15 Best James Spader Movies & TV Shows, Ranked (2024)

James Spader movies and TV shows prove that the actor is one of the most versatile performers in Hollywood. He is also someone who reinvented himself halfway through his amazing career. For the first 25 years, Spader was a solid performer in movies, taking on several high-profile supporting roles in movies like Pretty in Pink and Jack's Back. He also proved he could pique the interest of critically acclaimed directors like Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, Mike Nichols, and David Cronenberg while appearing in blockbusters like Stargate.

However, Spader made a U-turn in 2003 when he took on a role in the TV series The Practice. Since then, his movie roles remain minimal, with only a few major releases. Instead, Spader focuses on TV now. He followed up The Practice with the lead role in its spin-off Boston Legal, took a shot at starring in The Office, and enjoyed the greatest success of his career with the lead role on The Blacklist, proving his second life as a star actor could surpass a great first half but in a very different medium.

15 Storyville (1992)

James Spader stars as A Lawyer Unraveling A Conspiracy

See Also

James Spader: The Strangest Man on TVJames Spader | Biography, Movies, TV Shows, & FactsJames Spader dishes on 'The Blacklist' series finale: 'We weren't taken by surprise'James Spader | Rotten Tomatoes

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James Spader stars in Storyville as a lawyer in New Orleans who takes on a case and quickly unravels an entire conspiracy centering around his family. It's not the only time he has played a lawyer: Spader did so in the TV show Boston Legal, and his ability to pull off smug and pompous shone in both. Cray Fowler (Spader) is a young lawyer who is blackmailed when someone secretly films him soliciting a sex worker. Although reviews weren't sparkling, Storyville offered a look at how impressive Spader was as a performer.

14 The Homesman (2014)

James Spader Stars In A Tommy Lee Jones Directed Western

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​​​​​One of the later James Spader movies, this historical drama from 2014 is set in the 1850s Midwest and has a star-studded cast that includes Hilary Swank, Meryl Streep, John Lithgow, and Hailee Steinfeld. Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, Spader's character is Aloysius Duffy, a hotel owner who ends up getting shot. It is a small yet impactful role in the film that proves that even when he isn't the leading man, Spader still manages to stand out. The movie screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival for the Palme d'Or.

13 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

James Spader Voiced The Evil Ultron

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​​​​​​Some might not even have realized that an MCU film ranks among James Spader movies, but Spader played the villain Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not only did he provide the voice for the character, but he acted using motion capture technology. Despite his face never being seen on camera, this role ranks among Spader's most iconic performances. He proves that by taking what could have been a robotic performance, and he delivers a nuanced and humorous delivery that no one could have expected.

12 The Office (2011-2012)

James Spader Replaced Steve Carell In The Office

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James Spader stepped into a situation that was almost unwinnable in 2011 when he joined The Office cast. The problem is he replaced Steve Carell. Having Spader in the role was smart, as he was a recognizable face, but fans didn't want Michael Scott to leave, and they took it out on Robert California, the role that he played. Despite the fan backlash, Spader is amazing in The Office and, despite season 8 not receiving critical acclaim, he is still a huge personality that could have worked if he hadn't followed Carell in the role.

11 Wolf (1994)

James Spader Played Opposite Jack Nicholson In This Werewolf Movie

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This werewolf movie follows Will Randall (Jack Nicholson), who is bitten by a wolf and finds that he feels younger and has more energy after the incident. Randall is fired from his position as a book editor and has been replaced by a younger, more aggressive editor (Spader) while falling for his former boss's daughter (Michelle Pfeiffer) and trying to figure out how to reckon with the possibility that he's a werewolf. Spader is known for his ability to tackle villainous roles, but also very multi-layered characters, and he achieves both in this film.

10 Jack's Back (1988)

James Spader As The Main Suspect In A Murder Thriller

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Jack's Back is about a string of killings that mimic Jack the Ripper. The police suspect a doctor (Spader) is responsible for the copycat murders. All suspicions are put aside when the doctor himself is killed and his twin brother (also Spader) claims he is having visions of the murders and tries to help solve the cases to clear his brother's name. Spader pulls off a complex, dual role here, and while the concept of actors playing two distinct characters has been done before, in the '80s, it wasn't so common, but Spader made it look easy.

9 The Blacklist (2013-2023)

James Spader's Biggest TV Role

• Stream now on Netflix

While James Spader projects have entertained fans for decades, a new generation met him thanks to The Blacklist. The series follows an FBI agent named Elizabeth (Megan Boone) who works with one of the most wanted criminals in the world to catch other dangerous criminals. That man is Red Reddington, played by Spader. The show ended with its 10th season, and while Elizabeth died and Red became the only lead, Spader enjoyed great success in the role, earning two Golden Globe nominations for it.

8 The Practice (2003-2004)

James Spader's First TV Starring Role

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When it comes to James Spader movies and TV shows, the actor has achieved his greatest success on the small screen. His first major TV role came in 2003 on The Practice. Spader first showed up in season 8 where he played Alan Shore, a new associate who joins the firm after several cast members, including Dylan McDermott, left. His time would be short as the series ended after that season. However, his character moved to the spinoff series, Boston Legal. In his one season, he won a Primetime Emmy Award.

7 Secretary (2002)

James Spader & Maggie Gyllenhaal In A BDSM Drama

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This erotic romantic comedy-drama stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as the submissive secretary to a dominant lawyer, played by James Spader. While working together, they engage in various BDSM activities. Spader's character, E. Edward Grey, is eccentric and begins to get aroused by how obedient she is. It's not for everyone, but Spader's nuanced performance was great. He tackled it with passion and dedication and the movie won several awards with Maggie Gyllenhaal earning a Golden Globe nomination.

6 Stargate (1994)

James Spader In His Biggest Blockbuster Of The 90s

• Stream now on AMC+

Throughout the long line of James Spader's filmography, he has mostly stuck with indie movies and smaller thrillers. However, in 1994, Spader took part in one of the biggest blockbusters of his movie career. Spader starred as Dr. Daniel Jackson, an Egyptologist, who teams with a soldier named Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) to explore a device known as the Stargate. Stargate was a huge success, earning $196.6 million off a $55 million budget (via The Numbers) and spawning a franchise, which included several television shows.

5 Pretty In Pink (1986)

An Antagonistic Jerk In An 80s Rom-Com Classic

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One of the most iconic teen rom-coms of the '80s, Pretty in Pink starred Brat Pack actors like Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy, along with Spader in a supporting role. He played Steff McKee in this coming-of-age film, a wealthy and arrogant teenager who likes to bully. Like many bullies in real life, McKee is secretly insecure and has a crush on Andie, angry that she rejected his advances. Spader is perfect in the role, a young man who uses arrogance and feigned disinterest to mask his self-doubt.

4 Boston Legal (2004-2008)

James Spader Won Two Emmys On Boston Legal

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While James Spader won an Emmy in The Practice, he continued the role with even greater success in Boston Legal. The show lasted for five seasons and follows Shore and his fellow attorneys at his new firm, Crane, Poole & Schmidt. He handles criminal and civil cases, while the storyline also follows his relationship with his co-workers and the people he interacts with. The show was a huge success, picking up 26 Emmy nominations. Spader won two Emmy Awards with three nominations for Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

3 Crash (1996)

An Erotic Thriller From David Cronenberg

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Crash has a unique and original premise as it has a cast of characters obsessed with the danger they feel being involved in or seeing car crashes. The movie delves into the fascination behind danger and how some people eroticize it, including James Ballard (Spader). The movie is more about the plot instead of the characters. There was controversy surrounding its sexual premise, but it was largely thanks to performances from the talented cast that sold it. The film developed a cult following as one of David Cronenberg's more controversial movies.

2 Lincoln (2012)

James Spader Played William N. Bilbo In Lincoln

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Nominated for 12 Academy Awards, including one for Daniel Day-Lewis, this 2012 biographical historical drama is another that saw James Spader in an important supporting role. He played Republican Party operative William N. Bilbo who was sent to prison and freed by Lincoln, before lobbying for the Thirteenth Amendment to abolish slavery. In this role, Spader proves he can not only play fictional characters and bring them to life, he can also embody real people from history, and play them with ease, too.

1 Sex, Lies, And Videotape (1989)

James Spader In His Most Acclaimed Indie Role

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The best of James Spader's career, this independent Steven Soderbergh drama saw Spader in a leading role as a man who videotaped women talking about their lives and sexuality. Credited with helping revolutionize the independent film movement in the '90s, this 1989 film remains one of Spader's best performances to date. It won the Palme d'Or in 1989 and earned an Oscar nomination. The movie was deemed culturally significant and added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2006.