Rise to Fame
Two decades of TV guest spots and bit parts preceded Babe. The 1995 film handed him the role of Arthur Hoggett, a barely-speaking farmer, and he made restraint look like craft. It earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Working with the animals on set turned him vegan, which, in retrospect, launched the activist identity that would come to define him as much as any role. L.A. Confidential (1997) came next, where he played a corrupt cop, proving he wasn't going to be typecast as the gentle farmhand.
In the Spotlight
At 86, he keeps getting arrested. The list includes crashing a SeaWorld show in a 'SeaWorld Sucks' t-shirt, supergluing his hand to a Starbucks counter over vegan milk surcharges, and getting handcuffed at university board meetings protesting animal testing. In 2017, he served three days in jail rather than pay a $375 fine. A recurring role on Succession earned him three Emmy nominations for Guest Actor. PETA's person of the year doesn't worry about his Q score.
Side Notes
His father, director John Cromwell, was one of Hollywood's more respected names until the McCarthy-era blacklist ended his career. James's comfort with getting arrested for his beliefs fits that family history. Both built their careers partly around American presidents: John directed Abe Lincoln in Illinois in 1940, James has played LBJ and George H.W. Bush on screen. At 6 feet 7 inches, he's the tallest actor ever nominated for an Oscar, though that's the least interesting thing about him.