James Edward Carter (born August 19, 1948) is an English actor. He is best known for his role in Downton Abbey (2010–2015) playing Mr Carson, a role that has earned him four nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012–2015). He reprised his role in the feature film Downton Abbey (2019).

Filmography

• 2025Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale — Charles Carson
• 2023Wonka — Abacus Crunch
• 2022Downton Abbey: A New Era — Charles Carson
• 2022The Sea Beast — King (voice)
• 2019Downton Abbey — Charles Carson
• Inside the Ritz Hotel — Narrator
• 2019The Good Liar — Vincent
• 2018King Lear — Earl of Kent
• 2018Swimming with Men — Ted
• Knightfall — Pope Boniface VIII
• 2017The Little Vampire 3D — Rookery (voice)
• 2017Transformers: The Last Knight — Cogman (voice)
• 2016Punk Strut: The Movie — Skippy
• 2015Hitler's Supergun — Narrator (voice)
• 2014One of a Kind — Narrator (voice)
• 2013Secrets of the Stonehenge Skeletons — Narrator (Voice)
• 2011Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb — Narrator (Voice)
• 2011My Week with Marilyn — Barry
• 2010Alice in Wonderland — The Executioner (voice)
• 2010Burlesque Fairytales — The Compere
• Downton Abbey — Charles Carson
• 2009Creation — Parslow
• 2009Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1980 — Harold Angus
• 2009Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1983 — Harold Angus
• 2008Caught in a Trap — Brian Perkins
• 2008The Oxford Murders — Inspector Petersen
• 2007Cassandra's Dream — Garage Boss
• Cranford — Captain Brown
• 2007Recovery — Mr. Lockwood
• 2007The Golden Compass — John Faa
• 2006Aberfan: The Untold Story — Lord Robens
• 2006The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton — Henry Dorling
• 2006The Thief Lord — Victor
• 2006The Wind in the Willows — Engine Driver
• 2005House of 9 — The Watcher
• 2005The Man Who Is Obsessed With The Number 12 — Narrator
• 2005The Story of Alton Towers — Narrator/The Earl
• 2004Casablanca Driver — Joe Mateo, l'agent
• 2004Ella Enchanted — Nish
• London — Henry Fielding
• 2004Modigliani — Achilles Hebuterne
• 2004Out of Season — Michael Philipps
• 2004Von Trapped — Larry Lavelle
• 200316 Years of Alcohol — Director
• Blue Murder — Frank Evans
• 2003Bright Young Things — Chief Customs Officer
• 2003Cromwell: Warts and All — Oliver Cromwell
• 2003Heartlands — Geoff
• 2003Hornblower: Duty — Etheridge
• 2003Pompeii: The Last Day — Polybius
• Strange — Inspector Stuart
• Trevor's World of Sport — Sir Frank Luckton
• 2003Wilde Stories: The Nightingale and the Rose — Red Rose (voice)
• 2002Dinotopia — Mayor Waldo
• Dinotopia — Mayor Waldo
• 2002Discovering Dinotopia — Mayor Waldo
• 2001According to Beryl — Samuel Johnson
• Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story — Odin - Member of the Great Council of Mac Slec
• 2001Walking With Disc Jockeys — Narrator
• 2000102 Dalmatians — Detective Armstrong
• Arabian Nights — Ja'Far
• 2000The Little Vampire — Rookery
• 1999The Bass Player
• The Scarlet Pimpernel — General La Forge
• 1999Trial by Fire — Geoffrey Bailey
• 1999Tube Tales — Ticket Inspector (segment "Steal Away"), Ticket Inspector (Steal Away)
• 1998Bill's New Frock — Mr. Platworthy
• Hornblower — Etheridge
• 1998Legionnaire — Lucien Galgani
• 1998Shakespeare in Love — Ralph Bashford
• 1998Vigo — Bonaventure (uncredited)
• Ain't Misbehavin' — Maxie Morrell
• 1997Bright Hair — Norman Devenish
• 1997Harpur and Iles: Protection — Tenderness Mellick
• 1997Keep the Aspidistra Flying — Erskine
• Midsomer Murders — Nathan Green
• 1997The Chest — Roland Blood
• 1997The Missing Postman — DS Lawrence Pitman
• The Missing Postman — DS Lawrence Pitman
• 1996Brassed Off — Harry
• Dalziel and Pascoe — Ted Lowry
• Dangerfield — Stephen Millwood
• 1995It Might Be You — Wally 'Lottery' Whaley
• 1995Mrs Hartley and the Growth Centre — Inspector
• 1995Richard III — Lord Hastings
• 1995The Grotesque — George Lecky
• 1994Black Beauty — John Manly
• 1994In The Cold Light Of Day — Father
• 1994Julius Caesar — Mark Antony
• 1994Mary Shelley's Frankenstein — Executioner (uncredited)
• 1994Midnight Movie — Henry Harris
• 1994Open Fire — DCS Young
• Pie in the Sky — Alec Bailey
• 1994The Madness of King George — Fox
• A Year in Provence — Ted Hopkins
• Cracker — Kenneth Trant
• 1993Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown — Commander
• 1993Resnick: Rough Treatment — Grabianski
• 1993The Hour of the Pig — Mathieu
• 1992A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia — Meinertzhagen
• 1992Blame It on the Bellboy — Rossi
• Shakespeare: The Animated Tales — Mark Antony (voice)
• 1992Stalin — Sergo
• 1991Hancock — Ray Galton
• 1991Incident in Judaea
• Murder Most Horrid — Roy Redfern, General Alberto, Frank Phillips
• Soldier Soldier — Snr Supt Derek Tierney, RHKP
• A Sense of Guilt — Richard Murray
• 1990Crimestrike — The Detective
• 1990The Fool — Mr. Blackthorn
• The Gravy Train — Personip
• 1990The Witches — Head Chef
• 1989Erik the Viking — Jennifer the Viking (Another Rapist)
• 1989Here Is the News — News Editor
• 1989Precious Bane — Sarn
• 1989The Rainbow — Mr. Harby
• Christabel — Bausch
• 1988Duck
• 1988Soursweet — Mr. Constantinides
• 1988Star Trap — Dr. Wax
• 1988The First Kangaroos — Arthur Hughes
• 1988The Raggedy Rawney — The Soldier
• 1988The Tenth Man — Pierre
• Thompson
• 1987A Month in the Country — Ellerbeck
• 1987Harry's Kingdom — Bill
• 1987The American Way — Castro
• Casualty — Matthew Charlton
• 1986Haunted Honeymoon — Montego
• Lost Empires — Inspector Crabb
• The Monocled Mutineer
• The Singing Detective — Mr Marlow
• 1985Rustlers' Rhapsody — Blackie
• Screen Two — Father, Henry Harris
• The Mysteries — Mak / Fourth Soldier
• 1984A Private Function — Inspector Noble
• 1984December Flower — Dentist
• 1984Hiawatha — Nawadaha - The Story Teller
• 1984The Company of Wolves — Second Husband (uncredited)
• 1984Top Secret! — Déjà Vu
• 1983The Oresteia — Agamemnon
• Widows — D.I. Frinton
• 1980Fox — Cliff Ryan
• Fox — Cliff Ryan
• Minder — Tomkins
• Not the Nine O'Clock News
• I, Claudius — Roman Senate Senator (uncredited)
• NOVA — Narrator

Appearances as themselves (9)

• 2025Downton Abbey Celebrates the Grand Finale — Self
• Hidden Treasures of the National Trust — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2016Jim Carter: Lonnie Donegan and Me — Self
• Flintoff: Lord of the Fries — Self - Narrator (voice)
• 2014Nordic Noir - The Rise of Scandi Drama — Self
• 2013Rock 'n' Roll Britannia — Self
• Would I Lie to You? — Self
• Blood on the Carpet — Self - Narrator (voice)
• The View — Self