James, a Southern California native born to Michael and Anita, discovered his passion for acting ironically after having relocated with his family to the Southeastern United States. Upon deciding to pursue a career in film and television, James sought out Elisa Eliot, a private coach and full time actress living in Los Angeles. James has been featured on various AMC television series including "The Walking Dead," where he was later contracted as principal cast for the role of Henry in season 4. In spring 2014 James was cast as as Robert Froehlich in the Investigation Discovery series "Swamp Murders."