# James Tupper
**James Tupper** (full name James Howard Tupper) is a Canadian actor known for his television roles as Jack Slattery on the ABC series *Men in Trees*, Dr. Chris Sands on the NBC medical drama *Mercy*, David Clarke on ABC's *Revenge*, and Nathan Carlson on the Emmy-winning HBO drama *Big Little Lies*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/) Born in 1965 in [Dartmouth, Nova Scotia](https://www.edgepedia.org/dartmouth-nova-scotia), he trained at [Concordia University](https://www.edgepedia.org/concordia-university) in Montreal and [Rutgers University](https://www.edgepedia.org/rutgers-university), spent roughly a decade in theater before his television breakthrough, and has also worked as a writer and director.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada; full name James Howard Tupper[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/) |
| Training | BFA, Concordia University, 1992; MFA, Rutgers University, New Jersey[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html) |
| Signature TV roles | Jack Slattery in *Men in Trees* (2006–08), Dr. Chris Sands in *Mercy*, David Clarke in *Revenge*, Nathan Carlson in *Big Little Lies*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/) |
| *Big Little Lies* | 14 episodes as Nathan Carlson, 2017–2019, in the HBO drama whose debut season garnered eight Emmy Awards[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805) • [4](https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2019/07/19/my-generation-of-canadian-actors-has-done-extremely-well-in-america.html) |
| Theater background | Performed in some 50 plays through the 1990s and early 2000s; member of Circle Repertory Company in New York[4](https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2019/07/19/my-generation-of-canadian-actors-has-done-extremely-well-in-america.html) |
| Writing credits | Co-writer of the improvised indie film *Loudmouth Soup* (2005); writer of *Invisible* (2006)[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805) |
| Family | Married Katherine Mayfield in 2001 (marriage ended); son Atlas Heche Tupper, born early 2009, with actress Anne Heche[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Tupper grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and has described his childhood as marked by a close connection to the natural world. "The province is so wide open and connected to the ocean," he told Concordia University. "It was a wondrous place for a kid to dream and to commune with nature."[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html) His early life also included the loss of his mother at a young age, an experience he credits with instilling resilience and empathy that later informed his acting.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html) Encyclopedia.com's career entry lists his parents as James, an elementary school principal, and Heather, a homemaker.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tupper-james-1965)
Before university, he spent time abroad: after high school he traveled to London and Africa and lived in the foothills of [Mount Kenya](https://www.edgepedia.org/mount-kenya), working on a locally owned coffee and tea farm.[6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7137) On returning home he started the Blue Shoe Theatre Company, then enrolled at Concordia University in Montreal.[6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7137)
At Concordia's Faculty of Fine Arts he earned a BFA in 1992. He has said the Department of Theatre, though not formally a conservatory, trained its students like one, with classes in acting, movement, dance, and singing and theater productions in the evenings.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html) After graduating he completed an MFA at Rutgers University in New Jersey.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html)
## Theater career
Tupper built his craft on stage before working in film and television. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s he performed in some 50 plays, was a member of the Circle Repertory Company in New York, and appeared in off-Broadway productions including *An Actor Prepares* and *After the Rain*.[4](https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2019/07/19/my-generation-of-canadian-actors-has-done-extremely-well-in-america.html) TV Guide counts him as a veteran of at least 50 small theater productions before his television break.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-tupper/)
He has continued to act on stage alongside his screen work, including a Los Angeles production of *The Seagull* in late 2024. Asked to choose between film, television, and stage, he told Broadway World: "Film is for Directors. Television is for Writers. Stage is for us Actors, the hardest and most deeply satisfying."[8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Interview-James-Tupper-on-THE-SEAGULL-at-The-Odyssey-20241224)
## Television and film
Tupper's screen career began with small parts in the 2001 comedies *Joe Dirt* and *Corky Romano*, followed by guest spots on *Gilmore Girls*, *CSI: NY*, and *How I Met Your Mother*.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-tupper/) His breakthrough came as Jack Slattery, a fish and wildlife biologist, on ABC's *Men in Trees* (2006–08), a drama starring [Anne Heche](https://www.edgepedia.org/anne-heche) as a relationship expert stranded in Alaska.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-tupper/) He has credited the show's audition process as a turning point: director [James Mangold](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-mangold) advised him during his audition, "Hey, James, it's theatre," which he says resonated with his stage training.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html)
**Recurring and starring roles followed.** He played Dr. Chris Sands on NBC's *Mercy* (22 episodes in 2009), David Clarke on ABC's *Revenge* (43 episodes, 2011–2015), and Joshua Copeland in the post-apocalyptic thriller *Aftermath*, which aired on Space in Canada and Syfy in the United States.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/) His film work includes *Me and Orson Welles* (2008), in which he played [Joseph Cotten](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseph-cotten), *[Mr. Popper's Penguins](https://www.edgepedia.org/mr-poppers-penguins-film)* (2011), *Decoding Annie Parker* (2013), *[Playing for Keeps](https://www.edgepedia.org/playing-for-keeps-2012-film)* (2012), and *The Requin* (2022).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805)
As a writer, he co-conceived and co-wrote *Loudmouth Soup* (2005), a fully improvised film about actors trying to make it in Hollywood, and wrote *Invisible* (2006), an indie thriller in which he also starred.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805) • [6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7137)
## Big Little Lies
A major highlight of Tupper's career is his role as Nathan Carlson, Madeline's ex-husband and Bonnie's husband, in HBO's *Big Little Lies*. He appeared in both seasons, 14 episodes between 2017 and 2019, in a cast that included [Nicole Kidman](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicole-kidman), Reese Witherspoon, Zoë Kravitz, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and [Meryl Streep](https://www.edgepedia.org/meryl-streep).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805) • [4](https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2019/07/19/my-generation-of-canadian-actors-has-done-extremely-well-in-america.html) The show's debut season garnered eight [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards).[4](https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2019/07/19/my-generation-of-canadian-actors-has-done-extremely-well-in-america.html)
On the series he worked closely with two figures with Concordia ties: cinematographer Yves Bélanger (BFA 84) and Quebec director [Jean-Marc Vallée](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-marc-vallee), who directed season one. Tupper has said Vallée's films *C.R.A.Z.Y.* and *Wild* had a large impact on him and praised the director's sense of humanity on and off the set.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) records a 2020 nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series connected to his television work.[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-tupper/bio/3030390508/)
## Personal life
Tupper married the novelist and playwright Katherine Mayfield in 2001; the marriage ended.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tupper-james-1965) He met actress Anne Heche when they played love interests on *Men in Trees*, and the two later played a married couple on *Aftermath*.[10](https://www.etonline.com/features/218350_exclusive_james_tupper_on_mastering_mystery_with_hallmark_and_big_little_lies) Their son, Atlas Heche Tupper, was born in early 2009.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/)
He has described working as a carpenter between acting jobs for 15 years and lists carpentry, bird watching, and cooking among his avocations.[6](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7137) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tupper-james-1965) In 2025 Concordia University named him a Great Concordian as part of the celebrations marking the university's 50th anniversary.[2](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html)
## References
1. [James Tupper – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805/bio/)
2. [James Tupper, Notable Concordian, Concordia University](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/james-tupper.html)
3. [James Tupper, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0876805)
4. ["My generation of Canadian actors has done extremely well in America," Concordia University News, July 19, 2019](https://www.concordia.ca/cunews/offices/advancement/2019/07/19/my-generation-of-canadian-actors-has-done-extremely-well-in-america.html)
5. [Tupper, James 1965–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/tupper-james-1965)
6. [James Tupper, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=7137)
7. [James Tupper – Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/james-tupper/)
8. [Interview: James Tupper on THE SEAGULL at The Odyssey, Broadway World, December 2024](https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Interview-James-Tupper-on-THE-SEAGULL-at-The-Odyssey-20241224)
9. [James Tupper Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/james-tupper/bio/3030390508/)
10. [EXCLUSIVE: James Tupper on Mastering Mystery With Hallmark and 'Big Little Lies,' Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/features/218350_exclusive_james_tupper_on_mastering_mystery_with_hallmark_and_big_little_lies)
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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 › Canadian actors › Surnames T to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 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