James Spader Net Worth

James Spader's 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, and Videotape (1989)?] 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 had better enjoy it. Fuck 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 (1996). It makes a statement about whoever releases the film. Miramax took a lot of flak for releasing Kids (1995). The same will happen for whoever releases Crash (1996).
• I have my own artistic sensibilities and Crash (1996) complements them. It is a provocative, challenging, disturbing film made for adults. It's not a skeleton in the closet for me.

Interesting Facts about James Spader

1. Has two sons: Sebastian Spader (born 1989) and Elijah Spader (born 1992).
2. Greatly admires the work of Charles Laughton.
3. Has two unsuccessful television pilots, Diner (1983) and Starcrossed (1985), to his credit.
4. Is known to prefer being called "Jimmy".
5. His wife, Victoria Spader, was the set decorator for Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989).
6. Refuses to watch any of the movies he has appeared in.
7. Born on the same date (February 7, 1960) as Saturday Night Live (1975) "TV Fun House" writer/cartoonist Robert Smigel, best known as the voice of Triumph the insult comic dog from Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1993).
8. Loves cooking and is an excellent chef.
9. Has very poor eyesight, and cannot wear contact lenses. Has said that in roles in which he does not wear his eyeglasses, he can barely make out the face of the actor across from him in the scene.
10. First performer to win Leading Drama Actor Emmy Awards for portraying the same character (Alan Shore) on two different series (The Practice (1997) and Boston Legal (2004)).
11. Is quick to point out that, unlike the sleazy, sneaky characters he is best known for playing, he is actually a nice, friendly man in real life.
12. Has appeared with Andrew McCarthy in three films: Pretty in Pink (1986), Mannequin (1987) and Less Than Zero (1987).
13. Has appeared with Eric Stoltz in four films: A Killer in the Family (1983), The New Kids (1985), 2 Days in the Valley (1996) and Keys to Tulsa (1997).
14. Auditioned for the role of Cadet Captain Alex Dwier in the drama film Taps (1981), but eventually lost to Sean Penn.
15. He was working as a janitor at a rehearsal studio run by acting teacher & casting director Trent Gough in Times Square when he landed his first feature film Endless Love (1981).
16. His father died two weeks before he began production on Critical Care (1997).
17. Has an eidetic memory. He can look at a script and he remembers what the pages look like. As he films a scene, he "reads" the page. The only reason he screws up a line is if very similar words (e.g. "it" and "is") are written fairly close together.
18. Fiancée Leslie Stefanson gave birth to his third son on August 31, 2008.
19. Ex-son-in-law of Lee Kheel.
20. Parents are Stoddard Greenwood and Jean (Fraser) Spader, both educators.