James Corden

James Kimberley Corden, born on 22 August 1978 in Hillingdon, Greater London, is an English actor, comedian, writer, producer, singer, and television host. The son of Margaret and Malcolm Corden — his father a musician in the Central Band of the Royal Air Force who later became a salesman of Christian books and Bibles, and his mother a social worker — Corden grew up in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire, attending Park Middle School and Holmer Green Upper School. He has two sisters.

Corden's professional stage debut came at age 18 with a one-line part in the 1996 musical Martin Guerre. His early screen work included the 1999 BBC series Boyz Unlimited, Tango advertisements in 1998, a role in Teachers, and a small part in Hollyoaks in 2000. Guest appearances on Little Britain and Dalziel and Pascoe followed in 2004. His early film credits include Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? (1999), Mike Leigh's All or Nothing (2002), Heartlands (2002), and Cruise of the Gods (2002). From 2000 to 2005, he starred as Jamie Rymer in the British television series Fat Friends, earning a nomination for the 2000 Royal Television Society Award for Network Newcomer On Screen.

Corden's Broadway career spans 2006 to 2025. Beginning in 2004, he originated the role of Timms in Alan Bennett's The History Boys at the National Theatre in London, subsequently appearing in the Broadway, Sydney, Wellington, and Hong Kong productions, as well as the radio and 2006 film adaptations. His Broadway credits include Art, The History Boys, and One Man, Two Guvnors.

One Man, Two Guvnors, in which Corden played the lead role beginning in June 2011, originated at the National Theatre before transferring to the West End and then to Broadway. The production earned Corden the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play in 2012, as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play that same year. The play was also cinecast worldwide as part of the National Theatre Live series.

In the United Kingdom, Corden became widely known for co-writing and co-starring in the BBC Three sitcom Gavin & Stacey alongside Welsh actress Ruth Jones, who had previously appeared with him in Fat Friends. The series ran from 2007 to 2010, with Corden playing the character Smithy. The show won Best New British Television Comedy at the 2007 British Comedy Awards, and at the 2008 Television BAFTAs it received both the BAFTA for Best Male Comedy Performance — awarded to Corden — and the Audience Award for Programme of the Year. A Christmas special in 2019 achieved the highest Christmas Day viewership in the United Kingdom in more than a decade. Corden also co-presented the Brit Awards in 2009 alongside Mathew Horne and Kylie Minogue, and went on to host the ceremony again in 2011 and 2014.

In 2011, Corden created his Carpool Karaoke sketch, which made its first appearance during a Comic Relief broadcast featuring pop star George Michael. He hosted the Grammy Awards in both 2017 and 2018, and hosted the Tony Awards in 2016 and 2019, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for his hosting of the 70th Tony Awards. Across his career he has received 29 Primetime Emmy nominations, winning 12, including for The Late Late Show and Carpool Karaoke. From 2015 to 2023, Corden hosted The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS, which brought him widespread recognition in the United States. He also presented the panel show A League of Their Own on Sky One from 2010 to 2019.

Corden's film work includes Gulliver's Travels (2010), Kill Your Friends (2015), and the musical films Into the Woods (2014), Cats (2019), The Prom (2020), and Cinderella (2021). He voiced the title character in Peter Rabbit (2018) and its 2021 sequel. He also appeared as Craig Owens in the Doctor Who episodes "The Lodger" and "Closing Time." In 2015, Corden received the BAFTA Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama.