# Jesse James (actor)
**Jesse James** (born 1989) is an American actor who worked extensively as a child performer in major [Hollywood films](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinema-of-the-united-states) of the late 1990s and 2000s, playing younger versions of lead characters in movies such as *Pearl Harbor*, *Blow*, and *The Butterfly Effect*, and the boy Billy Lutz in the 2005 remake of *The Amityville Horror*.[1](https://www.fanbolt.com/person/10135/jesse-james/) The name is shared by several other working performers, including the non-binary television actor [Jesse James Keitel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jesse-james-keitel) and a Texas-based film and television actor, each of whom is listed separately in film databases.[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jesse-james-keitel-big-sky-interview-b1804135.html) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9678085/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Palm Springs, California; parents Shane (an actor) and Jaime (a laboratory technician) James[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/us-history-biographies/jesse-james) |
| First role | Spencer in *As Good as It Gets* (1997), cast at about age 5 despite the role being written for an "overweight red-headed 12 year old"[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416596/) |
| Early honor | Hollywood Reporter YoungStar Award, Best Performance by a Child Actor in a Comedy, 1998, for *As Good as It Gets*[6](https://www.dinomaymgmt.com/jessejames) |
| Best-known child roles | Tommy Miller at 13 in *The Butterfly Effect* (2004); Young Rafe McCawley in *Pearl Harbor* (2001); Billy Lutz in *The Amityville Horror* (2005); Young George in *Blow* (2001); Young Mark in *Jumper* (2008)[7](https://www.fandango.com/people/jesse-james-948608/film-credits) |
| Adult-era work | Silas in *The Last Ride* (2012); Matt Hoffman in *The Hollow One* (2015, also producer); Rev. Johnny Jones in *The Lucky Man* (2018, also executive producer); Lawler in *Lonesome Soldier* (2023)[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse_james) |
| Television | Guest and recurring credits include *Walker, Texas Ranger*, *ER*, *The X-Files*, *Veronica Mars*, *Monk*, *Bones*, *The Mentalist*, and *Mad Men*[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-james/credits/3000103290/) |
## Early life and first role
James was born in [Palm Springs, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/palm-springs-california), to Shane James, an actor, and Jaime James, a laboratory technician.[4](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/us-history-biographies/jesse-james) His entry into acting came through his father's headshot session: Shane asked the photographer, who also worked as a manager, to take pictures of his son, and the manager signed the boy on the spot.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416596/)
His first screen role came quickly. At about age 5 he was cast as Spencer in *As Good as It Gets* (1997), a part whose casting description called for an "overweight red-headed 12 year old"; he won the role anyway and received the Hollywood Reporter's YoungStar Award for Best Performance by a Child Actor in a Comedy in 1998.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416596/) • [6](https://www.dinomaymgmt.com/jessejames) An early television appearance on *[Walker, Texas Ranger](https://www.edgepedia.org/walker-texas-ranger)* in 1997 is also recorded as the start of his screen career.[10](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jessejames.html)
## Child and teenage roles, 1998 to 2008
Through the late 1990s and 2000s James accumulated a run of roles in studio films, most of them younger versions of characters played by adult leads. His credits from this period include Jeff Magruder in *The Gingerbread Man* (1998), Michael Boone in *Gods and Monsters* (1998), Jason Osborne in *Message in a Bottle* (1999), Young Nello in *A Dog of Flanders* (1999), Jesse in *Hanging Up* (2000), Young George in *Blow* (2001), Young Rafe McCawley in *Pearl Harbor* (2001), Ryan Billings in *Fear of the Dark* (2002), Randolph Grady in *She Gets What She Wants* (2002), Tommy Miller at 13 in *The Butterfly Effect* (2004), Billy Lutz in *The Amityville Horror* (2005), Young Mark in *Jumper* (2008), and Jason McIntyre in *The Flyboys* (2008).[7](https://www.fandango.com/people/jesse-james-948608/film-credits) • [1](https://www.fanbolt.com/person/10135/jesse-james/)
**The Amityville Horror.** In the 2005 remake, produced by [Michael Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-bay), Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller and directed by Andrew Douglas, James played Billy Lutz, the oldest son in the family that moves into the haunted house, appearing alongside [Ryan Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-reynolds) and [Melissa George](https://www.edgepedia.org/melissa-george).[11](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63306) A contemporary campus newspaper review noted his performance as Billy, "the oldest son and victim" in the story.[12](https://rrcsa.ca/archives/May2_05.pdf)
**The Butterfly Effect.** His portrayal of Tommy Miller, a disturbed teenager with violent tendencies, in *The Butterfly Effect* (2004) drew what his management describes as underground critical acclaim and is among the roles he is most identified with.[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416596/) • [6](https://www.dinomaymgmt.com/jessejames)
Television work ran alongside the film roles. His credited television appearances include *ER*, *The X-Files*, *Angel*, *Felicity*, *Chicago Hope*, *Veronica Mars*, *Monk*, *Bones*, *The Mentalist*, *In Plain Sight*, *Life*, *Aquarius*, *Mad Men*, and *The Good Doctor*.[9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-james/credits/3000103290/)
## Adult roles and producing
As an adult, James moved into independent film. He played Silas in *The Last Ride* (2012), a drama about [Hank Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/hank-williams), and Johnny Petrie in *Dead Souls* (2012).[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse_james) In *The Hollow One* (2015) he played Matt Hoffman and also served as producer, and in *The Lucky Man* (2018) he played Rev. [Johnny Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-jones) and executive produced.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse_james) • [9](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-james/credits/3000103290/) More recent credits include Marley Pickett in *Cheer Squad Secrets* (2020) and Lawler in *Lonesome Soldier* (2023).[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse_james)
Review aggregators record a range of critical reception across his filmography: on Rotten Tomatoes his highest-rated film is *The Gingerbread Man* (1998) at 60 percent and his lowest is *Hanging Up* (2000) at 13 percent.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse_james)
## Other actors named Jesse James
Several other performers work under the same name. **Jesse James Keitel** is a non-binary, transfeminine American actor who plays Jerrie Kennedy, a transfeminine singer and sex worker, as a series regular on the ABC thriller *Big Sky*, created by [David E. Kelley](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-e-kelley); Keitel has said that performing drag in New York City, as the avant-garde artist Peroxide with the Haus of Femanon collective beginning in 2016, "not only saved my life, it gave me an acting career."[2](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jesse-james-keitel-big-sky-interview-b1804135.html) Keitel's later credits include *Queer As Folk*, *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds*, and the BAFTA and Student Academy Award-winning short *Miller & Son*, and Vogue named Keitel one of its "Rising Stars Poised to Dominate in 2022."[13](https://here.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CJS_digprogram_d4.pdf)
**Jesse James (XXXIX)**, born in Cameron, Texas, is an actor, bass player, and fitness model who began acting in 2017 with a supporting role in the short film *Muerte* and later appeared in *Birds of Prey* (2020), *Free Dead or Alive* (2022), and *Breaking the Loop* (2022).[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9678085/) **Jesse James Rose**, born in [Tampa, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-florida), is a non-binary actor known for the short films *The Barstool* (2021) and *Never Let Me Go*.[14](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11035455/) The name also belongs to performers such as the character actor Jesse James Youngblood, known for *300* (2006) and *True Blood* (2010).[15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0282847/)
## References
1. [Jesse James biography and credits, Fanbolt (via TMDB)](https://www.fanbolt.com/person/10135/jesse-james/)
2. [Jesse James Keitel: 'Drag not only saved my life, it gave me an acting career', The Independent (2021)](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/jesse-james-keitel-big-sky-interview-b1804135.html)
3. [Jesse James (XXXIX), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9678085/)
4. [James, Jesse (1989–), Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/us-history-biographies/jesse-james)
5. [Jesse James (I), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416596/)
6. [Jesse James profile, Dino May Management](https://www.dinomaymgmt.com/jessejames)
7. [Jesse James filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/jesse-james-948608/film-credits)
8. [Jesse James filmography and ratings, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jesse_james)
9. [Jesse James list of movies and TV shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jesse-james/credits/3000103290/)
10. [Jesse James, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/jessejames.html)
11. [The Amityville Horror (2005), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/63306)
12. [Review: The Amityville Horror, The Projector (May 2, 2005)](https://rrcsa.ca/archives/May2_05.pdf)
13. [Jesse James Keitel program biography, HERE Arts Center](https://here.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/CJS_digprogram_d4.pdf)
14. [Jesse James Rose, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11035455/)
15. [Jesse James Youngblood, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0282847/)
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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: 2000s onward › Surnames Hu to Ji*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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