# Steven Strait
**Steven Strait** (born 1986) is an American actor, singer, and former model best known for portraying James Holden, the captain of the [Rocinante](https://www.edgepedia.org/rocinante), on the science-fiction series *The Expanse* (2015–2022).[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1462/steven-strait) He made his film debut as Warren Peace in Disney's *[Sky High](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-high-2005-film)* (2005) and later held lead roles in *The Covenant* (2006) and [Roland Emmerich](https://www.edgepedia.org/roland-emmerich)'s *10,000 B.C.* (2008) before returning to supporting work in film and a regular role on the Starz series *Magic City*.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, New York City; raised in Manhattan's West Village[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1462/steven-strait) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) |
| Breakout film role | Warren Peace, the flame-manipulating son of a super-villain, in *Sky High* (2005)[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) |
| Signature television role | James Holden on *The Expanse* (2015–2022), on which he also served as a producer[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1462/steven-strait) |
| Other regular TV role | Stevie Evans in *Magic City* (Starz, 2012–13)[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait) |
| Music | Recorded seven of the fifteen tracks on the *Undiscovered* soundtrack; signed with Lakeshore Records with his band Tribe[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) |
| Training | Stella Adler Conservatory (from 2000) and Black Nexxus acting studios[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) |
## Early life and training
Strait grew up in Manhattan's West Village and attended P.S. Three through the sixth grade, where his early interests were athletic: basketball first, then boxing and karate. His mother was a highly ranked karate practitioner.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) Shortly before his teens he began acting classes at the Village Community School, where he was nudged into performing in a musical; that performance brought him a modeling manager and commercial work by age 13.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
**Modeling and stage training.** A chance meeting early in his teens with John Bobin, head of Boss Models, led to his recruitment by the agency, with photo campaigns for the clothing lines [Harlequin](https://www.edgepedia.org/harlequin) and Hollister.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) In 2000, at age 14, he began studying at the Stella Adler Conservatory, adding training at Black Nexxus.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) He attended Xavier High School in Manhattan, graduated in 2004, and moved to Los Angeles after signing with the talent agency International Creative Management in early 2003.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
His first television appearance came on the NBC New York series *Third Watch* (1999–2005), playing the teenage version of Bobby Caffey, the character played by [Bobby Cannavale](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-cannavale), in a February 2001 episode.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
## Film career
**Sky High and the leading-man push.** Strait was cast quickly after moving west in Disney's teen-superhero comedy *Sky High* (2005), released that July, as Warren Peace, a student who can manipulate flames.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) The film's success led to a run of lead roles: an aspiring rock singer in *Undiscovered* (2005), the teenage warlock Caleb Danvers in [Renny Harlin](https://www.edgepedia.org/renny-harlin)'s supernatural thriller *The Covenant* (2006), and the prehistoric mammoth hunter D'Leh in Roland Emmerich's big-budget *10,000 B.C.* (2008).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait) None of these established him as a bankable star; *10,000 B.C.* in particular was poorly received and did little for his career advancement, while his smaller role in the Iraq war drama *[Stop-Loss](https://www.edgepedia.org/stop-loss-film)* (2008) drew less criticism.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
**Shift to supporting work.** A return to supporting parts brought better material: he played Andy Garcia's character's illegitimate son in the indie comedy-drama *City Island* (2009), which holds an 83 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and later appeared in *Sleeping With the Fishes* (2013), *[Life Like](https://www.edgepedia.org/life-like-film)* (2019), and *Here Awhile* (2019).[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait)
## Music
*Undiscovered*, which chronicled struggling actors and musicians, gave Strait an outlet for his real-life musicianship: he recorded seven of the fifteen tracks on the film's soundtrack, and Lakeshore Records, the label that released it, signed him and his band Tribe.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
## Television and The Expanse
After a regular cast role as Stevie Evans, the son of [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-dean-morgan)'s hotel-owner Ike Evans, on the late-1950s Miami crime drama *Magic City* (Starz, 2012–13), Strait was cast as James Holden on *The Expanse*, adapted from the novel series by [James S. A. Corey](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-s-a-corey), the pen name of co-authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait) • [4](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-expanse-at-10-the-outer-space-drama-that-should-have-been-as-big-as-game-of-thrones)
The series, which debuted on Syfy in 2015 and moved to Amazon Prime Video after its third season, follows a fractured colonized solar system in which Earth, Mars, and the Belt clash over resources.[4](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-expanse-at-10-the-outer-space-drama-that-should-have-been-as-big-as-game-of-thrones) Holden, a former Navy officer and reluctant captain of the Rocinante, anchors the show's "A" story as the crew of the Canterbury's survivors become unlikely kingmakers.[4](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-expanse-at-10-the-outer-space-drama-that-should-have-been-as-big-as-game-of-thrones) Strait described the character's arc in a 2019 interview: Holden "often grows through his failures," starting season one with a naive black-and-white worldview and only later finding his feet as a leader.[5](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/exclusive-steven-strait-on-holdens-heroic-journey-season-4-of-the-expanse/)
**Producer role.** Strait also served as a producer on the series, an involvement he framed in collaborative terms: "our show functions more like a theater company than a television show," with an aim of creating an environment where the large cast could take creative risks.[5](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/exclusive-steven-strait-on-holdens-heroic-journey-season-4-of-the-expanse/) The show ended with its sixth season in January 2022, with three of the source novels still unadapted.[4](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-expanse-at-10-the-outer-space-drama-that-should-have-been-as-big-as-game-of-thrones)
## Reception and later work
Critical scores for Strait's early lead films were low: *The Covenant* stands at 4 percent and *10,000 B.C.* at 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, against 74 percent for *Sky High* and 83 percent for *City Island*.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait) His later credits include the 2024 film *He Couldn't Let Go* and the 2026 release *[Serena](https://www.edgepedia.org/serena-2026-film)*, which lists a 100 percent critics score on the aggregator.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait) • [3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/) TV Insider lists [Lynn Collins](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynn-collins) as his spouse.[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
## References
1. [Steven Strait, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/1462/steven-strait)
2. [Steven Strait Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/steven_strait)
3. [Steven Strait – Actor, Singer, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/steven-strait/)
4. ['The Expanse' at 10, Space.com](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-expanse-at-10-the-outer-space-drama-that-should-have-been-as-big-as-game-of-thrones)
5. [EXCLUSIVE: Steven Strait On Holden's Heroic Journey & Season 4 Of 'The Expanse', blackfilm.com](https://www.blackfilm.com/read/exclusive-steven-strait-on-holdens-heroic-journey-season-4-of-the-expanse/)
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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 Sp to S*
*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