James Thornton (born 31 October 1975) is an English

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

and

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

artist. He is best known for portraying John Barton on the long-running British

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffa ...

'' from 2009 to 2012; he previously appeared in the show in 1995.

Personal life

Thornton married the actress Joanna Page in December 2003. They have four children. Four years before their marriage, they both appeared in the BBC adaptation of the

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

novel ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

''; he as Ham Peggotty, she as

Dora Spenlow Dora Spenlow is a character in the 1850 novel ''David Copperfield'' by Charles Dickens. She is portrayed as beautiful yet childish. David, who is employed by her father, the lawyer Mr Spenlow, falls in love with Dora at first sight and marries her ...

. On 13 February 2010 Thornton was hit by a motorist in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and received medical treatment for leg injuries. ''Emmerdale'' producers rewrote scenes involving Thornton's character.

Selected filmography

*1995: ''

'' *1998: '' Among Giants'' *1999: ''The Lakes'' *1999: ''

'' *2000: '' Playing the Field'' *2001, 2003–2004: ''Red Cap'' *2003: ''Between the Sheets'' *2005: ''No Angels'' *2006: '' Dalziel and Pascoe'' "

A Death in the Family ''A Death in the Family'' is an autobiographical novel by author James Agee, set in Knoxville, Tennessee. He began writing it in 1948, but it was not quite complete when he died in 1955 (with reputedly many portions having been written in the hom ...

" as Hugh Shadwell *2007: ''Holby City - Series 9'' *2008: '' HolbyBlue'' *2009–2012: ''Emmerdale'' *2014: ''Stella''

Other credits

Thornton has narrated several documentaries including '' Take Me to the Edge'' (2008) and The Curse of Oak Island for UK audiences. He appeared as himself in television shows including ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'' (2009–2012), and '' Let's Dance for Sports Relief'' (2011). He has narrated and appeared in the documentary, ''Benefits By the Sea : Jaywick'' (2015–2016) and also narrated the documentary series "The Motorway" shown on Channel 5 in the UK.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*. 1975 births Living people Male actors from Bradford English male television actors English male film actors 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors {{UK-tv-actor-1970s-stub