa Monica High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-high-school). After high school he took acting classes and worked as a messenger and at a pizzeria while trying to break into Hollywood; his father offered to help, but he declined to take what he saw as the nepotism route.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/)
His early television work included a 1984 appearance as Student #3 on *Murder, She Wrote* and guest parts on *Growing Pains* and *China Beach*.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/james-marshall/) He starred as a date rapist in the CBS Schoolbreak Special "No Means No", a production of his father's.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall) In a 1990 magazine profile he said that despite years of acting class, roles were scarce because he did not audition well: "People say I'm too off-beat; they're not sure what to make of me."[4](https://twinpeaksblog.com/2025/05/17/james-marshall-in-a-1990-magazine-article-by-carol-wolper/)
## Twin Peaks
David Lynch cast Marshall as James Hurley, a motorcycle-riding high school student and the secret lover of murder victim [Laura Palmer](https://www.edgepedia.org/laura-palmer), in *Twin Peaks*, which debuted on ABC in 1990. Accounts of the casting describe Lynch finding him while he was delivering pizzas.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall) Marshall said Lynch "casts on sight. He knows when he likes someone. And he's an artist, he likes to take risks."[4](https://twinpeaksblog.com/2025/05/17/james-marshall-in-a-1990-magazine-article-by-carol-wolper/) The role made him a familiar face to television audiences and led press profiles to tag him "the new James Dean," a comparison he dismissed.[4](https://twinpeaksblog.com/2025/05/17/james-marshall-in-a-1990-magazine-article-by-carol-wolper/)
He carried the character into the 1992 prequel film *Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me* and returned as James Hurley in the nine-episode 2017 revival on Showtime, in which the character sings at the Roadhouse.[1](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/james-marshall/umc.cpc.3td8lrlip56ctck4o4rpmz6t1) • [8](https://time.com/4306753/twin-peaks-cast-list/) Metacritic scores the original series at 83 and *Twin Peaks: The Return* at 74.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/james-marshall/)
## Film career of the early 1990s
Marshall made his feature debut in *Cadence* (1990), [Martin Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-sheen)'s military prison drama, playing a sympathetic stockade guard named Lamar; the cast included [Charlie Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-sheen).[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/) His first starring role for a major studio came in the 1992 boxing drama *Gladiator*, as amateur boxer Tommy Riley, a part for which he trained for three months before filming; the cast included [Cuba Gooding Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/cuba-gooding-jr), Brian Dennehy, Robert Loggia, and Ossie Davis.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall)
Also in 1992, [Rob Reiner](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-reiner) cast him as Pfc. Louden Downey, a slow-witted Marine put on trial, in *A Few Good Men*, alongside [Tom Cruise](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-cruise), Jack Nicholson, and [Demi Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/demi-moore).[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall) • [6](https://oak3.the-numbers.com/person/92630401-James-Marshall) The film earned $236,500,000 worldwide and remains his highest-rated title on Rotten Tomatoes at 85 percent.[6](https://oak3.the-numbers.com/person/92630401-James-Marshall) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall)
## Later career
After the early 1990s, Marshall worked steadily in television movies and independent features, including *Vibrations* (1994), *The Unspoken Truth* (1995), *Soccer Dog: The Movie* (1999), *Down* (2001), *The Cursed* (2010), and *Badlands of Kain* (2016).[5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-marshall/) His television guest credits include *CSI: Crime Scene Investigation* (2000, as Gary Quinn) and *Call Me Kat* (2021).[7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/james-marshall/) • [5](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-marshall/) He also provided the voice of Kurt in the video game *Unlimited Saga*.[9](https://auteurgraph.com/person/james-marshall/ratings)
## Personal life
Marshall married actress Renee Allman in May 1998; the two appeared together in *Criminal Affairs* and *Doomsday Man*. Their son, James David, was born in 2002, and the family lives in the Los Angeles area. He is also described as an author, artist, and musician.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/)
## References
1. [James Marshall, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/james-marshall/umc.cpc.3td8lrlip56ctck4o4rpmz6t1)
2. [James Marshall Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0338614/bio/)
3. [James Marshall Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/1021107-james_marshall)
4. [James Marshall in a 1990 Magazine Article by Carol Wolper, Twin Peaks Blog](https://twinpeaksblog.com/2025/05/17/james-marshall-in-a-1990-magazine-article-by-carol-wolper/)
5. [James Marshall, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-marshall/)
6. [James Marshall Box Office, The Numbers](https://oak3.the-numbers.com/person/92630401-James-Marshall)
7. [James Marshall, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/james-marshall/)
8. [The Twin Peaks Cast List Is Here, TIME](https://time.com/4306753/twin-peaks-cast-list/)
9. [James Marshall Ratings, AuteurGraph](https://auteurgraph.com/person/james-marshall/ratings)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames M to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license