Open Happy Birthday Thread: James Spader

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Didn't know he was 50. He coulda shoulda been a bigger star. Don't know what happened.

I have always enjoyed watching him…even if the movie wasn't particularly good…he is usually worth the time out of your life. Happy Birthday James…you're 50 now….go ahead eat the cake.

Yeah, he should've been bigger. But, he always had a vaguely creepy vibe and the Cronenberg movie, Crash, might've done him in. Lousy box office + magnified creep quotient + lousy script choices = no star.

In other news….

Did the GOP learn the lesson of 2009 or will it become

A PARTY OF CRAYFISH?

http://naturalfake.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/a-par...

I enjoyed watching him and Shatner on Boston Legal. My biggest regret is that the BL producers didn't get Ricardo Montalban to guest star – he and Shatner could've had a scene where they converse via video chat a la Star Trek II when they only see each other on the viewscreens.

I remember years ago when I rented a film James Spader was in called Secretary (it was just okay, not great). I told a friend of mine, "It stars James Spader as some kind of sexual deviant… yeah, that doesn't really narrow it down."

Come on, you can't tease us with that! What is the derivation of the word bummer?

he was handsome, then became bloated, as if he was on anti-psychotic medicine or something. Enjoyed him in "sex, lies and videotape"

Happy Birthday, James…you are and will always be my favorite actor! You are fabulous in David Mamet's RACE on Broadway….keep up the good work and enjoy this milestone birthday with Leslie and the little one.

Personal Quotes

"If I don't need the money, I don't work. I don't mind going to somebody and saying, 'Okay, this is how much money I need to pay my bills for the next six months. If you pay me that, I'll do the film'."

("Why did he accept the lead in 'Sex, Lies & Videotape'?"): "I took the film because I was interested in doing that part. Looking at work as stepping stones is something I don't have any time or energy for. It seems a shame to look at your work as some sort of means to an end, because the end is death, you know? The means is the flesh and blood, so you'd better enjoy it. F— the end."

"If I don't need the money, I don't work. I'm going to spend time with my family and friends, and I'm going to travel and read and listen to music and try to learn a little bit more about how to be a human being, as opposed to learning how to be somebody else."

"Studio people are afraid of 'Crash.' It makes a statement about whoever releases the film. Miramax took a lot of flak for releasing Kids. The same will happen for whoever releases 'Crash.'"

"I have my own artistic sensibilities and Crash complements them. It is a provocative, challenging, disturbing film made for adults. It's not a skeleton in the closet for me."

(His sadomasochistic scenes in the new movie "Secretary"): "I did something in that scene that I'd never done in a film before but that's been the case with so many of my movies."

"You just want to work. I like playing character roles and I do not mind being a real son-of-a-bitch, or embarrassing myself. But as you go along you begin to realize that the work has a criterion and as your choices get broader you start cutting out the things that are not worth the time. On the whole I have been lucky; I do not look back with a huge amount of distaste for the work I have done."

"Acting is a great way to make a living, especially when I consider what my alternatives were and probably still are. I mean, you are only making movies. It is a lot less pressure than being a surgeon; although it seemed like the only other thing that I was qualified for was manual labour."

"Sometimes with people their work is the most important thing to them, and sometimes the work enables you to do other things that are more important to you. I probably am closer to that."

"I've had a lazy career, sometimes one film a year, sometimes none. I'm walking around in the street and doing this other thing, living, that I'm much more interested in. I just do some acting on the side." – 2005

"I played cops and robbers and pirates and all the rest when I was a kid, but I didn't want to grow up and be an actor and play cops and robbers and pirates. I wanted to grow up and be that, be cops and robbers and pirates."

"I grew up a Red Sox fan. I grew up going to Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts and the Science Museum and Symphony Hall and going to the Common, walking around. My whole family at different times lived and worked in Boston."

Read it all here-

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000652/bio

I think one of James Spader's best performances was in a small movie from the 1990's called "The Music of Chance".

I worked at a theater when Spader's "Jack's Back" came out. It had more showings with no tickets sold than any other film I can remember.

OMG, don't get me started.
A gifted writer too taken with her own wonderfulness. And she relinquished her conservative principles for the new order.
(woops, ya almost got me started.)

I was first turned on to Spader by Roger and Ebert lauding this 'unknown' actor. They showed clips of him in 'Wall Street', 'Pretty in Pink', and 'Baby Boom' – marveling at how good he was. Personally, I kept looking at him – he was so drop dead gorgeous. Right after R&E, Spader exploded in 'Sex, Lies and Videotape'. Clearly his lack of stardom wasn't lack of acting chops – imho, it's because he didn't give a shit. He only acted when he needed the money.

And yeah, he was a beached whale in 'Boston Legal'. (That short dark hair instead of those blond gorgeous locks didn't do him any good either.) I took one look and asked myself, 'where did Spader disappear to and who's this land Orca in his place?'.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000652/bio

Read all about him.

Check out Spader in the 1990 thriller "Bad Influence," with Rob Lowe as the heavy, and Christian Clemenson as Spader's neurotic brother. See if you can spot the Dodge Dart (as a getaway car!?) An underrated classic, with an L.A. backdrop and great writing by David Koepp.

It didnt take long for the ghouls on the left to start the Palin bashing. The Microscope is huge and wide. Wow notes in her hand. Why dont you asses examine Obowma and the sabatage he is doing to the nation, and quit giving this fake duphis a pass? Unbelievable!

Ahhh. Happy Birthday Mr. Spader.

I have to say that I am always disappointed when people talk about Spader, and never mention my personal favorite movie.

1984's Tuff Turf. It also starred Kim Richards (From the Witch Mountain Disney movies) and Robert Downey Jr. A simple premise. New kid in school falls for a gang leaders girl friend.

It wasn't ground breaking or anything, but just a fun movie to watch, which I did countless times as a teen ager.

I was pretty happy when my wife actually got it for me on DVD a few years ago.

Ahh good memories and good times.

I agree, he does have a slight creepy vibe and in my opinion he pulled a Shelly Long when he figured he was too good for SG1. . .
- Ahem, 11 years and four movies and two spin offs later he lands a sound gig on BL. Well, good for him, not sure if that was the smart move in the long run but whatever – to each their own.
I'm sure Shatner felt Star Trek was a dorky show way beneath him at the time but he stuck it out and in the long run it greased a lot of things that never seemed to happen for Spader.

js is cool but kinda scary, but scary in a good way. he seems very daring as an actor, not self-conscious. i would guess that's the most difficult thing about pro acting. happy bday lil bro! our moms were preg at the same time but at different periods of gestation.

While the MSM and HuffPo are feverishly "fact checking" the writing on Sarah's hand, they might want to hop on over to YouTube to "check out" some of Nanski Peloski's crazy hand jive! It's killer!
And, she uses it every time she speaks! Amazing sight.

I love the scene where he goes in and corrects the translation of the top government people. Fun movie and a good job as Daniel/Pock.

BOOYAH! I was wondering if anyone would bring up Tuff Turf. Yes, nothing ground breaking or overall fantastic but it was a fun and entertaining movie and one of my favorites. And yeah I still have that unrequitted love thing for Kim Richards to this day.

He's never really impressed me.

I really liked "Tuff Turf" even though that may be the worst movie name, ever. It had Spader, a young Robert Downey Jr. and of course Kim Richards who never looked better. There was even a Jim Carroll cameo where he briefly spoke and then performed "It's Too Late" and "People Who Died." If this movie would have had better marketing it might have been a big hit.

Personally, I think most people give him near enough credit, if any. Spader is truly one of the best actors I've seen. Plus, he is a beautiful man both inside and out.

People can be very mean with their comments on his weight gain. Comparisons with his look of 20 years ago are not fair. So he gained weight? Don't a lot of us over the years? Besides, I've met him in person and he has slimmed down a lot! Spader has gorgeous skin, and a gorgeous smile. James is great to his fans and deserves respect. He is wonderful!

Sorry, I meant to say they DON'T give him near enough credit, if any.

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