James Marsters

I was quite upset to hear that Colin Ferguson, star of SciFi Channel’s Eureka wouldn’t be attending as advertised. But there are so many other great media guests scheduled at Creation’s Grand Slam SciFi Summit that I’ll still enjoy the convention.

The next person I’m most excited to see is James Marsters. Marsters, of course, is most well-known for his role as Spike in the cult show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And more recently, he played Super-nemesis Brainiac on the CW’s Smallville. He’ll be the only actor here every day of the con.

From Marsters’ official website:

Born in the remote northern logging town of Greenville, California, and raised in Modesto, Marsters knew he wanted to be an actor after making his debut as Eeyore in a fourth-grade production of Winnie-the-Pooh. After honing his skills through his high school drama department, he went on to further study at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School.

Marsters began his professional theatrical career after a move to Chicago, performing in stage productions such as The Tempest and Red Noses at Chicago’s renowned Goodman Theater. In addition to acting, he has also formed and run successful theater companies in both Chicago and Seattle. It was while living in Seattle that Marsters was locally cast to guest-star on the television series Northern Exposure, first as a hotel bellhop and then as Rev. Harding, an ill-at-ease priest. He was inspired by this success to move to Los Angeles. Within months he was sinking his proverbial teeth into the role of Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Other television work includes a starring role in the anthology series Strange Frequency for VH1, as well as stand-out guest spots in Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, Chris Carter’s Millennium, and the WB’s The Mountain. Feature-film credits include The House on Haunted Hill, a co-starring role in Winding Roads, and the male lead opposite Buffy co-star Amber Benson in Chance, her debut as a writer-director. Marsters revisited the stage with a starring role in The Why, an original play produced in Los Angeles by Noah Wyle.

Marsters is also a successful singer/songwriter who for two years was the front man of Ghost of the Robot, a band that enjoyed sold-out tours on an international level before disbanding in the spring of 2004. In October of 2004, Marsters’ musical interests took yet another exciting turn as he discovered a new joy and talent in performing solo acoustic concerts of his own material. In conjunction with the release of his first solo album, Civilized Man, Marsters recently concluded a triumphant 2005 solo tour of the UK and Australia, selling out every performance to enthusiastic crowds. He continues to perform to capacity audiences whenever his schedule permits him to tour.

When he’s not working, Marsters enjoys being a father, playing the guitar, watching football, and spending time with friends at the beach.