Product Code Database
James Marshall Napier (22 October 1951 – 14 August 2022) was a New Zealand-born character actor, playwright and graphic artist. He is known for a succession of strong supporting roles in Australasian films and television shows. He also had a notable stage career.
Before becoming an actor, Napier worked variously as a labourer, factory hand, and truck driver. He also spent a year studying graphic design at the Wellington Polytechnic. He landed his first professional acting job in 1975, at Wellington's Downstage Theatre.
In 1988, he moved with his wife and two young children to Australia, hoping to further his acting career. He soon became an established name in film, theatre, and television. His play Freak Winds has been performed in Australia, New Zealand, United States and Canada; other plays have been broadcast on Australia's Radio Australia.
His starring role in Bellbird (2019) resulted in the film receiving awards at several international film festivals.
| Studio Workshop |
| Studio Workshop |
| Unity Theatre, Wellington |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Unity Theatre, Wellington |
| Centrepoint Theatre, NZ |
| Circa Theatre, NZ |
| Four Seasons Theatre |
| Tour |
| Rock Theatre |
| Unity Theatre, Wellington |
| Tour |
| Circa Theatre, NZ |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Circa Theatre, NZ |
| Circa Theatre, NZ |
| Downstage Theatre, NZ |
| Belvoir Street Theatre |
| Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company |
| Belvoir Street Theatre |
| Wharf Theatre with STC |
| Stables Theatre with Griffin Theatre Company |
| Wharf Theatre with STC |
| Q Theatre |
| Ensemble Theatre |
| Old Fitzroy Theatre with Hydra Theatre Company |
| Old Fitzroy Theatre |
| Arclight Theater, New York |
| Fairfax Studio with MTC |
| Fairfax Studio with MTC |
| Belvoir Street Theatre |
| Old Fitzroy Theatre |
| Sydney Opera House, Southbank Theatre Melbourne, Riverside Theatres Parramatta with STC |
| Seymour Centre with Harrison Productions |
| Auckland Theatre Company |
| Belvoir Street Theatre, Theatre Royal, Sydney |
| Eternity Playhouse, Sydney , Darlinghurst Theatre |
| Chekhov's Platonov adapted by Andrew Upton with STC & Broadway theatre tour |
| Arclight Theater, New York |
| 2022 | Northspur | Summers | |
| 2020 | Earl's Town | Earl | Short film |
| 2019 | Bellbird | Ross | Feature film |
| Little Monsters | Army General | Feature film | |
| 2016 | The Light Between Oceans | Mr Couglan | Feature film |
| Down Under | Graham Sheather | Feature film | |
| 2013 | Inside | The Visiting Doctor | Short film |
| 2012 | Father Gorman | TV movie | |
| 2011 | Chief Commissioner Neil Comrie | TV movie | |
| Panic at Rock Island | Paul Thorpe | TV movie | |
| 2010 | Griff the Invisible | Benson | Feature film |
| The Clinic | Officer Marvin Underwood | Feature film | |
| I Love You Too | Mechanic | Feature film | |
| 2009 | I'm Not Harry Jenson | Tom | Feature film |
| 2007 | Sgt Strunk | Feature film | |
| 2004 | Sold Out | J. Edgar Crippen | Short film |
| Get Rich Quick | Turf O'Keefe | ||
| 2003 | Travelling Light | Don Ferris | Feature film |
| Bad Eggs | Doug Gillespie | Feature film | |
| 2002 | Stuffed Bunny | Priest | Short film |
| Black and White | Prison Warden | Feature film | |
| New Skin | Captain Jip | ||
| 2001 | My Husband, My Killer | John Radij | TV movie |
| Jet Set | Mr Birkin | ||
| 2000 | The Shirt | Mike Hughes | |
| Muggers | Charles Lawrence | Feature film | |
| 1999 | Airtight | Norscrum | TV movie |
| In a Savage Land | Geoffrey Hallerton | Feature film | |
| Strange Planet | Robert | Feature film | |
| 1998 | 13 Gantry Row | Blake | TV movie |
| The Sugar Factory | Mr Berne | Feature film | |
| Meteorites | Cass Cassidy | TV movie | |
| 1997 | Diana & Me | Bank Manager | Feature film |
| 1996 | Dead Heart | Sgt. Oakes | Feature film |
| Children of the Revolution | Brendan Shaw | Feature film | |
| Race the Sun | Mr Cronin | Feature film | |
| 1995 | Swimming Lessons | Jim | TV movie |
| Babe | Chairman of Judges | Feature film | |
| 1994 | Spider and Rose | Henderson | Feature film |
| Paperback Romance (aka Lucky Break) | George LePine | Feature film | |
| 1993 | Shotgun Wedding | Dave Green | Feature film |
| 1991 | Flirting | Mr. Rupert Elliott | Feature film |
| 1990 | The Big Steal | Desmond Clark | Feature film |
| 1988 | The Grasscutter | Det. Inspector Cross | TV movie |
| Searle | Feature film | ||
| Georgia | Frank Le Mat | Feature film | |
| The Clean Machine | Keith Reid | Feature film | |
| 1985 | Came a Hot Friday | Sel Bishop | Feature film |
| 1984 | Pallet on the Floor | Joe Voot | Feature film |
| 1983 | Wild Horses | Andy | Feature film |
| 1982 | Carry Me Back | Airforce Guard | |
| Battletruck | Poole | Feature film | |
| 1981 | Inside Every Thin Girl | TV movie | |
| Bad Blood | Trev Bond | Feature film | |
| 1980 | Beyond Reasonable Doubt | Wyllie | Feature film |
| Goodbye Pork Pie | Police Driver | Feature film |
| 2021 | Doctor Doctor | Bill | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2020 | Grey Nomads | Don Boyce | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Janet King | Magistrate Schaeffer | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2014–15 | Love Child | Greg Matheson | TV series, season 2, 8 episodes |
| 2014 | The Moodys | Howard Benson | TV series, 3 episodes |
| Auckland Daze | Arnold | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2012 | Rake | Prosecution | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2009 | Chandon Pictures | Basil | TV series, 1 episode |
| 2006–10 | City Homicide | Detective Senior Sergeant Wilton Sparkes | TV series, seasons 1-2 & 4, 11 episodes |
| 2006–01 | McLeod's Daughters | Harry Ryan | TV series, 87 episodes |
| 2001 | Stingers | Eddie Thomas | TV series, 1 episode |
| Head Start | John Allott | TV series, 4 episodes | |
| Farscape | General Grynes | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 2001 | The Farm | Peter Collins | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 2000 | The Lost World | Drakul | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1999–01 | All Saints | Ian Hanrahan / Mick Mason | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1999–96 | Water Rats | Joe da Silva | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1997–99 | Blue Heelers | John Scanlan / Jim Jamieson | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1996 | Twisted Tales | Ray | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1996 | The Beast | Commander Wallingford | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Blue Murder | Tony Eustace | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| Charlie Dunn | TV series, 1 episode | ||
| Halifax f.p. | Dale | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1994–93 | Secrets | Gary O'Leary | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 1993 | Stark | Private Detective | TV series, 2 episodes |
| Seven Deadly Sins | Tom | TV miniseries, 1 episode: "Greed" | |
| Time Trax | Oscar | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1992 | South Pacific Adventures | Captain Johnson | |
| 1989–92 | Police Rescue | Fred 'Frog' Catteau | TV series, 19 episodes |
| 1991–92 | G.P. | Stan Brodie | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1992 | The Girl from Tomorrow | Draco | TV series, 12 episodes |
| 1989 | Rafferty's Rules | Alex Reed | TV series, 1 episode |
| Talbot | TV series, 1 episode | ||
| E Street | Bernie | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1988 | Always Afternoon | Bill Kennon | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1987 | Starlight Hotel | Det. Wallace | Feature film |
| 1986 | Dangerous Orphans | Hobbes | Feature film |
| Adventurer | Mason | TV series, 12 episodes | |
| Seekers | Wright | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Hunk Murphy | Animated feature film | ||
| 1985 | Roche | Snatch | TV series, 2 episodes |
| Lie of the Land | Huddy | ||
| Heart of the High Country | Hary | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1984 | Inside Straight | TV series, 1 episode | |
| Mortimer's Patch | Lance Harris | TV series, 1 episode | |
| 1979 | The Neville Purvis Family Show | Larry Lucas | TV series, 6 episodes |
| 1977 | ''The Governor | Richard Seddon | TV series, 1 episode |
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